Audrey Hepburn: A Few of Her Favorite Things

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Actress, fashion icon, and philanthropist Audrey Hepburn has one of the rarest of assets on her resume — an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). She set new fashion standards as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's but is perhaps most poignantly remembered for her philanthropic work.

So today, we remember her.

Audrey Hepburn’s Favorite Food, Book, and More

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DIOR BALLPOINT PEN

A recent Christies auction reported that Hepburn carried a pen like this in her handbag from the 1970s until her death.

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PEARLS

Hepburn may be most closely associated with diamonds, Tiffany diamonds to be exact — but in real life she preferred pearls for the way they looked warm against her skin.

A pair of her classic earrings (with the cutest retro screw/clip back) went up for auction recently. You can score a similar look at Nordstroms.

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AUDREY HEPBURN’S SCARF STYLE

She once said, “When I wear a silk scarf I never feel so definitely like a woman, a beautiful woman.”

I am sure she would have loved this one in Cyan, her favorite color!

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DESIGNER BAGS? TRY BASKETS INSTEAD

Google “Audrey Hepburn baskets” and you will see myriad photos of her with adorable baskets of all sizes.

This is a trend I am very ready to see happen in pop culture. Let’s get it started…

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AUDREY HEPBURN ROMANCE

Hepburn’s favorite poem begins:

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.

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AUDREY HEPBURN’S FAVORITE PERFUME: L’INTERDIT GIVENCHY

With notes of orange blossom, Jasmine and tuberose, this is an homage to the original L'Interdit from 1957 — Hepburns signature fragrance.

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WHITE TULIPS

Perhaps the reason Hepburn loved tulips so much is not just aesthetic — during World War II, Audrey’s family had to survive German occupation, including its accompanying lack of food. Tulip bulbs became an unexpected source of sustenance.

It should be noted that she also has a white tulip named for her.

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LASZLO SOAP

She is quoted as saying, “I owe 50% of my beauty to my mother and the other 50% to Erno Laszlo.” Best bar soap, indeed!

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SPAGHETTI AL POMODORO

Reportedly she ate this every week — and I recreated her recipe here.

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PHILIP KINGSLEY ELASTICIZER

It's said that Audrey fell in love with the treatment, having large tubs of it shipped to her regularly.

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AUDREY HEPBURN’S FAVORITE BOOK: SECRET GARDEN

She famously said, “To grow a garden is to believe in tomorrow”.

Curious to know the favorite things of some of your other favorite actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood? From Audrey Hepburn’s favorite food, to Grace Kelly’s favorite poem, or Marilyn Monroe’s iconic red lipstick, I’ve done the work for you and gathered it all in one place. So what are you waiting for? Channel a bit of Hollywood starlight for your next party or maybe just for your next night out on the town.

need more inspiration from the golden era of hollywood? 

Several notes in the spirit of doing the right thing... Ava Gardner didn't necessarily endorse any of the products listed here, but based upon my research I do believe she really loved these things. That said, if you buy from any of the links included above rather than going straight to the vendor site from Google or another search engine, I may get a portion of your purchase at no cost to you.