The Story Behind Audrey Hepburn's Wedding Dresses
When we think of Audrey Hepburn, there’s often one image that comes to mind, the (dare we say it...) over-used, over-cited Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster, of the actress clad in a simple black dress with a diamond tiara atop her famous chignon. Her style, outside of work, however, was far more classic, with fewer dazzlers and her wedding dresses choices were no exception.
Audrey, of course, was married twice - but there was also another wedding dress that never quite made it as far as ‘I do.’ All three encapsulated Hepburn’s signature style; pared-down, elegant with a touch of a playfulness.
The Fontana dress, 1952
Audrey Hepburn wears the wedding gown designed by Zoe Fontana of Rome for her marriage to James Hanson
Bettmann / Getty Images
Known as the wedding dress that never was. Before becoming a household name in Hollywood, Audrey was engaged to James Hanson, a British businessman, for one year. The couple, however, called the wedding off - not before Hepburn had a mid-length, boatneck silk dress already designed and fitted for the occasion by the Rome-based Fontana sisters (she was filming Roman Holiday at the time.)
The dress was later donated, after the actress insisted the designers find another wearer. She told them she wanted it to be ‘worn by another girl for her wedding, perhaps someone who couldn't ever afford a dress like mine, the most beautiful, poor Italian girl you can find.’ The dress found its wearer - a young Italian bride called Amiable Altobella, who wore it to her farm wedding.
The same dress was sold in 2009 as part of a Hepburn couture and accessories sale in London and was purchased by a private collector who paid £13,800. Altobella was quoted in the auction catalogue as saying, ‘I have had a happy marriage, so the dress brought me luck.’
The Pierre Balmain dress, 1954
Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer on their wedding day, 1954
Ernst Haas / Getty Images
When Audrey Hepburn married American actor and director Mel Ferrer in 1954, she chose a design that’s become one of the most despicable and inspired wedding dresses of all time. The tea-length, fit and flare dress with ballgown sleeves, a high neck collar and elbow-length gloves was designed by Pierre Balmain, founder of French fashion house Balmain, the perfect choice for the 25-year-old bride whose popularity had soared after the release of Roman Holiday a year earlier.
The couple married in Burgenstock, Switzerland and after suffering several miscarriages, Hepburn’s first child, Sean Ferrer, arrived in 1960. The couple’s marriage, however, was already breaking down and they divorced eight years later.
The Givenchy dress, 1969
Audrey Hepburn with her second husband, Andrea Dotti, on their wedding day, 1969
Getty Images
Audrey married her second husband, Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti, in 1969. The actress turned to Hubert de Givenchy to create a demure, pared-down gown for the occasion, having worn a ballerina-style Givenchy gown as a bride for her role in Funny Face two years earlier.
The dress, a long-sleeved, funnel-necked pale pink minidress, paired with white tights, white ballet flats, gloves and a matching headscarf, channelled the Sixties style at the time. The low-key obtain proved to be an glowing choice for her town hall ceremony in Switzerland. Audrey gave birth to her second son, Luca Dotti, a year later. After 14 years together, she and Andrea divorced in 1982.
While the Givenchy gown was the last time she tied the knot, Hepburn did find love again after Dotti. From 1980 until her death, she was in a relationship with Dutch actor Robert Wolders, which she revealed were the happiest years of her life, stating that she considered them married, just not officially.
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SRC: https://www.tatler.com/article/audrey-hepburn-wedding-dress
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