When illustrator Christopher Longé was engaged on the brand new graphic novel, Audrey Hepburn: An Illustrated Biography, it wasn’t the icon’s class and style that struck him probably the most. It was Hepburn’s unwavering dedication to being a devoted humanitarian, as she spent a lot of her later life advocating for youngsters worldwide as a UNICEF ambassador, and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Written by Eileen Hofer, the beautiful biography dives deep into Hepburn’s unimaginable journey—from a childhood marked by conflict, via her rise as a world type icon, to her lasting legacy.
“Audrey Hepburn has at all times been a part of my life,” shares Longé. “However through the writing of this novel, I used to be shocked by the humanism of Audrey Hepburn—a have to do good round her to be joyful. All of the folks I met who knew her speak about her as an angel. Along with being an clever and exquisite girl, she had a form soul.”
When it comes to magnificence and wellness, Longé says he likes going again to this quite well-known quote from Hepburn, and referred to it whereas he was engaged on the ebook: “I imagine in pink. I feel laughter is one of the best ways to burn energy. I imagine in kisses, numerous kisses. I feel you must be sturdy when issues appear dangerous. I feel joyful women are probably the most stunning. I imagine that tomorrow is one other day, and I imagine in miracles.”
“When she arrived in London after the conflict, she had not a penny and little or no garments,” he says. “However her pals stated that she was nonetheless elegant. She knew change a bit of clothes, akin to a shawl, to be able to be at her greatest. Givenchy, her greatest pal, admired that about her.”
Longé additionally refers back to the poem by Sam Levenson that Hepburn usually recited, and says he finds it defines who she was completely: “To have engaging lips, communicate phrases of kindness. To have stunning eyes, take a look at what folks have in them. To remain slim, share your meals with those that are hungry. To have stunning hair, let a toddler contact it every single day. To have a pleasant assist, stroll figuring out that you’re by no means alone, as a result of those that love you and have liked you’re with you. Folks, much more than objects, have to be repaired, pampered, revived, claimed and saved: by no means reject anybody.
Give it some thought: in case you ever want a serving to hand, you will see one on the finish of every arm. As you become old, you’ll understand that you’ve two arms, one to assist your self, the opposite to assist those that want it. A girl’s magnificence will not be within the garments she wears, her face or the way in which she arranges her hair. The great thing about a lady is seen in her eyes, for it’s the open door to her coronary heart, the supply of her love. The great thing about a lady will not be in her make-up, however within the true great thing about her soul. It’s the tenderness that she offers, the love and keenness that she expresses. The great thing about a lady grows with age.”
Whereas Longé says there are “too many” long-lasting magnificence and magnificence moments Hepburn gave us to listing, he calls out a couple of of his favorites.
“Audrey modified the imaginative and prescient of girls from the 50s. Her brief hair in Roman Vacation sucked a wind of panic within the Asian nations as a result of girls needed to have this haircut, so the hairdressers went to the temple to ask for the forgiveness of the Gods! Then, there may be her little black gown in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, her great hats, her massive darkish glasses—it’s glamour that’s nonetheless present. We will discover it in lots of sequence and flicks now, like Emily in Paris. And don’t overlook when Audrey wakes up carrying a person’s shirt—it’s one thing that at all times works! We overlook that she performs the position of a name woman. The Givenchy gown in Sabrina…the large inexperienced coat or the purple gown when she goes down the grand staircase of the Paris opera in Humorous Face…there are such a lot of.”
