Audrey Hepburn’s timeless elegance and charm have made her a style icon for generations. Her films often featured transformative makeovers that left a lasting impact on fashion and beauty standards.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to her work, these five Audrey Hepburn makeover movies will not only captivate you with their stories but also inspire your inner fashion icon.
Join us as we explore the classic films that showcase Audrey’s unparalleled style and grace.
#1 Roman Holiday (1953)
We may say this about every one of Audrey Hepburn‘s films, but we love Roman Holiday. It might be our favorite Audrey Hepburn movie. This film cast Audrey in her breakout role as Princess Ann, a young woman who runs away to find herself among the masses of strangers in Rome.
She meets a heartbreaker reporter, and they fall in love, only to be separated by their duties to their respective callings. In this film, Audrey evolves from a naive and anxious girl into a carefree woman. We love the scenes of Ann’s walk through Rome as she makes ever-so-slight changes to her appearance (except for a pretty in-your-face haircut!).
When Gregory Peck, who plays the romantic lead Joe, saw the waves Audrey Hepburn was going to make in her role as Ann, he insisted she should also have her name next to his above the title. It’s a good thing he did, because she won an Oscar for her work in this film!
“Do you have a silk nightgown with rosebuds?” – Princess Ann “I haven’t worn a nightgown in years!” Joe Bradley.
#2 Sabrina (1954)
This film is truly the story of a makeover, and it is fabulous. We love the transformation Audrey makes in this film as the young daughter of a chauffeur in love with the son of the “big house” into a chic Parisienne, complete with a little dog. A love triangle ensues upon Sabrina’s arrival home from Paris.
Audrey Hepburn was paid $15,000 for her role in this film named after her character, while Humphrey Bogart was paid $300,000. We’re chalking that up to sexism.
This was also the film where Audrey Hepburn first worked with the incredible designer Hubert de Givenchy in selecting her wardrobe. He went on to clothe her in many other films and created the “Hepburn Look.” To us, Audrey and Givenchy were a perfect partnership.
#3 Funny Face (1957)
We believe this to be the most visually stunning of Audrey’s “makeover movies.” When we saw it in theaters, the technicolor was so beautiful and the images were so striking that we became teary from how perfect the art direction was—perfect enough to be nominated for a 1957 Oscar!
Fred Astaire plays opposite Audrey as the photographer who discovers Audrey’s character, Jo, at a beatnik bookshop in Greenwich Village. He “loves her funny face” and whisks her off to Paris, where she becomes a glamorous model (but stays pretty cool and nerdy).
Fred Astaire’s character is modeled after the famous fashion photographer Richard Avedon, who set up the beautiful photography stills shown in this film. Audrey is once again decked out in an amazing wardrobe by Givenchy.
This movie has incredible song and dance routines for musical lovers. Audrey Hepburn’s beatnik dance routine in a smoky Paris jazz café is one of the best things about this film. We love seeing this classically trained dancer trying out modern dance.
#4 Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an iconic Audrey film about a lost little girl inside a party girl’s body. It may not read as a “makeover movie” right away, but as we watch the film, we learn that Audrey’s character, Holly Golightly, is in a process of constant reinvention.
She is never quite happy with who she is. Before the start of the film, Holly was farm girl Lulamae, and we catch small glimpses of this person as Holly experiences all her inner conflict. Also, the awesome scene where she transforms from a sleeping beauty to a New York sophisticate in a little black dress is a favorite Audrey moment. We want a morning routine that fast!
Fun fact: the writer of the book Breakfast at Tiffany’s was Truman Capote, and his first choice to play the role of Holly Golightly was Marilyn Monroe! Can you imagine how different this film would be had she been given the part?
#5 My Fair Lady (1964)
This exquisite film was produced on an incredibly grand scale and is a treat to watch! In it, Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle, a flower seller on the streets of London at the turn of the century. She is picked up as an experiment by Henry Higgins (played by Rex Harrison), who thinks he can pass her off to society as a lady with a little makeover and some vocal coaching.
Cecil Beaton designed this film’s costumes. We loved reading that Audrey’s white ball gown, worn at her moment of pure transformation, was an actual antique shipped in from London. Additionally, Rex Harrison insisted his costumes for this film were made by his own bespoke tailors in London.
Speaking of Rex, we thought it was very bittersweet to learn that he pulled emotion into his voice for his solo “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” by imagining his late wife was just in the other room… call us sentimental. If you watch/listen to this film, you will hear the dubbed vocals of Marni Nixon singing the vocal parts of Eliza. Audrey sang her role in Funny Face, but not for this film!
