A lot of fuss has been made over Audrey Hepburn over the years. As Holly Golightly she captured the hearts of many a man and woman. Naturally, she was so sweet and sexy, a charmer and a goof and we loved her for it. But above all Breakfast at Tiffany's has been worshiped by fashion followers for decades. Style paraded around so recklessly as if that's just how we live our lives, it was decadent and above all, fun.
So, naturally all the attention gravitated towards Audrey Hepburn and her chic outfit changes, but little has been said of Paul the love interest.
When I grow up I want to be George Peppard as Paul Varjac. From the sleek side-path to his grace and good-manners. I loved everything about this man because so few men today conduct themselves like him. Not the sex-for-money thing though, of course. And yet he is a little bit awkward and it only adds to the on-screen chemisty of the duo since she is so direct with him. Plus it's so wonderful that the two of the characters just jumped head-first into their roles after meeting.
Paul Varjac if you haven't seen the movie is a gigilo who wants to end things with his... employer once he meets Holly Golightly. Throughout the movie the eccentric Golightly drags Paul, or Frank as she renamed him all over as she schemes to marry José for his money and he tried to convince her not to.
Of course the most well-known or popular scene in the movie is the lavish party which is oddly still conducted like a frat party from today. This is where we see Paul in his slim blue suit and skinny tie. Towards the 1960's the longer and wider cut started to fade away. A more refined and slimmer look appeared. Details like a simple folded pocket square complete this look.
When we first meet Paul it is also the first time he meets Holly. He is wearing a wonderful combination which takes a more formal look down a few notches by adding a cardigan. The varying tones are important to note. The woolen jacket matched with a beige/camel cardigan seems perfectly assembled which tells you he dresses well but isn't so strict with is look.
For cities like Cape Town it's not as easy to don items like a Burberry trench because of the immense heat, but come July August September it gets cold and wet like anywhere else. Paul still maintains his style throughout the movie but as the more urgent scenes come forward he wears a beige overcoat over a grey woolen jacket and sticks with the white button down and black tie. You can have more fun in terms of colour though. A blue shirt would easily suffice over a white one and you wouldn't even need a tie for either looks.
If you're neat, charming and well-mannered it would be the perfect accessory to any of these looks. Prove them wrong about chivalry being dead along with the old-fashioned gentleman. Somebody. Anybody!
