It’s that time of year again . . . Everyone’s buying frantically, running around looking for the perfect gift, but times are especially tough right now, no matter who you are or where you live in this lovely world of ours. And whatever you celebrate during December — shoot, even if you don’t celebrate anything at all, toast yourself for living through 2009! — finding an amazing gift at a great price makes you feel extra good, doesn’t it? Everyone loves Audrey Hepburn, and if they don’t, it’s only because they haven’t met her yet.

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I just got a little catalogue in the mail from UNICEF, and it’s encouraging their members to buy one of their Inspired Gifts for your mum this Mother’s Day (May 11th). I think it’s actually a very sweet idea, seeing that the holiday is just a made up Hallmark holiday anyway, and could you give the woman who gave you life* anything better than the chance to touch other childrens lives?

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I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing patience with all this! My computer is fixed, I’m just waiting on acquiring Photoshop and GoLive again so I can fix pictures and webpages, but I’ve still being working two jobs and prepping for a move. So after the move next month, the dust should settle and we should be back to normal.

To make up for my extended absences, here’s a little something for the ladies: an Audrey Hepburn 50s makeup guide, complete with an elfin Audrey look-alike model! Enjoy, and be sure to try it out on yourself sometime soon. Thick black eyeliner’s back in, ya know.

If you haven’t already started, I know you’re already at least looking for gifts to start buying for your friends and family for the upcoming holidays. While there are literally billions of things you could get someone that would be a great gift, how about a little something that keeps on giving? More and more, companies are making products that are not only pretty and useful, but they’re made by people in need with the proceeds going to help them, or a product is sold through a charity with the purchase price going towards a certain goal the charity has in mind. Newsday.com has a great article up talking about some of these double-giving presents you might want to consider.

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It seems I’ve been remiss in my duties again. A lot of women have been searching for Audrey Hepburn, Holly Golightly, or Breakfast at Tiffany’s sewing patterns so they can make their own costumes for Halloween (or everyday life, because Audrey Hepburn is year-round!), and I just left you to your own devices. I’ve felt guilty, though, and all day yesterday I scoured the Internet for suitable patterns to make you dream Audrey costume. Be prepared and take notes, because there’s a lot here! I’m also going to make this a regular theme, updating once a season for any new patterns, so check back once in a while for new goodies.

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A new book on celebrities and international affairs has just been released, called Celebrity Diplomacy. In it, author Andrew Cooper discusses how the growing trend of celebrity diplomats has changed and molded the very art of diplomacy itself, and also acts as a guide for future celebrities looking to go into a more humanitarian field during or after their careers. While Angelina Jolie and Bono may get a lot of attention now for their meetings with Congress and the UN for their causes, only two women can be traced back to the firm roots of celebrity diplomats: Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana. At least that’s how it is according to Cooper. The book looks like it’s a very fascinating read, especially considering the fact that the growing number of celebrity endorsements for humanitarian aid and calls to awareness are really, literally changing the art of diplomacy for anyone involved, well-known or not. You can read more about the book here, if you’re interested.

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I’ve been throwing out tons of tips lately on how to look like Audrey Hepburn or Holly Golightly for Halloween lately, but what about in everyday life? That’s where the book Audrey Style comes in. The first Audrey Hepburn book I ever bought, this book is in equal parts a tribute to her enduring sense of style, impact on the world of fashion, and tips on how to get your own Audrey style. There’s a section in the middle that gives simple, step-by-step instructions on how to do your everyday makeup to look like Audrey, and you even get a variety of styles to choose from (click for full-sized version):

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If you missed it the first time around, here’s part one of the costume tips. I’ve found even more great items to put together a really fantastic Audrey Hepburn or Holly Golightly costume, so keep reading!

1. Opera gloves. How could you forget opera gloves? If you’d really like to look classy, try to find some above the elbow length gloves, which make for a more formal, elegant look. I’ve found some beautiful satin gloves in a vast array of colours, so you can do black for Holly Golightly or white/cream for a Princess Ann or Eliza Doolittle look.

2. Ballet flats. You can pair pretty much everything with ballet flats and automatically be 50% cuter. Works well with any little black dress and is a more comfortable alternative to heels, especially if you’re going to be on your feet all night. Paired with some capris or skinny pants, it looks more stylish and put together than sneakers but not as fancy as heels would. They were Audrey’s shoe of choice throughout her life!

3. Little black dresses. Earlier I had left you on your own by telling you to hit the pavement and shop around at local boutiques. Wasn’t very helpful, was it? After lots of scouring, I’ve found a few little black dresses that happen to be affordable and the perfect Audrey style. You can either do a shorter, knee-length dress for a more casual affair, or I’ve found a longer formal gown if you really wanted to go all out and do the beginning credits Holly Golightly with pearls, updo and a cup of coffee (which I am completely leaving up to you to find).

4. Pearls. I honestly don’t know if anyone makes an exact replica of Audrey’s multi-strand pearl necklace with the rhinestone pendant, but what you can do is nab a strand of long pearls and a rhinestone brooch. Wind the pearls around a couple of time to make a thick multi-strand set like Holly’s, pin the pendant front and center and voila! Instant Holly Golightly.

5. Cigarette holder. I don’t know about you, but I know quite a few people (myself included) that have been looking for a cigarette holder for ages! Today I’ve found two that would suit Audrey Hepburn equally well. The first is an extra long gold ciggie holder, just like the one she waves around at her out of control party in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The second is a smaller, black holder, and may be a bit easier to handle in crowded situations. It’s also the sort of ciggie holder she used in real life.

*Bonus* To go along with your fabulous cigarette holder, you can also have fake cigarettes that smoke like the real thing!

6. Skinny black pants and a turtleneck. Who says you have to be Holly Golightly to be Audrey Hepburn? Thanks to the exposure of the Gap commercials last year, pretty much everyone knows that an all black beatnik outfit with white socks and black loafers equals a funky dancing Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton. This costume is so versatile and comfortable it will quickly become a wardrobe staple.

You can find more pictures of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly here, and pictures of Audrey as Jo Stockton in Funny Face here.

You can also find all of the accessories listed above, plus the items mentioned in the first costume post, here.
Edit: Updated 7/9/10 to fix broken or obsolete links and to update the products available to you. Everything is still available through FabAudrey’s shop.

It’s that time of year again … Halloween! And I’ve noticed that a lot of people have been searching for an Audrey Hepburn costume, so here’s everything you need all in one convenient post. Since most women tend to do Holly Golightly as an easily recognizable Audrey costume, most of these tips are Breakfast at Tiffany’s oriented. The film was recently voted the most stylish film of all time, so it’s hard to go wrong as Holly Golightly!

1. The hair. A lot of people think that Audrey’s iconic “pineapple ‘do,” that massive updo from the beginning of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, is almost impossible to do by yourself. But this step-by-step tutorial shows that it’s actually quite easy and possible for almost any hair length. You might need a lot of hair pins and hairspray, especially if your hair tends to be fine, but it’s definitely achievable. Ask a friend for help if you have trouble; what friend could resist dressing you up as Audrey Hepburn?

2. The makeup. Recently makeup artist askmemakeup posted a video tutorial on how to do Holly Golightly’s makeup. It’s very good and true to Audrey Hepburn’s real makeup both on and offset, so whether you’re doing Holly or Audrey you’re in good hands with this video.

3. The accessories. What’s an Audrey Hepburn costume without a tiara? And not just any old tiara will do, my dear. Luckily, Tiaratown offers very good replicas of some of Audrey’s most iconic jewelry pieces, from Breakfast at Tiffany’s to My Fair Lady, and even Funny Face. Available in both gold and silver finishes, these tiaras and necklaces are beautiful enough to wear anytime, not just on Halloween.

Sunglasses. You can’t be Audrey Hepburn without some fabulous, oversized sunglasses now, can you? Audrey’s top choice in shades were the iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarers, but they may be out of your price range for the time being. Not to worry, though! The Wayfarers are so enduringly popular that they’ve spawned tons of knockoffs, all much more affordable and all still good looking. You can get good knockoffs starting at just over $2, if you know where to look.

*Bonus: While you may not feel comfortable parading around in nothing but a men’s tuxedo shirt and an outrageous sleep mask in the middle of autumn, you can still get an excellent replica of Holly Golightly’s sleep mask. You know, for personal use.

4. The dress.* If you’re very crafty, you could sew your own dress, but you’d probably have to either make your own pattern or modify an existing one to get what you want. If you’re not so crafty, or you’re just running out of time, then it’s probably just easier to buy a dress off the rack. It’s completely up to you whether you want to go long and formal or do an easier little black dress, but shop around before deciding! Remember that Audrey was known for simple and elegant LBDs, so less is always more. Try to stick with knee-length, maybe with a nice boatneck, since that was Audrey’s preferred neckline. Any local boutique should have what you’re looking for.

As many of you might know by now, last week José Luis de Vilallonga died at age 83. Jose was known in the Audrey Hepburn world as the man who played the dashing Brazilian boyfriend of Holly Golightly, José da Silva Pereira. José was a man of many talents, though, as he was also an author and a highly respected aristocrat, writing as a journalist and publishing the official biography of King Juan Carlos of Spain. You can read more about José’s fascinating life here.

The second article I’d like to share is a little old as well (for some reason I just sat on it instead of posting it right away), but still very pertinent, I think. You’d have to live under a rock on the moon to have not heard about a certain socialite’s stint in jail, a young woman with the initials P.H. I don’t want to put her name here because I really don’t want to. You know who I’m talking about and that’s all that matters. Anyway, after being released from jail and loudly proclaiming that she was a changed woman and would now use her status as a so-called icon to help others, P.H. has done little, if anything, towards that goal. MSNBC, however, won’t let P.H. forget her promise and even published an article showing her how to go about using her celebrity towards a better cause. Their golden example? None other than Audrey Hepburn. Even if you can’t stand P.H., please read the article, if just to get yourself motivated or to remind yourself of why you love Audrey. As if you needed reminders! It’s a wonderful article and while being aimed at a certain heiress, really applies to any young woman who needs a little help shaking off the silliness and immaturity and learning to really think beyond yourself, which will finally make you useful towards other people. “Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”