Audrey Hepburn Style Capsule Wardrobe: how to dress like Audrey

his post actually started out as a part of my capsule wardrobe series, but as soon as I started pulling it together, I realised you don’t actually need to put together an entire capsule wardrobe in order to capture that Audrey Hepburn style of dressing that’s just as iconic today as it was back in the 50s and 60s, when Audrey herself was still rocking these styles.

No, the key to Audrey Hepburn style dressing lies in its sheer simplicity – which is why you really only need a handful of items: like these, for instance…
trench coat / pencil dress / flared dress

shoes / skirt / capri pants / lipstick / eyeliner

sunglasses / fitted sweater / Breton top / bardot top

I’ve stuck to a mostly black and white colour palette here, purely because the monochrome look is so easy to mix and match, but if black’s not for you, don’t worry about it: get the styles and silhouettes right, and you can still pull together an Audrey Hepburn style outfit in any colour (or colours) you fancy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

01. A couple of Audrey Hepburn style dresses / skirts

What’s an Audrey Hepburn style dress? Well, the woman herself wore lots of different dresses, obviously, but she tends to be associated most often with that classic ‘Breakfast at Tifffany’s’ style sheath dress, or really any kind of black, slash-necked style with a simple shape, and no fuss.

This kind of dress is such a classic that it’s not too hard to find on the high street, but if you’re stuck, the retro-reproduction brands are your style saviours here: both Collectif and Lindy Bop have created their own Audrey Hepburn style dresses – and even named them after her, just to make sure you don’t miss the reference. Collectif’s Hepburn dress and Lindybop’s ‘Audrey’ dress are both normally available in a range of prints, and are a pretty affordable way to get the basic look, without feeling like you’re wearing some bizarre kind of Audrey Hepburn costume – these may be from retro-inspired brands, but the simple shapes mean they can easily be given a more contemporary look, depending on how you style them.

If you prefer separates to dresses, meanwhile, it’s easy enough to create the same kind of look with skirts: black pencil skirts or circle skirts are everywhere these days – try Collectif’s ‘Fiona’ pencil skirt or Lindy Bop’s ‘Peggy’ circle skirt for starters.

02. Capri pants

I love House of Foxy’s 50s capri pants, and am now onto my second pair of them, but, again, this is a style that’s relatively easy to replicate on the high street. ASOS, for instance, almost always have a selection of cropped trousers in stock, in various colours. for an even more casual look, ankle length jeans will also work here: chose black for that classic, Audrey Hepburn style, or blue for a more modern spin on the look – as long as they’re relatively close-fitting, and hit above the ankle, they’ll work.

As for what you wear with them, meanwhile…

03. Slash neck and breton tops

The slash neck/boat neck top is an all-time classic, and another key element of Audrey Hepburn style that’s fairly easy to replicate. If you’re shopping on the high street, look for slightly boxy styles in simple shapes and colours: if you’re happy to go with a more retro look, meanwhile, I love Vivien of Holloway’s slash neck tops, and would happily buy one in every single colour, if I possibly could!

Oh, and stripes are also a good bet here – they’re easy to wear, and literally never go out of style!

Finally…

04. Makeup and accessories

A large part of what we think of as Audrey Hepburn style actually comes down to things like makeup and accessories. Winged eyeliner and red lipstick, for instance, will instantly give just about ANY outfit an Audrey-inspired feel, while cat eye sunglasses are another easy way to get the look, without totally changing your OWN look.

If you do want to take the look a bit further, though, my retro-inspired capsule wardrobe will give you a bit more inspiration: enjoy!

Capsule Wardrobes and Style Essentials

My Retro-Inspired Capsule Wardrobe

A Classic Capsule Wardrobe