Audrey For Ever

Do you remember that quote from Woody Allen’s Manhattan?
A friend of Isaac, the main character, told him, as a reproach: You think you’re God…
And Isaac, seraphic, replies: Well, I gotta model myself after someone!
When I think about Audrey Hepburn, I always think about that quote, because I’ve always tried to model myself after her.
I think it’s useless to make here the list of her good qualities: a very talented actress but also an exquisite human being and an unrivalled example of elegance and class.
She is like the most adorable person ever and I certainly adore her.
When I found out that in Morges, Switzerland, there was an exhibition called “Audrey Hepburn & Hubert De Givenchy, Une élégante amitié” and that, completely by chance, I was in Geneva visiting a friend while it was still going on, mon coeur a fait BOUM!

Givenchy and Audrey met in 1952 in Paris. 
When Hubert was informed that a certain actress called Hepburn was about to arrive at his atelier, he was expecting to see Katherine, but to his great surprise he saw this tiny, thin girl going towards him. And the rest is history.
Givenchy and Hepburn not only created together some of the most iconic dresses of the cinema history, but they also had a life-long friendship (Givenchy is 90 and still alive, Audrey sadly left us quite young, at 63, in 1993).
Hepburn spent the last 30 years of her existence in Switzerland, in a house called La Paisible, outside a little village called Tolochenaz, just 5 minutes by car from Morges, where she got married for the second time (the first was with American actor Mel Ferrer back in 1954) to the Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti in 1969: 

The city of Morges hosts the exhibition in three different places: the Château de Morges, the Expo Fondation Bolle and the Musée Alexis-Forel (all of them at a walkable distance).
My favourite one has been by far the one in the Morges Castle, because it was there that the dresses from the '50s and '60s were displayed.
When I entered into the room I was so excited that my friends thought I was about to have a heart attack! But hey, how could you stay unperturbed in front of dresses you have dreamt about all your life? I simply couldn’t…

When I saw dresses and hats coming from Charade and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, are just went nuts!

And this was Audrey's chair on the fiming of the movie:

Of course, there were many interesting things also on the other two locations:

We also bumped into the place where the marriage between Audrey Hepburn and Andrea Dotti was celebrated:

Being a total Audrey’s day, we also decided to visit the little cemetery of Tolochenaz, where Audrey has been buried in 1993.
Just outside the village, this was a small and simple country cemetery: the most enchanting place to rest in peace and the most suitable one for Audrey:

What a lovely day. I was so happy that I wanted to bring with me as a souvenir the poster of the exhibition. To paraphrase another Allen’s movie: Take Audrey and run!

I would like to thank Denis, Laura and Laure for bringing me there and staying with me in this wonderful day. It was really unforgettable, dear friends!

The proper clothes

I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I personally consider the way people are dressed in movies (and in real life) very important.
It is not by coincidence that my biggest passion in life, besides cinema, is vintage fashion.
In particular, I adore dresses from the ‘50s and '60s.

From the ‘70s on, just forget about them. 

This is why I’m having so much trouble at the moment looking at the Season 6 of Mad Men. 
Set in 1968, things are getting worse and worse: where are those fabulous dresses that Peggy, Betty and Joan used to wear in 1954? 

And I always have in mind that amazing dialogue between James Stewart and Grace Kelly from one of my favourite movie of all time, Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock:
Jeff: Those high heels would be a lot of use in the jungle, and those nylons and six-ounce lingerie..

Lisa: Three-ounce... 

Jeff: Well, they'd be very stylish in Finland, just before you froze to death. Begin to get the idea? 

Lisa: If there's one thing I know, it's how to wear the proper clothes. 
Well, to avoid thinking about the ugliness of modern fashion, I thought to share with you my TOP 5 of the Best Dressed Women in the whole cinema history: 

N. 5
JEAN SEBERG in A BOUT DE SOUFFLE by Jean-Luc Godard (1959) 
The white t-shirt of the New York Herald Tribune on the Champs-Elysées, the striped dress and top, the short haircut. The modern style is born. And the rest is history!

N. 4
MAGGIE CHEUNG in IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE by Wong Kar-Wai (2000)
Her body is the most fascinating silhouette of the cinema history. Wrapped in these magnificent chinese style dresses, it is almost too beautiful to look at. The word classy has been invented for her!

 N. 3
KIM NOVAK in VERTIGO by Alfred Hitchcock (1958)
Double role for Kim Novak but just one genius behind her absolutely fabulous collection of clothes: Miss Edith Head. I have vertigo looking at them!  

 N. 2
GRACE KELLY in REAR WINDOW by Alfred Hitchcock (1954)
The woman who knew "how to dress the proper clothes", it is showing exactly what she meant in this movie. The dresses are (again!) by Edith Head. Simply irresistible!

N. 1
AUDREY HEPBURN in SABRINA by Billy Wilder (1954)
She is THE Best Dressed Women of the human history, not only of cinema, and I could have named ANY of her movies, but the dresses of Sabrina (by appointment to his majesty, Hubert de Givenchy) are just to die for. Elegance, is an attitude!

If you want to know more about the vintage dresses I like (and many other things), you can always have a look at Zazie's PINTEREST page!