Q&A between Patricia and Jasmine

I’ve been emailing back and forth with the Jasmine who is the lovely founder of Utopiat, and she sent me 3 questions...

What was the first time you discovered Audrey and was it love at first sight? – Jasmine

Patricia: I’ve been dreading this question because of the answer but, I’ve always known Audrey because of the family I’ve grown up in. My grandmother was a lover of all things Hollywood due to her dream of being an actress sadly it didn’t work out. But with that came her love of Audrey which she passed to my father which he tried to pass to me but it didn’t work at first due to my love of Marilyn, I thought Audrey was overrated. But about 5 summers ago my father decided to play a few Audrey films, the first being Sabrina.

At first, I was skeptical, but as soon as I saw her in that White Hubert de Givenchy floor length Gown with black accents, I couldn’t help but to just love her I honestly fell in love with her grace right then and there.

What makes the Vintage/ Audrey sensibilities so appealing to you? – Jasmine

Patricia: To be quite honest I’m not sure what does... I’ve always just felt like I was born in the wrong time.

What do you think make girls your generation gravitate towards Audrey Hepburn? – Jasmine

Patricia: Well I can’t speak for the other girls but If I had to guess it’s because of how amazing she is. Think about it from a young age we are taught to be strong, graceful, intelligent, and elegant. Audrey was the literal embodiment of that which makes you think it’s actually possible to be all that. Another reason that generations have nothing to do with Audrey still love her is because of how timeless her style is.

PATRICIA -> JASMINE

How did you find Audrey, what made you fall in love with her, and what keeps you having that love? – Patricia

Jasmine: I knew about her growing up, she is actually very popular in Asia, where I grew up. My dad also has always been a huge fan of hers, to the point that my mom actually gets jealous of Audrey, since my dad admires her beauty so much, lol. So, I guess I always knew of her as this beautiful, (almost ethereally so), actress, but I wouldn’t call myself a fan until I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the summer of 2011.

When I saw the film, which was to me a breathtaking and enchanting visual experience that just inspired me in ways I never felt before. Needless to say, I’ve been a fan ever since, so much so that I refer to her as my brand Utopiat’s fairy god mother. She’s our founding inspiration and we will continue to emulate her, celebrate her and help spread that enchanting Audrey loveliness far and wide.

How do you incorporate Audrey into your everyday lifestyle? – Patricia

Jasmine: To me, what Audrey Hepburn represents, especially within her collaboration with Mr. Givenchy, is a style that is so iconic and so beautiful that it becomes timeless. Timelessness, therefore is what inspires me the most about Audrey’s style and I have since adapted that sense of timelessness in choosing only pieces that are not trend based, and that are of quality and style that I can not only wear myself, but to pass down to my daughter and hopefully further generations of daughters who will come to appreciate these timeless pieces as much as I do. This is also my vision for Utopiat’s designing and production process, to only create timeless pieces that can be a part of that ultimate “Utopiat Closet” that I hope many other women will create for themselves. 

If you could choose Audrey to be happy and be able to have her dream as being a dancer and never find out about her or would you rather have Audrey not be able to dance and be an actress but still being able to know who she is and have her inspire you? – Patricia

Jasmine: This, btw, is my favorite question on this list! not something I’ve been asked before that’s for sure! 

So, this is a very interesting question, one that reminds us that Audrey Hepburn, as we’ve come to know, was also just Audrey Kathleen Ruston, a girl with dreams of becoming a ballerina, before life happened and took her to a destiny much of which she was not quite in control of. The beautiful thing about this question, which I think applies to all of us, is that we each hold a destiny that is unique to our journey. For Audrey, I believe that it was her destiny to become Audrey Hepburn, to grace the world with her inner and outer beauty, and to inspire generations of women to strive for that timeless, eternal grace. For me, my destiny unfolded when I saw her as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and forming the Utopiat brand which is created to spread beauty and truth across the world, as inspired by Audrey. So, my long-winded answer is, I don’t think any of us, including Audrey gets to choose what her ultimate destiny became of, it’s a predestined path that she was chosen to be on. Thankfully, our world became brighter when she lived out her destiny so beautifully.