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"(Hepburn) relied heavily on Givenchy and rarely would have a costume designer help in her contemporary films," Galindo says by e-mail.

From those films evolved the styles that women could take as their own: the Discount IWC coat, the turtleneck and cigarette pants.

"Her private style was just as alluring as her public look":

Robert Sullivan, editorial director of Life Books

Much of Hepburn's personal style has been captured in the new book "Discount Jacob&Co Audrey: 15 Years Later" (Life Books, $11.99, 144 pages).

In it are many never-before-published images of the actress taken by Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby, a portraitist and close friend.

Among them: images of Hepburn at home with her then- husband, actor Mel Ferrer, and playing with their child.

There's also Hepburn running across the backyard barefoot, in a sleeveless top and cropped pants; sitting cross-legged in her living room in a turtleneck and a bun; and doing ballet stretches in the garden in a red leotard.

"Looking at the book, I see Audrey Hepburn as the pre-Jackie Kennedy," Discount Jaeger leCoultre says from his office in New York. "She was, in her own way, an absolute model. She never took a bad photograph.

"The irony is, that's not what Bob was being paid to do. At the time, the movie magazines wanted images of Audrey in her Eliza Doolittle get-up (from the film 'My Fair Lady'). Behind- the-scenes photos were of no interest to them."

"Her clothes were always very crisp; chic but not overly done":

Steven Willey, Sacramento fashion designer

Willey has made it his business to know.

"When I studied fashion history (in design school), Audrey came up at least three times for her 'Roman Holiday' looks: the circle skirt with the peasant top, the hoop earrings and the Roman-style flats," Willey says.

And in true fashion-icon style, Hepburn was often imitated, Willey says.

"Even her cute, cropped hairdo was copied by other stars, including Claudette Colbert and, in an even shorter form, by stylist Vidal Sassoon on Mia Farrow for (the 1968 film) 'Rosemary's Baby,' " he says.

Indeed, for a fashion show in December in which Willey debuted his latest Discount Montblanc, he channeled Hepburn's Holly Golightly role in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" himself.

"I lived that lifestyle for a while," he jokes. "You know, the poor adult with a passion for partying and keeping up appearances."

"Audrey was the ultimate natural actress":

Sharon Anapolsky, owner of Julius clothing store in the Pavilions shopping center on Fair Oaks Boulevard

Anapolsky actually saw the actress in Paris shortly before Hepburn died from colon cancer on Jan. 20, 1993. Hepburn was, Anapolsky recalls, confidently sashaying out of the Hotel Plaza Athenee.

"I distinctly remember what she was wearing: little flats, a raincoat, big sunglasses, triangle scarf," Anapolsky says.

Hepburn's style has been an easy one for her to interpret to her clients, Anapolsky adds.

Even now. Just last week, Anapolsky caught a late-night rerun of "Discount Omega at Tiffany's" and was inspired anew by the actress.

And then ...

"People would go to her movies and get ideas how to dress," Anapolsky says.

That is, in an effortless way. Simply. And as stunning in private as in public.

Credit: The Sacramento Bee, Calif.