Audrey Hepburn, a Fashion Icon?

If you ask a young girl (especially a girly one) who her top style icon is, chances are she will say Audrey Hepburn, especially in her most iconic role in Breakfast At Tiffany's. Audrey Hepburn is considered a huge fashion icon, famous for her Givenchy gowns and generally fancy stuff.... but my question, which may shock you, is why?
Why is she famous for her expensive designer clothes? Why is she considered an icon for wearing them? Contrary to very popular opinion, Audrey did NOT normally wear those things. We imagine her always in a little black dress or Givenchy outfits, when in reality she prefered casual, sometimes plain clothing, because it was more comfortable. Unlike most "style icons", she put comfort over trends, designs, and whatever will capture the public's attention the most. There are even several pictures of her in more casual clothing. Why do we consider her a fasion icon just for wearing what she was paid to wear in movies (such as the very famous LBD in Breakfast, the sparkly princess gown in Roman Holiday, her stunning white and black Ginvenchy dress or even the simpler white turban and hoop earrings in Sabrina) or for magazine shoots or at events? She obviously liked the clothes or she got to wear, but she was supposed to dress like that.
Audrey Hepburn did not normally dress like the things she was asked to wear:

The War and Peace dress, which pretty much defines how girly and regal she was.

The look for How to Steal A Million

The Princess Anne gown in Roman Holiday

The Givenchy ballgown her Cinderella character wore in Sabrina

The tailored jacket, white turban, and silver hoop earrings that showed how sophisticated the poor but lovestruck Sabrina Fairchild wore.

The iconic Little Black Dress, the one everyone copies when they try to emulate Audrey's look from this (overrated, IMO) movie. Did you know she could barely even walk in it, it was so formfitting? Doesn't sound comfortable to me- and comfort was Audrey's favorite style took.

No, no.... this is what she liked to wear when she could:

She LOVED capris!

I would've loved to see her in that baseball cap!

OK, she DID have to wear this for a movie... but you can't deny it screams casual but very cute. I LOVE this outfit and wish I could pull it off as well myself (but long skirts like this aren't flattering with my defined waist)

And honestly, if you tried dressing so casually in front of today's trend-obsessed "fashionistas" and "style gurus", you know they would totally laugh in your face. Why? Not only was she, like so many people in the working world today (busy mothers, unmaterialistic people, hard-working athletes, or people who just don't care to dress in anything but jeans, sneakers, and a tee shirt, which is great) into comfort over show, they are not actually style geniuses; they are trend sheep.

I am not into a lot of very casual clothes. I like understated things, like a lot of Grace Kelly's 50's dresses and casual outfits, but not plain long sleeves and capris with almost no accessories. Just not my thing. However, if it is yours, I applaud you! My grandma is a busy person, even in retirement. She gardens, swims, runs errands for us all, shops, does yoga (Pilates are better, by the way... not so Buddhist) works outside a lot, mostly. So this is pretty much her style, and she also likes the Jackie O. sporty style (that's another post I'll have to do later- Jackie was a sport, not a true Chanel box-jacketeer) and I admire her for it. She mostly wears capris, straight jeans, brown sandals, sports sandals or Nike sneakers, t-shirts often in bright shades of green great for moving around in, yoga clothes, and sometimes a gold chain necklace. Simple and all about comfort, exactly what Audrey was into.

Yeah, this is from another movie- whatever! It's still very Hepburn, no?