New Beauty and Style Secrets Unveiled
When illustrator Christopher Longé was working on the new graphic novel, Audrey Hepburn: An Illustrated Biography, it wasn’t the icon’s elegance and grace that struck him the most. It was Hepburn’s unwavering commitment to being a dedicated humanitarian, as she spent much of her later life advocating for children worldwide as a UNICEF ambassador, and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Written by Eileen Hofer, the stunning biography dives deep into Hepburn’s incredible journey—from a childhood marked by war, through her rise as a global style icon, to her lasting legacy.
“Audrey Hepburn has always been part of my life,” shares Longé. “But during the writing of this novel, I was surprised by the humanism of Audrey Hepburn—a need to do good around her to be happy. All the people I met who knew her talk about her as an angel. In addition to being an intelligent and beautiful woman, she had a kind soul.”
In terms of beauty and wellness, Longé says he likes going back to this rather famous quote from Hepburn, and referred to it while he was working on the book: “I believe in pink. I think laughter is the best way to burn calories. I believe in kisses, lots of kisses. I think you have to be strong when things seem bad. I think happy girls are the most beautiful. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.”
“When she arrived in London after the war, she had not a penny and very little clothes,” he says. “But her friends said that she was still elegant. She knew how to change a piece of clothing, such as a scarf, in order to be at her best. Givenchy, her best friend, admired that about her.”
Longé also refers to the poem by Sam Levenson that Hepburn often recited, and says he finds it defines who she was perfectly: “To have attractive lips, speak words of kindness. To have beautiful eyes, look at what people have in them. To stay slim, share your meals with those who are hungry. To have beautiful hair, let a child touch it every day. To have a nice support, walk knowing that you are never alone, because those who love you and have loved you are with you. People, even more than objects, need to be repaired, pampered, revived, claimed and saved: never reject anyone.
Think about it: if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each arm. As you get older, you will realize that you have two hands, one to help yourself, the other to help those who need it. A woman’s beauty is not in the clothes she wears, her face or the way she arranges her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, for it is the open door to her heart, the source of her love. The beauty of a woman is not in her makeup, but in the true beauty of her soul. It is the tenderness that she gives, the love and passion that she expresses. The beauty of a woman grows with age.”
While Longé says there are “too many” long-lasting beauty and style moments Hepburn gave us to list, he calls out a few of his favorites.
“Audrey changed the vision of women from the 50s. Her short hair in Roman Holiday sucked a wind of panic in the Asian countries because women wanted to have this haircut, so the hairdressers went to the temple to ask for the forgiveness of the Gods! Then, there is her little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, her wonderful hats, her big dark glasses—it is glamour that is still current. We can find it in many series and movies now, like Emily in Paris. And don’t forget when Audrey wakes up wearing a man’s shirt—it is something that always works! We forget that she plays the role of a call girl. The Givenchy dress in Sabrina…the big green coat or the red dress when she goes down the grand staircase of the Paris opera in Funny Face…there are so many.”
