Audrey Hepburn Dress Builds School
In 1961, Audrey Hepburn's little black dress designed by Givenchy helped propel the gamine actor to superstardom. In 2006 it was auctioned at Christie's London location, and the hammer went down at $807,000. The high bidder was the firm that designed it, Givenchy, and the consignor, author Dominique Lapierre, received a sum far and above the original auction estimate. In 1961, the dress transformed Audrey Hepburn into an icon, and in 2007 it has now transformed an empty slate into a school.
The consignor, Lapierre, is the author of City of Joy, set in Calcutta. Lapierre is also involved with a charity of that same name, The City of Joy Foundation, which devotes itself to helping the poor in India. The proceeds of the sale of the slimming, black cocktail dress were used to build a new school in Bishnupur, 30 miles south of Calcutta. The first of 15 schools to be funded by the dress was inaugurated Wednesday, with room for about 200 children to attend.