vintage icons: marlon brando

marlon brando, jr. was an american screen and stage actor. considered to be one of the most important actors in american cinema, brando was one of only three professional actors, along with charlie chaplin and marilyn monroe, named by time magazine as one of its 100 persons of the century in 1999.

Marlon Brando

brando had a significant impact on film acting. while he became notorious for his 'mumbling' diction and exuding a raw animal magnetism, his mercurial performances were nonetheless highly regarded and he is widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century. director martin scorsese said of him, 'he is the marker. there's 'before brando' and 'after brando'.' actor jack nicholson once said, 'when marlon dies, everybody moves up one.' brando was ranked by the american film institute as the fourth greatest screen legend among male movie stars whose screen debuts occurred in or before 1950.

Marlon Brando in The Godfather

marlon brando is a cultural icon whose popularity has endured for over six decades. his rise to national attention in the 1950s had a profound effect on the motion picture industry and influenced the broader scope of american culture. sociologist dr. suzanne mcdonald-walker states: 'marlon brando, sporting leather jacket, jeans and moody glare, became a cultural icon summing up 'the road' in all its maverick glory.' his portrayal of the gang leader johnny strabler in the wild one has become an iconic image, used both as a symbol of rebelliousness and a fashion accessory that includes a perfecto style motorcycle jacket, a tilted cap, jeans and sunglasses. johnny's haircut inspired a craze for sideburns, followed by james dean and elvis presley, among others.

brando was also considered a sex symbol, one of the earliest in the film industry to achieve widespread attention due to his enigmatic and sexy persona and the reports of his dalliances and relationships with various major hollywood celebrities. film scholar linda williams writes: 'marlon brando (was) the quintessential american male sex symbol of the late fifties and early sixties'.

so influential was this icon that dolce & gabbana paid tribute to brando in their spring 2010 collection.

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vintage icons: audrey hepburn

audrey hepburn was a british actress and humanitarian. recognised as both a film and fashion icon, hepburn was active during hollywood's golden age. she has since been ranked as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of american cinema and been placed in the international best dressed list hall of fame.

Audrey Hepburn

born in ixelles, a district of brussels, hepburn spent her childhood between belgium, england and the netherlands, including german-occupied arnhem during the second world war. in amsterdam, she studied ballet with sonia gaskell before moving to london in 1948 to continue ballet training with marie rambert and perform as a chorus girl in west end musical theatre productions.

after appearing in several british films and starring in the 1951 broadway play gigi, hepburn played the academy award-winning lead role in roman holiday (1953). hepburn remains one of few people who have won academy, emmy, grammy and tony awards.

she appeared in fewer films as her life went on, devoting much of her later life to unicef. although contributing to the organisation since 1954, she worked in some of the most profoundly disadvantaged communities of africa, south america and asia between 1988 and 1992. she was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in recognition of her work as a unicef goodwill ambassador in late 1992, but a month later, aged 63, hepburn died of appendiceal cancer at her home in switzerland in early 1993.

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vintage icon: grace kelly

grace patricia kelly was an american actress who, in april 1956, married rainier iii, prince of monaco, to become princess consort of monaco, styled as her serene highness the princess of monaco and commonly referred to as princess grace.

Grace Kelly

after embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, grace kelly appeared in new york city theatrical productions as well as in more than forty episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s golden age of television. 

in october 1953, with the release of mogambo, she became a movie star, a status confirmed in 1954 with a golden globe award and academy award nomination as well as leading roles in five films, including 'the country girl', in which she gave a deglamorized, academy award-winning performance. she retired from acting at 26 to enter upon her duties in monaco.

wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer

she and prince rainier had three children: caroline, albert and stéphanie. she also retained her american roots, maintaining dual american and monégasque citizenships. she died after suffering a stroke on september 14, 1982, when she lost control of her automobile and crashed. her daughter, princess stéphanie, was in the car with her and survived the accident.

Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly

in june 1999, the american film institute ranked her number thirteenth in their list of top female stars of american cinema. 

The Hermes Kelly bag

while pregnant with her daughter caroline in 1956, princess grace was frequently photographed clutching a distinctive leather hand-bag manufactured by hermes. the purse, or sac à dépêches, was likely a shield to prevent Kelly's pregnancy from being exposed to the prying eyes of the paparazzi. the photographs, however, popularised the purse and became so closely associated with the fashion icon that the purse would thereafter be known as the kelly bag.

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