Cashmere: 5 Styles Inspired by Hollywood Divas

There are stories that deserve to be told and inevitably end up on the big screen. They can move and captivate entire generations thanks to truly exceptional artists. Hollywood has embodied all this and more, and it’s still a beacon for culture—and cinema in particular.

There’s no shortage of stars who make us dream, then and now, with their personal lives as well as the characters they brought to unforgettable films. Fashion often intertwines with cinema, setting looks and trends that make history and stand the test of time. We couldn’t help but pay tribute in this feature with outfits inspired by international stars who performed in American movies. Among them is even an Italian—Sophia Loren, an undisputed diva and icon of Mediterranean beauty.

There’s a common thread tying all these stories together, and it is… cashmere. A top-tier fabric, forever loved—a temptation you can’t resist thanks to its softness and its intimate, personal way of wrapping you—expertly interpreted by 1stAmerican with pieces that are refined yet classic. Woven into its fibers are centuries of history worth celebrating, with a bold, unmistakably Hollywood vibe.

Sweet and Passionate like Marilyn

Norma Jeane Baker Mortenson—Marilyn Monroe’s birth name—was born in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926, under the Gemini sign. Her life was tormented from childhood, deeply troubled, telling the story of a little girl moving from one orphanage to another. While working at a parachute factory, the young Marilyn was spotted by a photographer who encouraged her to pursue a modeling career.

Soon came not only cover shots in magazines but the doors of Hollywood swung wide open. Global success arrived in 1953 with James Cotten’s film Niagara—the rest is history.

Her turbulent love stories—above all with baseball champion Joe DiMaggio and the much-talked-about affair with President John Fitzgerald Kennedy—up to her untimely death at just 36, made Marilyn Monroe a legend. A fragile, complicated, passionate woman; iconic in Andy Warhol’s works and wrapped in an aura of mystery.

Among the pieces that defined her style, there’s one that never goes out of fashion: the turtleneck, which elongates the silhouette and brings out the actress’s multifaceted personality. A perfect idea to copy for women who don’t want to give up being elegant and “sweetly complicated,” as Fiorella Mannoia sings in Quello che le donne non dicono.

1stAmerican offers it as a cashmere-silk turtleneck sweater with soft, delicate lines. An extremely pleasant fabric to the touch, perfect for giving a woman a feminine air—vulnerable even—yet refined. How to wear it and stay effortlessly polished? Over a pair of jeans or trousers in velvet, bringing a touch of that sensuality Marilyn Monroe made timeless.

Audrey: Minimal-Chic Elegance

Audrey Hepburn is the essence of European elegance—an unmistakable, refined style with a playful touch, like the bold short cut in Roman Holiday that won her the Oscar in 1954. She was born on May 4, 1929, in Belgium, in the Brussels municipality, named Audrey Kathleen Ruston, later adding the surname Hepburn in honor of her maternal grandmother. She had noble roots on her mother’s side, with ties to the British royals.

Very young, she moved to the Netherlands where, during World War II, she began studying and working as a ballerina, helping raise funds for the Resistance. Her acting career started in England, where she moved dreaming of performing at Covent Garden, but she soon found herself starring on stage and on screen—helped by a height too tall for a ballerina and a slender frame. Her characters are modern women—part eternal teenager, part dreamer—always on the lookout for a good match and, of course, for love. Heroines women of the postwar era could easily relate to—and even find some comfort in—after the recently ended tragedy.

Her breakthrough came with Roman Holiday, but several films made history, including the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Her second Oscar was the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, honoring Hepburn’s work for the vulnerable. Audrey Hepburn passed away prematurely on January 20, 1993, at just 63, due to cancer.

Audrey Hepburn’s style often plays with cashmere, the essence of her looks as a diva and actress. A minimal-chic elegance expressed through the cashmere sweater—be it the 1stAmerican turtleneck, as we saw with Marilyn Monroe, in a cashmere-silk blend, or the 100% cashmere turtleneck, even more essential with a swan neckline or slightly boat neck. Just like Audrey Hepburn’s style, which inspired generations of women and is still iconic. Perfect to recreate with 1stAmerican cashmere sweaters, little gems you can pair with pearls—another Hepburn favorite. A style that never goes out of fashion.

Grace Kelly: Pure Magic

Once upon a time there was a woman—the most beautiful, angelic of them all. Blonde hair, blue eyes as deep as the sky and sea—an ocean of emotion. A tall, graceful figure, innate elegance, a kind of hidden sensuality, and, as her name suggests, a charm that could enchant and bring to her feet the most different men—from Alfred Hitchcock to Prince Rainier of Monaco. Her name? Grace Patricia Kelly.

Born in Philadelphia on September 14, 1929, she belonged to one of the city’s most important and wealthy bourgeois families. She soon started working as an actress and model, and major roles followed. The first was in High Noon (1952), where she starred alongside Gary Cooper, while she won the Oscar in 1955 with The Country Girl. True worldwide fame came with Alfred Hitchcock’s films, in which she starred in Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief. It was on this set, on the French Riviera, that she met Prince Rainier. A lightning-bolt romance led to a quick wedding and three children.

The role of princess led Grace Kelly to devote herself to her family, which she felt strongly about and considered the most important thing, but also to give up her acting career: Hitchcock wanted her for the film Marnie but she firmly refused. Whether it was a fairy tale or a marriage with many lights and shadows, as is more likely, is unknown. What is certain is the tragic end of Princess Grace of Monaco, who died in a serious car accident on September 13, 1982, in Monte Carlo.

Grace Kelly’s influence on the fashion world was truly significant, both during her life and after her death. She inspired, with her wedding dress, both ordinary and famous women, including Kate Middleton, who did not forgo long lace sleeves for her wedding gown. Grace Kelly is above all the symbol of the so-called college style, which emphasizes a natural look and radiant skin. A simple, elegant style with a sporty element. A bit like 1stAmerican, designed for the university student and career manager, for example, who want to be beautiful with simplicity.

The 1stAmerican piece that best represents Grace Kelly’s style? All of them, naturally, but if we had to choose one, we would prefer the silk scarf, with its precious and refined fabric, in a word: princely. Perfect to wear around the neck or, as the divine Grace often did, on the face, among gathered hair. A touch that can add something extra to an evening outfit as well as to everyday wear. Just like Grace Kelly managed to do.

Sophia Loren: Long Live Italy!

In this tribute to Hollywood divas, we couldn’t leave out the divine Sophia Loren, an icon of Italian elegance in the world like no other woman (and to say that the Belpaese has had no shortage of magnetic women).

Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone, Loren’s real name, was born in Rome on September 20, 1934, but lived in Pozzuoli until the age of 15, where she spent the war years. She later returned to Rome and caught attention at the Miss Italy contest in 1950, where she was awarded the Miss Elegance title. The important encounter was with producer Carlo Ponti, who launched her into the world of cinema and married her in 1967, after separating from his wife.

She achieved success with various films, both in national popular cinema, thanks to collaborations with directors like Vittorio De Sica and Dino Risi, and in Hollywood, where she even acted alongside Cary Grant in the film Houseboat (1958). Absolute fame came with the film Two Women by Vittorio De Sica, with which she won an Oscar. A success that knows no end; Sofia returned to the big screen in the recent The Life Ahead, directed by her son Edoardo Ponti.

Sophia Loren’s style is bold, sensual, yet also refined and impeccable on every occasion, from everyday life to the most important red carpets. The 1stAmerican pieces that best express it? V-neck cashmere sweaters and cashmere silk, with their neckline capable of enhancing the actress’s elegant figure. To this, we add the silk blouse, capable with its shine of giving an elegant and refined touch to the national Sophia and to women who wish to be inspired by her.

Meryl Streep: a Modern and Essential Style

There are divas who may not have the classic beauty of Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren but have a unique charm and expressiveness. A light closer to the common one in which it may be easier to recognize oneself. This is the case of Meryl Streep, an actress less of a diva than the previous ones but equally iconic. A symbol, with her performances, from Kramer vs. Kramer to Out of Africa (where she seduces Robert Redford) to the more recent The Iron Lady, of a strong woman, but also fragile, ironic, complicated in the contemporary sense of the term.

Mary Louise Streep was born in Summit, New Jersey, on June 22, 1949. She studied and graduated in law at Yale, but her acting career, from the very beginning, was unstoppable. It’s no coincidence that she is the most acclaimed female performer, thanks to her ability to span different roles and styles, as evidenced by her record number of Golden Globe nominations, 3 Oscars won, and numerous awards.

Streep has been married since 1978 to sculptor Don Gummer, with whom she has had 4 children. She is an icon of the LGBT movement and is active in the fight against violence against women. Her style? Simple, at times austere, rigorous, very consistent and… intelligent, the quality that characterizes her the most. An essential elegance that loves basic colors like white, blue, and red, although Meryl Streep is capable of wearing with ease, in performances as well as on the red carpet, bold looks such as golden and sparkling dresses.

But it’s her everyday mood that makes her a style icon well-suited to interpret 1stAmerican pieces, from 100% cashmere V-neck sweaters to silk pants, minimal and luminous, just like her. A woman who, when she enters the room, is capable of discreetly attracting attention to herself.

The Hollywood divas we’ve told you about are just a few examples of how style, fashion, and cinema can inspire today’s women. A mood that sees in 1stAmerican and its cashmere and silk pieces solutions capable of making you dream.