Who was the real heroine of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (10 photos)

Even if someone has not watched the film with the charming Audrey Hepburn, then her image of the graceful and extravagant girl Holly Golightly with a long cigarette holder, who loves to look at shop windows, has become iconic.





But she had a prototype. The real “million dollar baby,” as they would call her now, is Gloria Vanderbilt, who became a celebrity as soon as she was born. All the newspapers shouted that baby Gloria was born into one of the richest families in the United States. It was 1924.

Gloria inherited her daddy's inheritance when she was one year old, when Reginald Vanderbilt died and Gloria received access to the five million trust fund.



Reginald and Gloria Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilts were a dynasty of industrialists. Reginald loved all the trappings of social life and was no fool for a drink either. Which, in fact, led not only to an untimely death, but also to a fairly depleted inheritance accumulated by Reginald’s father and grandfather.





Gloria's mother with her newborn daughter

The industrialist's wife (also Gloria) was not an exemplary mother and did not bother herself with everyday life, so the girl was entrusted to nannies while her mother traveled, partied and had affairs. The little heiress's aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt, did not like this lack of upbringing. Therefore, when the girl turned 10 years old, her aunt sued her mother to deprive her of parental rights. Custody was transferred to her aunt and little Gloria moved to Long Island.



At the age of 17, Vanderbilt decided that it would be nice if Hollywood submitted to her. But she failed to become an actress, but Gloria was able to marry Pasquale DiCicco, one of the most stellar agents. It’s true that Pasquale quickly began to give up and after 4 years the couple broke up.

The girl lived with the conductor Leopold Stokowski, who she met after the divorce, for 10 years, giving birth to two children. After the divorce from the conductor, there were two more marriages, but they were fleeting. Needless to say, how many novels were attributed to the “million dollar baby”? The names of even Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra flashed by. Gloria stated: “I’m just always in love.”



real "old money"

In the 70s, Vanderbilt opened her own brand, Gloria Vanderbilt, which began with a line of a variety of jeans. It was Gloria who became the one who not only made cowboy clothing popular, but even made them a new classic. Style. Moreover, Gloria’s brand made jeans not for classic skinny models, but for ordinary women.

A little later, the denim line expanded to other clothing lines, perfumes and accessories.



She became successful, not only thanks to her father and his capital, but she also created her own brand and carefully worked on its value and relevance. And suddenly, her whole world collapsed.



With sons Andersen and Carter

Her son, 23-year-old Princeton graduate Carter Vanderbilt, was diagnosed with severe depression. He was even sent for treatment, but this did not bring any noticeable results. Carter once stopped by to visit his mother in Manhattan, when, entering her room, he began to look around frantically, shouting: “What’s going on?!”

Continuing to scream, Carter ran out of the room, went out onto the balcony and sat on the narrow parapet, dangling his legs. Gloria begged her son to return to the house, but he simply stopped responding to everything. And the next moment he easily, as if playfully, slid down onto the street, barely visible from above.



A mother saw her own son die. She wanted to follow him. But after a few months, she decided to go to a support group for those who had suddenly lost loved ones. This helped her, she began to come to her senses. In 1996, Gloria wrote a book, A Mother's Story, where she described what she experienced. Her whole journey and how she was able to get out of this terrible darkness in which she was. The book was warmly received by readers and helped those who found themselves in the same situation.



By the way, Gloria met Truman Capote, who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's, back in 1942 thanks to a friend. In those years, she loved to relax in the El Morocco and Stork clubs, where girls often gathered in search of a profitable match. There is a lot of Gloria in Holly Golightly, although she certainly didn’t have to try to get married successfully.



"I have no respect for those who feel sorry for themselves. It's a disgusting trait. Life spares no one. We all face one big test and one big goodbye. I've already had mine, that's all - and I'm still here."

Gloria Vanderbilt passed away in 2019 at the age of 96.