tuesday inspiration: audrey et audrey

This week's inspiration partially comes from the fact that I recently watched Hors de Prix, starring Audrey Tautou, a modern (and French) Audrey Hepburn. Both petite yet very feisty and strong minded in the characters they portray, and of course, always elegant.

Audrey Hepburn is constant inspiration for me. What I find most extraordinary about her is that most men that I know are completely infatuated with her as well. What is unique about Audrey, from a Hollywood perspective, is the fortitude of her personal character. Her pre-movies life was extraordinary, descended from British royalty, left by her father (a Nazi sympathizer) in 1935, moved to the Netherlands to flee the Nazis, trained in ballet, her uncle and cousin shot in front of her for being part of the Resistance, after the war moving to Amsterdam and then London where she was encouraged to pursue acting because of her height (5' 7") and malnutrition during the war.

Of course, any Audrey fans know all of her plays/movies that would come afterwards: Gigi (1951), Secret People (1952), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), War and Peace (1956), Funny Face (1957), Love in the Afternoon (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Charade (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), How to Steal a Million (1966).....




"By the mid-1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but also a major fashion influence. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognized sense of chic were both admired and imitated."

















And then beginning with Amelie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) in 2001, Audrey Tautou entered most of our lives (though she was already known to our French friends). As an actress she is very grounded in France, but her charm and wit translates across screens. A Very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fiançailles) (2004) is a great love story of patience and devotion. And in typical Audrey style, she starred in a French romcom in 2006, Priceless (Hors de Prix), a story of two stylish gold diggers who fall in love.




















Two lovely ladies with strong spirits, great film characters, and impeccable style.