Givenchy, altered by Edith Head
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The black column dress, a five-strand pearl choker, opera gloves, oversized sunglasses and a cigarette holder.
The credit is split: Edith Head was Paramount's costume supervisor on the film, but Hubert de Givenchy designed Hepburn's principal wardrobe including the black dress, the pearl choker, the gloves and the hat. The Paris-made original showed too much leg for the production, so Head redesigned the lower half — meaning the dress everyone photographs is a Head-altered Givenchy rather than the original.
Floor length or mid-calf, skimming not clinging, high front and low back.
★ 4.3 · 52 reviews
Worn high on the neck. A single strand is a quieter, different reference.
★ 5 · 1 reviews
★ 4.7 · 64 reviews
Above the elbow, plain satin. Cheap, and does an enormous amount.
★ 4.4 · 292 reviews
★ 4 · 27 reviews
Worn at inappropriate hours, which is the point.
★ 4.4 · 1,841 reviews
★ 4.4 · 220 reviews
Low, plain, barely visible under the hem.
★ 3.8 · 1,100 reviews
★ 4 · 701 reviews
Belted, mid-length, tied rather than buckled.
★ 3.9 · 368 reviews
★ 4.3 · 448 reviews
Sleeveless, knee length, unadorned.
★ 4.2 · 3,693 reviews
Tied under the chin or at the nape. Sixties shorthand.
★ 4.5 · 275 reviews
For photographs only — the single most recognisable prop in the film.
★ 4.5 · 26 reviews
★ 3.9 · 158 reviews
It's a column, not a bodycon. Floor-length or mid-calf, skimming rather than clinging, with a high neckline at the front and a low back if the dress allows. That contrast is the whole design. Pearls are non-negotiable and they should be multi-strand, worn high on the neck as a choker. A single strand is a different, quieter reference. Gloves above the elbow, in black. They cost almost nothing and they do an enormous amount. And oversized black sunglasses, worn at times when sunglasses are not appropriate. Hair up, high, with volume. That's the entire look — nothing else needs to be added.
The black column dress with multi-strand pearls, opera gloves and oversized sunglasses — the most copied outfit in cinema, for good reason.
The trench, headscarf and black flats are Holly's daytime kit and work anywhere. The column dress waits for evenings and shop windows.
Colour and clutter. The look is black, pearls, and poise — the cigarette holder is set dressing, the posture is the costume.