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A woman is looking into a display window of the well-known jewellery store, Tiffany & Co. The very rarely empty streets of New York City indicates that it is the early hours of the morning. She holds a coffee and a croissant in her hands, which further supports the theory that it is the morning. This opening scene will become one of the most known scenes in fashion and film history.

In 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote and directed by Blake Edwards premiered in the theatres. Audrey Hepburn (Holly Golightly) was an actress known for her roles in the film and fashion industry. In the above image, you can see Audrey is dressed in a black sleeveless evening gown. The gown has a fitted bodice with back detailing that accentuates her shoulders and a thigh slit running alongside her leg. Accompanied with the beautiful gown, the designer Givenchy provided a pearl choker and opera gloves that tie the look together. This dress became the most iconic little black dress looks of the 20th century and “has also been variously described as the most famous LBD of all time” (Fox, 2018).

In the image, the background and foreground are blurred so that Audrey is the focus point. From our (the viewers) perspective, we can see that she is looking into a display window. The foreground reveals a chandelier on the left-hand side of the display window, and a reflection of the chandelier can be seen on the right-hand side, next to Holly Golightly (A.Hepburn). The reflection of this beautiful, expensive chandelier could symbolise the aspirations for stability. Holly aspires to achieve her goal but is uncertain that this is attainable for the future.

Holly Golightly, although dressed impressively, hasn’t got a stable income. She had an unusual upbringing and lost her family from a young age. Due to this insecurity of losing loved ones and not having a stable childhood, Holly isolates herself from potential situations that may get her emotionally hurt. As she is materialistic, she finds comfort and safety in being at Tiffany's. The comfort of being in a safe crowd reaffirms that she has aspirations to belong to that environment.

“The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of… Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there.” (Breakfast at Tiffanys, 1961)

The description of the “mean reds” shows vulnerability in Audrey's character. Holly wants to leave the situation that she is in but punishes herself for putting herself in that situation. Her low self-esteem due to her past is displayed throughout the film. However, in this image, the scenery indicates innocence and loneliness.

To summarise, this image conveys the safety that Holly Golightly seeks out in life. Although she has little money, she finds comfort in materialistic belongings as she believes that people of higher class and stature don’t deal with the everyday struggles of life. Her isolation alone on the streets of New York City indicate innocence and vulnerability within her character. However, although Holly feels like she doesn't belong, she is independent, elegant, and self-sufficient. This is expressed in the image.

Reference list

Breakfast at Tiffanys. (1961). Paramount Pictures.

Fox, C. (2018). Little black dress. London: Conran Octopus, New York, N.Y.: Hachette Book.

Bibliography

Clever & Chic. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s Style Analysis: The Reinvention of Oneself with Fashion.” Www.youtube.com, 20 Nov. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFI6xJGx8-A&ab_channel=Clever%26Chic. Accessed 15 Nov.

Perceived as feminine, pretty, sensitive and delicate, pink provokes attraction and repulsion from men and women. The majority of men dislike wearing pink as they feel emasculated due to connotations associated with the feminine colour; however, they are attracted to women who wear pink. Whereas some women dislike wearing pink as it is related to the naivety of being a woman and the discrimination that comes hand in hand with it; however, other women take pleasure in wearing pink as it feels powerful to wear. During the 1970s, the punk era brought about this rebranding of hot pink as it was seen as bold and vibrant. Punk closed the door to family values and opened the door to anarchy, becoming a platform for teenage angst and rebellion. Although hot pink was seen as bold and rebellious within the punk community, it was still seen as feminine and delicate within the mainstream community.

In western civilisation, pink is associated with young girls, whereas blue is associated with boys. The argument of colour grouping gender is currently political as it segregates children from playing with the “right and wrong” toys. Often toys for young girls are packaged in hot pink as we are trained by society to “think pink” (Funny Face, 1957). This can have a negative effect on the children who wish to play with the other genders toys, which can lead to bullying and isolation from the other children. The Barbie doll is a prime example of pink packaging being used as an advertisement towards young girls as it has had a strong influence on femininity. Although pink isn’t only targeted towards young girls but also women as the packaging on hygiene products are often pink. Different colours affect and influence the way we feel and think. Therefore, the colour of the packaging depends on the demographic of the target audience/consumer. A persons response to colour is involuntary as it’s directed by psychology.

“For example, brighter colours tend to reduce the seriousness of packaging, black adds sophistication to any packaging, grey or brown make the packaging conservative or masculine, pink adds a feminine touch, while red draws attention.” (Bizongo)

Pink is seen as feminine as it is seen as calming, tender, non-threatening, and empathetic, which are words associated with women. History has proven that the stereotypical gender norms are that men are strong, emotionless, and provide for the family; whereas, women tend to the home, take care of the family (by cooking and cleaning), and are empathetic and understand emotions due to mothering children. Due to this, the psychological association with pink and the stereotype of women go alongside each other.

“According to color psychology, pink is a positive color that represents compassion and love. Color pink is a sign of hope, and it evokes comforting feelings.” (Vanbraam, 2021)

To summarise, hot pink is a bold and influential colour in the psychology of colour. Different shades and hues affect the emotion of the person viewing the colour. Companies and brands play to this and target their desired demographic such as the colour pink towards young girls and women as it is perceived as feminine. Men and young boys tend to stay away from wearing pink as it’s not masculine, and young girls are often seen wearing pink, but it varies depending on the woman's opinion of herself.

Reference list

Bizongo. “A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing Packaging Colours | Bizongo Hive.” Www.bizongo.com, www.bizongo.com/blog/packaging-color-psychology

Funny Face. “Think Pink!” Www.youtube.com, 25 Apr. 1957, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxXA70gvrA&ab_channel=douloveher

Vanbraam, Hailey. “What Color Is Hot Pink? Meaning & Psychology of Hot Pink.” Color Psychology, 26 May 2021, www.colorpsychology.org/hot-pink/

Bibliography

CNN, Marianna Cerini. “Refined, Rebellious and Not Just for Girls: A Cultural History of Pink.” CNN, 1 Nov. 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/history-of-color-pink/index.html

The Museum at FIT. “Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color | Exhibition Video.” Www.youtube.com, 12 Sept. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRQQs5gDTG8&ab_channel=TheMuseumatFIT