The influence of Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy on American fashion, 1952--1965

The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of Audrey Hepburn and her collaboration with Hubert de Givenchy on fashionable dress between 1952--1965. A content analysis of high fashion, general women's periodicals, and one clothing catalog was conducted using selected styles/garments featured in popular Audrey Hepburn movies to see if these styles emerged just after the movies were released. High fashion periodicals also were searched for a two year period prior to the release of each movie to look for evidence of prior trend emergence. Articles which showed a Hepburn/Givenchy collaboration for the "Hepburn Look" also were included in the content analysis.;Few examples of the selected styles (coat, bateau neckline, and black sheath dress) were found prior to the release of the movies. Examples of the bateau neckline and coat increased following the release of their respective movies, suggesting possible influence, however, there was little evidence of a collaboration between Givenchy and Hepburn in his designing for her. It was concluded that two styles traditionally associated with the Hepburn Look became popular after being featured in her movies, but in the sources used for this study no direct link to her movies or collaboration with Givenchy can be found.