Ivanka Trump’s strange tribute to Audrey Hepburn with ‘Sabrina’ dress replica

The inaugural ball for Donald Trump’s second term saw its attendees dressed in gala attire. First Lady Melania Trump chose a white gown by Hervé Pierre, a nod to her 2017 look, this time accessorized with diamonds from the renowned American jeweler Harry Winston. However, it was Ivanka Trump who stole the spotlight with her surprise look. The president’s daughter attended the second ball of the night in a strikingly familiar dress — a replica of the iconic gown Audrey Hepburn wore in the film Sabrina. The gown was an exact replica of the one Hubert de Givenchy designed for Hepburn in 1954.

Ivanka Trump wore the dress for just 10 minutes on stage, dancing to Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers with her husband, Jared Kushner. However, many quickly noticed that the dress was a near-identical replica of the iconic archival piece. Ivanka Trump later confirmed on her social media that the dress had indeed been designed by Givenchy.

Initially, it was thought to be the original gown, which had belonged to actresses Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, mother and daughter. The dress was sold at auction in October 2017 for over $200,000, though its buyer was unknown at the time. A second auction in February 2024, hosted by Propstore, saw it sell for $125,000. It soon became clear that the dress Trump wore was not the original. That gown had faded to a yellowish hue, while Ivanka’s dress was pure white. What’s more, Audrey Hepburn was not the same size as Ivanka Trump, meaning the original wouldn’t fit.

Ivanka Trump closely follows classic Hollywood style, embracing defined silhouettes, hats (such as the small green one she wore during her father’s inauguration, though it was overshadowed by Melania Trump’s), and bold colors. She previously wore a dress reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s blue gown from To Catch a Thief, but this time, the resemblance was even more striking. She further accessorized the look with black gloves and a high bun.

According to a White House representative, who shared details with Vogue magazine, Trump felt “honored” to wear the Givenchy design and was “incredibly grateful for the Arnault family and the Givenchy atelier for creating this masterpiece, capturing the original artistry and elegance with remarkable precision and craftsmanship.” The representative continued: “Audrey Hepburn has long been a personal inspiration to Ivanka, She views it as a great privilege to honor her legacy in this way, and is incredibly grateful to the team at Givenchy for bringing this moment to life.”

The mention of the Arnaults is not incidental: the French family controls LVMH, a vast conglomerate that includes brands like Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Bvlgari, Moet Chandon, Sephora, and Givenchy. With a fortune exceeding $184 billion, the Arnault family is considered the fifth-largest fortune in the world. They were also present at Trump’s inauguration on Monday, with Delphine Arnault, the second of Bernard Arnault’s five children and the family business leader, frequently in the spotlight. Positioned in a prime location at the Capitol, she was often the focus of American television cameras.

Ivanka Trump’s reference to Audrey Hepburn also carries a touch of irony. Hepburn, an accomplished actress with a stellar career in the United States, having been nominated for an Oscar five times and winning once, was herself an immigrant. Born in Brussels in 1929, she spent her early years in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. During World War II, she supported the Dutch resistance by raising money through concerts and ballet performances, even volunteering at a hospital.

Beyond Trump’s apparent admiration for Audrey Hepburn, the reasons behind her choice of dress remain unclear. It is also unclear whether she owns the original garment, which has an intriguing history. According to The Hollywood Reporter, eight years ago, both this dress and many others were nearly donated to charity. A friend of actress Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher, who owned an auction house, discovered three trunks tucked away in the back of their ranch’s storage room and decided to investigate.

Joe Maddalena, president of the California-based auction house Profiles in History, recalled: “We had been told it was vaudeville stuff, nothing important. But we had a few hours to kill, so we opened up the trunks and started pulling stuff out.”

Among the treasures were Mae West outfits, but one garment stood out: the instantly recognizable white organza dress with black embroidery and a detachable train. This was the dress worn by Hepburn’s character, Sabrina, during the iconic garden party in the film, where she reconnects with her father’s employers, the Larrabees, after spending two years studying in Paris.

According to Maddalena, Reynolds and Fisher likely didn’t even recall having the dress. The legendary actress, who was a personal friend of Maddalena, “purchased so many things over the years, at one point it was just likely forgotten,” he said. “The thing about Debbie is that, if you asked her what she wanted to be remembered for, she would say as a collector. She loved Hollywood and was the ultimate fan,” Maddalena explained about the Singin’ in the Rain star, who passed away in December 2016. Fisher, her daughter and the iconic Princess Leia from Star Wars, tragically died a day earlier. At the auction, the starting price for the dress was $120,000, but it sold for nearly double: $217,600 (about $280,000 when adjusted for inflation).

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