Remembering Audrey

Remembering Audrey HERE

Every year around this time I especially remember Audrey Hepburn. Her birthday is on January 20.

Audrey Hepburn with Bob Willoughby 1958

Bob Willoughby was a photographer to the stars, and he took many wonderful photographs of her.

Audrey Hepburn with Bob Willoughby in 1963

I can never look at too many photos of her. "Audrey 100" is a book that Audrey's family has compiled with 100 stunning images. Paying strict attention to aesthetic beauty, artistic expression, and personal significance, they have lovingly selected these photographs to represent the qualities Hepburn herself stood for throughout her life and career.

Audrey 100 HERE

I collect images over the year, that I hope to use for my annual Audrey birthday post. I always seem to find a couple I haven't seen.

Richard Avedon took this photo of Audrey Hepburn

I especially love to see "at home" photos. There are a few of Audrey Hepburn's homes in the earlier years of her career.

Architectural Digest used one from the 1950's for a cover in 2006. Does anyone have this issue? Are there more photos of her home inside? I didn't find much on the AD web site.


The house photographed is the Beverly Hills home she shared with then husband Mel Ferrer in the 1950's has all the trendy trappings of the day.

Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer at home in the 1950's

Audrey was an animal lover and kept a pet fawn in her home for awhile in the 1950's.

Smoking and a boomerang print on the couch were en vogue in the 1950's

Mel and Audrey also had a Malibu home.

Audrey playing ping pong at home

Malibu home of Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer

Why do so many of us girls love Audrey? As a young girl about town in New York, I of course fancied myself as my own version of Holly Golightly. And of course Audrey was so elegant, so funny, so chic. Later she became a role model for all her charitable work for UNICEF. What girl didn't love her?

One of my treasured possessions is my own personal photo of Audrey. She's posing with my a dearest friend. They are at the Museum of Modern Art. There was a party for Audrey honoring her films that night. I did the flower arrangements for that party.

I was longing to see her, just a glimpse of her. My friend loved her even more than I did. And then there he was with her!

He worked at MOMA and secured an invitation that night. He waved me over, and whispered "get a camera".

This was in the days way before cell phones, much a less cell phone camera, and it was pre-blog days where we have acquired the habit of photo documenting everything to the point of numbness.

I didn't even photograph my own work that night, I didn't even own a camera! But I did as I was told, and found a a man with a camera, and brought him over to my friend, who was still standing next to Audrey!

He said, "Miss Hepburn this is my dearest friend Valorie Hart, and she arranged the bouquets on the tables tonight".

"Lovely," she said, "Everything is so pretty and perfect and my favorite color. How did you know my favorite color?"

I told her she was too kind, and asked if I might have a photo of her with my friend.

They both passed away.
And I am an old lady with a faded photo and great memories.

My photo of Audrey Hepburn with my dearest friend

Have You Ever Had Anything Custom Made?

Oh the luxury of having something made especially for you. Before the machine age everybody wore custom made clothes and shoes, and had custom made houses with custom made furniture. With mass production custom made goods assumed a place for the privileged minority who could afford the cost and time.

Custom made shoes HERE

As a dancer I have had custom style shoes made, but never real custom made shoes that require having a last made. The process begins by making a plaster mold of the customers feet. Then a shoe last is modified to accommodate any irregularity in the foot.

Lasts stored at the shoe makers shop

This pair of lasts are stored and can be used to make future shoes. The uppers are hand made with detailed input from the customer. Style, color, type of material are all customized. Details like the type of sole, heel, lace are also part of the custom made process. Finally an insole is made that makes the shoe comfortable.


I have had a purse made for me in Spain and in Argentina, but not just a custom style for me, because they sell the same "custom" model to anyone with the tourist dollars to pay.

Grace Kelly with the Hermes bag made and named for her

It's not like Grace Kelly or Jane Birkin having Hermes design and name a bag for them, but it still was wonderful to see my bag in pieces at the workbench, and then put together just for me.


There is a cute little contest going on at the blog over at CustomMade.com, the most visited website for artisans to feature their custom made goods. They are currently running a contest starting this Friday 6/25 asking anyone to present us with reasons why handmade and custom goods are a better idea than the lacking quality of mass production goods.

They are offering a $100 gift card for the best response to the question "Why Custom?". You could win $100 for taking 30 seconds to enter a one sentence response, and please mention Visual Vamp.

Getting measured for custom made gloves

I also have had leather gloves made for me in Spain. I felt so pampered!

Feragamo the famous Italian shoe maker fits Audrey Hepburn

Who is more beloved for her glamour then Audrey Hepburn? She certainly had many beautiful custom made things made for her: Clothes, shoes, bags, etc.

Givenchy fitting a dress on Audrey Hepburn

Hubert de Givenchy was her personal designer and life long friend, and custom made her clothes for her movies and for her real life.

Audrey Hepburn in the little black dress Givenchy made for her

Who wouldn't love to have a life long relationship like this?

Many of us experience the feeling of having something custom made and fitted when we get a wedding dress. For that one moment in time we allow ourselves to indulge in luxury. And men often have custom suits and shirts done for them if they have the budget for it.

It's even a small thrill to have a label with our name or initials sewn into a garment made especially for us.


Home decoration affords more opportunities for custom made goods. Built-in book cases and kitchen cabinets are accessible custom projects.



Custom made furniture is not out our of reach either. If you buy a good quality sofa or chair, it is often made just for you. And custom drapes and upholstery is something attainable.

Audrey on a custom couch

If you are lucky enough to have a dressmaker, or even more lucky to be able to sew and make your own clothes, you can have a custom made dress form. One size certainly does not fit all in the world of custom made goods.

Custom made dress forms

Now go enter the contest HERE, and tell the Vamp sent you!

How Much?

Abundance.

So much beauty and love to indulge ourselves in.

We all have so much to love and be loved for. You are loved. Truly.

And there is love lost too, love and life as fleeting as butterflies.

Alexander McQueen 1969 - 2010

Embrace someone today and tell them you love them.
Happy Valentines Day.
Celebrate love gained, love lost, enduring love, new love, friend love, love of a place and time, love of work, love of and for your children (and your parents), love of and for your pet, love of and for your family, love of favorite food or drink, love of flowers and fauna, love of nature, love of a hobby, love of art and beauty and books and dance and movies and the theater and television and radio and music, love a deity, love of country, love of travel, love of beautiful things and rooms and houses, blog love...
love, Love, LOVE....

It's Tiara Time!

Carnival is well underway! The parades have started, and next weekend is the big push to Mardi Gras.
Out come the the tiaras and crowns because everybody can be royalty in New Orleans during Carnival.

What's the difference between a tiara and a crown or even a diadem?


You can buy a replica of any of the tiaras, crowns, or diadems Audrey Hepburn wore at Tiara Town HERE



I love this crown in this piece of art done by Anne Harwell of Annechovie
You can get it at her Etsy shop.

And here's my motley collection. I think I'll wear one today!

Visual Vamp collection of tiaras

Happy Weekend!

Holly Golightly Breakfast At Tiffany's Christmas Tree - Version 3.0

I am among zillions who love Audrey Hepburn. She inspires more and more as the years go by. She even inspires Christmas decorations.

This is the third Christmas that I have done my Holly Golightly Christmas tree.

It all started when someone gave me several gift boxes from Tiffany's. I already had the retro tinsel tree, and some aqua ornaments. The marriage of the two created the most fun tree I've ever done.

Click on images to get larger views to see details

The elements are Tiffany blue, black for Holly's little black dress, pearls for the pearl necklace she wears in the movie Breakfast At Tiffany's, and glam and bling because that's what they sell at Tiffany's.

I have had the tree in every corner of the living room, and this year I really like this situation.

I added more black ornaments this year. The first year I did the tree they were hard to come by, and I did some home made ones (that I still use). I always used chartreuse lime green ornaments, because I just love the color!

I got some great designer ornaments from my friend Meg, and I hung some on the chandelier/lantern this year. I tie the aqua silk pillows with the same black gross grain ribbon that I tied around all those lovely boxes. The big clock gets a gilt leaf garland festooned around it.
An over size Lucite clam shell on the coffee table holds more aqua ornaments. I have a collection that has everything from vintage ornaments to plastic ones from Wal Mart. The chic black reindeer were purchased last year at Borders.


My Nativity scene is different. I use Brayton Laguna blackamoors as my wisemen, and a retro ceramic Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. The little sheep were purchased last year, and the glitter reindeer was a damage from the shop I work in. The little packages tied with Tiffany blue ribbon hold candles, and are actually wedding favors.

I have had the Nativity vignette on the coffee table in years past, but this year I put it on a sweet little vintage Saarinen side table.

The tinsel tree is very much like a modern feather tree, and I layer the ornaments along the branches as one would on a feather tree.

I also found three strands of very rare lights with a a silver wire! I could use more, but I swear they are almost impossible to find. I found my three strings of silver wire lights on eBay last year.

This weekend I'll do the outside decorations. At this point in our lives we are not big on exchanging gifts. We have everything of material worth. We always say that our life together is our year long gift. So the decorating, and enjoying the magic it always evokes is the way we celebrate.

Cholo is cozy as he watches Mom do up her Holly Golightly Christmas tree

So Happy Weekend!
Have fun as the holiday season swings into full blast over the next couple of weeks!