Audrey Hepburn fans who love the fair lady’s role as a classy style icon can now dress the part — some of the actress’ frocks are going on the block.
Thirty-six items of clothing she wore on and off the screen from 1953 to the late ’60s, along with accessories and letters, will go under the hammer in London next month by Kerry Taylor Auctions in association with Sotheby’s. A selection of the items will be exhibited at Sotheby’s in Manhattan this Saturday and Sunday.
“When you think of Audrey Hepburn you think of the little black dress, of the most beautiful elfin face, and that wonderful, long, sinuous silhouette,” said Taylor, a fashion-specialist auctioneer. “Her sense of European chic is timeless. It’s not to do with glitter. It’s understated elegance. She epitomizes that.”
The highlight is a black chantilly lace cocktail gown by Hepburn’s favorite designer, Hubert de Givenchy. She wore it in the 1966 movie “How to Steal a Million.” It’s estimated to go for $25,000 to $34,000.
The items are from the collection of Tanja Star-Busmann, who first met Hepburn in London in 1951, when the future legend was a 21-year-old aspiring ballerina and Tanja was 15. They became close friends — and through the years, Hepburn sent her outfits she could no longer use.
The collection also includes unpublished letters from Hepburn to Star-Busmann, including one from New York in December 1951, in which Hepburn writes about her opening night in “Gigi” on Broadway.
“And what a night it was, you should have seen old Hepburn in the midst of congratulations, flowers and photographers and we have a success!” she wrote.
If dress size is an issue — Hepburn was 5-foot-7 and was said to have a 32-inch bust, 22-inch waist and 34-inch hips — you can still bid on the hats.
One beautiful chapeau is a Givenchy domed jade-green velvet with tassels in which Cecil Beaton photographed her for a 1964 issue of Vogue. “She looks like Nefertiti,” Taylor said.
Half the net sale proceeds will be donated to The Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund and UNICEF, Taylor said.