Tea at Trianon: Audrey Hepburn's Famous White Gown in 'Sabrina'

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Audrey Hepburn's Famous White Gown in 'Sabrina'

From Fashonista:

Nothing screams Audrey Hepburn more than an elegant Givenchy gown, as the brand collaborated with the actor on many of her most iconic looks, on and off screen. In the above studio recreation of a scene from 1954's "Sabrina," Hepburn wears a strapless ballgown that has become one of cinema's most beloved costumes — as well as one of the most disputed ones. "Sabrina" is a charming Cinderella story centered around a chauffeur's daughter, Sabrina (played by Hepburn), who travels to Paris as a simple school girl and returns as a sophisticated Parisienne. The film, which was costume-designed by Hollywood legend Edith Head, features a scene with Sabrina attending the Larrabee party in the above look. As the live music plays and guests are sipping champagne, she enters, wearing the white, sleeveless organdy evening gown, her beauty capturing everyone's attention. (Read more.)