on the street where you live

This is so out of character for me. I am so not the 'fan' type (did you know that the word 'fan' is actually shortened from 'fanatic'? That explains a lot). But I've always felt a strong affinity for Audrey Hepburn, even as a child. Especially as a child. My childhood images of how a beautiful woman should look and act and BE are based around her films, especially, My Fair Lady (where I managed to develop quite a successful Mockney accent, if I do say so myself).

And, as unPC as this is to admit, altho my parents' marriage was nothing like that film, I can now see that there's a bit of Henry Higgins in Mr. Dot's manner. In fact, as we speak, he's shouting at me to fetch his slippers! ; ) Well, not exactly, but almost.



So yesterday morning, when the skies cleared up and Picadilly looked all shiny and bright and new, I walked down Regent's Street, where I caught this shot, to Pall Mall, to document her dresses before the auction started. As I walked in, (and the space isn't large at all), 'On the Street Where you Live' - the soundtrack to My Fair Lady- was playing, and there were all these large iconic photos of Audrey everywhere, and her signature, and the dresses on stands. And to my surprise, I burst into tears.



The turquoise silk Givenchy cocktail 'gown' (actually, cocktail dress), in my favourite colour, was the 2nd highest seller, at £18,000. But to me it was so much more than the money, or even the clothes. It was the story behind the clothes. The collection belongs to a woman, Tanja Star Busmann, who was a child, family friend and neighbour when Audrey Hepburn was starting out. Audrey only had a son, and this girl was clearly a kind of surrogate daughter for her. Her letters to her were to be included as provenance with the dresses.



This Givenchy dress, by the way, was what Audrey wore to promote perhaps one of her least famous films, but my all time favourite. Any fashionista worth her salt, no matter she's 14 or 94, has no excuse in this day and age of Amazon.com, not to have seen Two for the Road: it sets the bar for style.

Over the next few days (or possibly weeks) I will scatter more posts of photos with stories. But first, I will leave you with this song, from my heart, to yours: