Audrey Hepburn, 1963

On first meeting Audrey at a London party, following the release of Roman Holiday, Cecil Beaton wrote in his diary Audrey's enormous potential cinema success, with attendant salary, seem to have made little impression on this delightful human being. She appears to take wholesale adoration with a pinch of salt; gratitude rather than puffed-up pride... In a flash I discovered Audrey Hepburn is chock-a-block with spritelike charm... we liked one another. A chord had been struck and I knew that, next time we met, we would continue straight from here... This was a unique occasion.

A decade later they would collaborate on what would be one of the most significant projects in both of their careers - My Fair Lady. Beaton had designed the costumes for the stage production and was now tasked with creating the entire 'look' of the film adaptation. The project was a dream for Beaton, who had written an article for Vogue in 1930 on Ascots of the Past and would now be living out his Edwardian fantasy. He flew to Hollywood in February 1963 to start work on the 1000 costumes required.

Beaton's diary entry of 18th May 1963 relates Audrey's first visit to the wardrobe department on arrival in Los Angeles: She wanted to pose for photographs in every one of them. "I don't want to play Eliza! She doesn't have enough pretty clothes. I want to parade in all these. Later Hepburn would parade in all the most glamorous Ascot costumes for a shoot with Beaton for US Vogue, December 1963. The dazzlingly spectacular Ascot scene, which alone would require 400 magnificent gowns and an enormous bespoke set, was Beaton's masterpiece - he went on to win two Oscars for his work on the film.
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