Fashionable Fridays: Breakfast at Tiffany's

The most famous brunette on a budget of all time was none other than Miss Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Sure, she was in hot pursuit of sugar daddy for the duration of the film, but that girl knew how to make a dollar stretch. From having breakfast at Tiffany's (standing outside with a croissant and coffee, admiring the jewelry displays in the window), to living in her sparse yet adorable one-bedroom apartment and making her $50 from the powder room take her into another week, Holly was the poster child for making her pithy amount of money work for her -- especially in the fashion department.

If we're talking fashion in movies, one need not look further than this film. The 1961 classic starring Audrey Hepburn is eponymous with what being stylish is all about. Unfortunately, the real costumes used in the movie have little to do what being on a budget is all about, as Givenchy himself outfitted Audrey in all scenes, making anything near the "real deal" for us normal folk dreadfully out of reach.

According to The Comic Critic, Hubert de Givenchy was the first couture designer to break into costume design in film with Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Audrey Hepburn was formerly Givenchy's favorite model, and was cast in this part pretty much as a clothes hanger for Givenchy. He previously designed her gowns in the 1954 movie "Sabrina" and the 1957 movie "Funny Face." His costume designs in this film created the fashion classic for American and European women of "the little black dress", plus a strand of pearls and an up-do hairdo. It also launched Givenchy into the American mainstream fashion designer market.

I remember dressing up as Holly Golightly one Halloween in college, and from that moment on I realized that looking as stylish as Audrey was really an effortless task (fake cigarette holder and gaudy costume baubles aside) and didn't have to cost as much as a $20,000 Givenchy gown. With that in mind, here are outfit inspirations from the movie. Some items are pricier than others, but the ensembles are a good guide when you're out shopping and need a little help. Let me know if you've stumbled across any good Holly-esque deals of your own!:



Untitled - by Mischulka on Polyvore.com



Cat! - by BrunetteOnABudget on Polyvore.com

This Old Navy trench coat (above) is a steal at $49, and I currently own these pointy flats from Target ($17), which I love. The glasses and dress are from Forever 21. Click on the pictures for pricing.

Holly and Paul ("Fred baby") at the Tiffany's jewelry store, spending the day doing things each has never done before.


Dearest laitae/Agnes, - by BookLovers'Charm(weRblesd:D) on Polyvore.com


Breakfast at tiffany's tribute - by LolaHaze on Polyvore.com



breakfast at tiffany's - by tasbeeh on Polyvore.com



Holly's sleeping - by BrunetteOnABudget on Polyvore.com


And if you're in love as much as I am with Holly's claw-footed bathtub couch (above), I did find one place online that sells it ... but it's $4,000. Boo. Finding an old claw-footed tub and cutting out one side may have to be my next art project. It can't be that hard, can it?

If your thirst to look like Audrey is still not satiated, check out eHow's "How to dress like Audrey Hepburn."