Audrey Hepburn Cocktail Dress Estimated to be Sold at Auction for €400,000

The tassel-adorned Givenchy dress, worn by the actress in the delightful comedy directed by Blake Edwards, will be offered to the highest bidder from September 6th to 8th, 2023, in an online auction in Beverly Hills.

Amidst Lady Di's dresses, props from the film Alien, and Humphrey Bogart's memorabilia, within the impressive catalog of the "Legends: Hollywood and Royalty" auction, lies a small fuchsia silhouette with a curious history. Holly Golightly, the character portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, has seen it all in this pink dress. It's the piece she wears for her romantic rendezvous with a wealthy Brazilian politician and the one in which she receives the telegram informing her of her brother's death. This dress, created by Hubert de Givenchy, is one of the iconic costumes from Blake Edwards' comedy, adapted from Truman Capote's best-selling novel and released in 1961. The iconic "hot pink cocktail dress" is now up for auction by the American auction house Julien's Auction and is estimated by experts to be worth $450,000, which is over 413,000 euros.

It's the second most memorable piece from Breakfast at Tiffany's, just behind the famous black dress, also designed by Givenchy, so renowned that it has its own Wikipedia page. The round-necked, tulip-skirted, and fitted corset design is made from pink silk organza and adorned with hand-embroidered tassels across its entire surface. Meticulous craftsmanship, however, hasn't spared it from the effects of time.

In addition to being designed sixty years ago, Audrey Hepburn's dress has passed through the hands of other owners. For instance, it was auctioned by Christie's in 2007, fetching a price of $192,000, approximately 145,000 euros. In the meantime, it has endured the effects of time. Its once-vibrant pink color on screen has faded, and the adornments that embellish it have suffered damage or are even missing in some places, as visible in the photo. Nevertheless, this hasn't hindered the estimation of its value from tripling since its last acquisition. For legends endure wrinkles and creases as much as they do the passage of time.