‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’: A classic worth revisiting

 You’ve seen the iconic photo: Audrey Hepburn, lovely in big sunglasses, little black dress, pearl choker and gloves, holding a cup of coffee. The movie was "Breakfast at Tiffany’s." But before the film, there was the Truman Capote novella about the New York City girl-about-town, a lady with a mysterious past.
   "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" first appeared in the 1950s, and the film followed in 1961. Main character Holly Golightly — flighty, unconventional, naive and eternally optimistic — still captivates 50-plus years on. The novella and its three accompanying short stories, "House of Flowers," "A Diamond Guitar" and "A Christmas Memory," remain entertaining reading and a textbook for aspiring writers. And in these stressful, confusing times, Holly’s cheerfulness and optimism are certainly worth considering, even if her lifestyle isn’t.
 Women study the film and talk about it on fashion blogs, hoping to soak up and emulate Audrey Hepburn’s gamine, chic style. Her little black dress is a fashion icon; in fact, the real dress, designed by Hubert de Givenchy, fetched almost $1 million a few years ago at a charity auction.
   But "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is more than a dress, and when movie follows book, I always recommend reading as well as watching. Often the story in print is different. Usually it’s richer. As created by Truman Capote on paper, Holly Golightly is a complicated girl indeed. Hard-earned experience has taught this girl how to cope, in her way. And, as the book shows, sometimes a happy ending is a matter of interpretation.