When Elizabeth Hurley turned up to singer Elton John’s 10th Annual White Tie and Tiara Ball this year she wasn’t the first film star turn heads with the help of the simple yet glamorous accessory. The party at Elton’s home in Windsor was attended by the great and the good of the entertainment industry and Liz stole the show with a magnificent strapless gown, obviously, and sparkling diamond tiara.
Tiaras were once ubiquitous amongst Hollywood’s leading ladies. In the heyday of the studio system, when the biggest film stars were contracted to major studios like MGM, actors and actresses were required to look and behave a certain way. For men this meant tailored suits, Brylcreemed hair and a mean and moody look. For women it was pretty much the same; designer dresses and beautiful hair but with the addition of jewels…lots of jewels.
Actresses like Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and Marlene Dietrich were never seen in public without a rock on their finger and pearls, rubies or some such stones around their necks. It was in their contracts that they had to look larger than life both on the screen and off it. Jewels gave them added glamour and style. Leading jewelers from around the world made rings, necklaces and tiaras for them to wear.
One of the most popular of these actresses was Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn starred in dozens of memorable films and her name has become a byword for style and sophistication. She was a talented actress and was recognized as such with an Oscar in 1953, but it is for a certain look, a particular approach to Hollywood glamour, that she will always be remembered.
The Audrey Hepburn look is best illustrated in three films; Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and My Fair Lady.
Roman Holiday – Hepburn won and Oscar, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for her performance in this 1953 romantic comedy. In it she plays a princess who is bored with her life of privilege and feels trapped. While in Rome she escapes from her hotel and decides to experience what Rome has to offer without a chaperone. She meets a journalist, Gregory Peck, and they gradually fall in love. The film is famous for a scene in which Hepburn puts her hand into the mouth of a stone statue and for the image of her as a royal princess complete with dazzling tiara.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Hepburn plays a vain socialite, Holly Golightly, in this 1961 Blake Edwards film. Hepburn acknowledged that it was one of her toughest roles. She had to play an extremely outgoing person which was completely against her natural character. The love story between her and her co-star’s character, played by George Peppard, plays out in New York City. The Tiffany’s of the title is a jewellery store on 5th Avenue and the displays of diamond, rings, necklaces and tiaras are show in the memorable opening scene. The iconic image of Hepburn wearing a tiara and holding a cigarette holder is also taken from this film.
My Fair Lady – Based on the George Bernard Shaw play, Pygmalion, My Fair Lady is the story of a Cockney flower girl who tries to better herself by taking speech lessons. Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison plays her tutor Henry Higgins. The play and film both deal with issues of class and society. The film won eight Oscars and there are plans to remake it with Keira Knightley.
dominic donaldson is an expert in the jewellery business.
find out more about http://www.josee.co.uk tiaras and other items of jewellery.
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