Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday

I first saw Roman Holiday (1953) starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn a few summers ago while flipping through old movie channels. It's a classic movie that places Audrey as a princess tired of her confining life so she runs away while in Rome and is found by Gregory Peck, who plays an American news reporter. Audrey Hepburn is known for her trademark beauty and she shines brightly in this film. Therefore, the first outfit I have chosen to recreate is her exploration outfit. It is a simple outfit, consisting of a light blouse, khaki skirt with a wide belt, and strappy, lace up sandals. We'll work our way from the top down.


I chose the Short Sleeve Solid Stretch Shirt ($44.50) from Eddie Bauer for the blouse. Audrey's shirt in Roman Holiday is not a slim fit, which was the problem that I found with most of the blouses that I looked at. This blouse, however, has a nice loose shape and still has sleeves long enough to roll up to complete the look.
The defining shape from this outfit comes from not only Audrey's characteristically miniscule waist, but also her wide belt cinched snugly at her natural waistline. The blouse is tucked into the belt and skirt and pulled out a little at the top edge of the belt. The belt was one of the more difficult aspects of this outfit. I couldn't seem to find the perfect one but the best option I settled on was the Antonio Melani Patent Leather Belt ($18.00) from Dillards. The next item is the skirt. I didn't have to search for very long to find one that was very nice for the purpose: the Merona Sateen Pleated Skirt ($19.99) from Target. It has a good shape with plenty of room and pleats. Although it seems to be a bit shorter than Audrey's, which hits mid-calf rather than right below the knee, I tend to find that when a store advertises something as just below the knee it hits me mid-calf (I'm 5'4" - this also makes finding nice capris a challenge because they end up looking like high-waters on me!). The last item, the shoes, were also a bit of a challenge. I chose Clarks Seagrass ($39.99) strappy sandals from Piperlime. Not only were they the closest item I could find but they're also super cute to wear everyday. An added plus is that they have a short strap that ties up your leg - some people go crazy with longer straps and it's just not a pretty sight unless your dressing as a gladiator for Halloween.

That comes to $122.48 (not including sales tax) for the entire outfit - not bad for an entire outfit and all of the pieces can be easily integrated into other outfits with clothes you already own. Well I hope everyone in the US has an awesome Labor Day and everyone else has a fantastic Monday!