Hubert de Givenchy has died: a biography of the legendary designer who turned the fashion world upside down. Legendary things: the fashion legacy of Hubert de Givenchy Givenchy biography
On February 21, we remember Hubert de Givenchy - the French fashion designer and founder of the fashion house would have turned 92 today. He was born into an aristocratic family, studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, worked as an assistant to Elsa Schiaparelli, Lucien Lelong and Robert Piguet, and in 1952 opened the House of Givenchy. The very first show was a resounding success, and very soon the name of Hubert became one of the most famous in the history of fashion. All this would have been impossible if the couturier's talent had not been supported by his muses and assistants - we remember these inspiring women.
Bettina- the red-haired beauty, a successful model of the 1950s, not only posed for Givenchy, but also worked as a press secretary, helped organize shows and, of course, was Hubert's muse. He named his first collection after her: Bettina Graziani. It was she who inspired him to create a signature blouse for the House with voluminous ruffles on the sleeves.
For the visit of the Princess of Monaco to Washington in 1961, Hubert de Givenchy created a bright green dress and jacket that Grace Kelly completed with a white hat. The outfit certainly made an impression. Givenchy's creations became so recognizable that when they met, the president asked Grace: "Is Givenchy on you?" Grace, surprised, asked how President Kennedy got such knowledge, and he replied that he began to understand this quite well, since "fashion has become more important than politics and journalists are more interested in Jackie's outfits than my speeches."
Herself Jacqueline Kennedy, of course, also dressed in Givenchy. The first lady of America, contrary to tradition, turned to the French designer for an outfit for a visit to Paris and for official events. Notorious is her dress for the farewell ceremony for the president, for her and her mother Hubert de Givenchy created very discreet and sophisticated dresses. The collaboration between Hubert and Jacqueline was long and fruitful, he created her style, complementing the iconic pillbox hat.
One of the regular customers of the House was Babe Paley- incredibly beautiful socialite. A perennial favorite of Time magazine's fashion nominations, she was able to become a style icon thanks to her work at Vogue as a fashion editor and to marry an oil company heir who gave her the opportunity to buy entire Givenchy collections. In 1958, Babe Paley was inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in Time magazine.
The main muse of Hubert de Givenchy has always been Audrey Hepburn. According to the fashion designer, their relationship was like a marriage, although love was platonic. For the actress, he created a minimalistic Wedding Dress, a luxurious outfit for the Oscars and numerous dresses for her heroines, including those from the films Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face. Audrey asked very much to create a fragrance for her that no one else in the world would have, and Hubert de Givenchy fulfilled her desire by inviting perfumer Francis Fabron to work and creating the fragrance L'Interdit, which means "forbidden", - for several years Audrey did not allow it to be released for sale.
“Fashion is the ability to dress in such a way that you can walk down the street unnoticed.”
Hubert de Givenchy
The 20th century was revolutionary in the fashion industry, fashion has undergone tremendous changes. main reason such frequent and significant changes were the wars that shook humanity. Because of the wars, the place of women in society was rethought, which undoubtedly affected the fashion industry. The changes were so fast and crazy that this, of course, caused not only the chaos of fashion, but also changes in the canons of the beauty of the female body. It was in this chaotic time that the great couturier Hubert de Givenchy was born, who brought the very classics to the fashion world, something that will be relevant even a century later.
The legendary couturier Hubert de Givenchy was born on February 21, 1927 in a family of aristocrats, the Marquis Lucien Taffin de Givenchy and Beatrice Baden, which undoubtedly affected his upbringing and perception of life. Few people know, but Hubert's full name sounds like Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy.
Hubert's mother Beatrice Baden was the daughter of the owner of the workshops "Tapestry and Beauvais" and part-time talented painter Pierre-Adolf Badin. Perhaps it was his grandfather who influenced Hubert's creative nature, since his grandfather loved to collect rare fabrics and works of art. At the age of 5, Hubert already knew by heart the name of all tissues and could distinguish them by touch with his eyes closed. The boy constantly looked into the box, in which his grandmother also kept shreds of fabric and sewed dresses from them. He laid out the pieces trying to pick them up to his own taste. At such a young age, the boy already had his own vision of beauty.
Hubert's father's family came from Venice. In 1713, the senior representative of the family received the title of marquis. This undoubtedly affected the status of the family and became a landmark event. This year was also important for art, because it was in Venice that Antonio Vivaldi wrote the three-act opera “Ottone in villa” (“Ottone in the Villa”), namely in Paris since 1728, Vivaldi’s famous concert program “The Seasons of the Year” was constantly held ". This undoubtedly left its mark on the musical development of the Capital of the World. Hubert also aspired to create beauty and conquer Paris, but already in the fashion industry.
At the age of 2, the boy lost his father, who died of complications from the flu, and the child was raised by his mother and grandmother. Hubert grew up in a cultural environment, surrounded by representatives of the bourgeoisie, this, of course, had an impact on him. The boy's mother also made an invaluable contribution to her son's desire for beauty. She loved to dress beautifully and therefore collected fashion magazines, according to which 8-year-old Hubert began to sew the first dresses for dolls, just like the models in the magazine, and although her mother wanted to see a lawyer in her son, she had to accept her son's creative nature. Hubert finally confirmed his decision in 1937 at the World Exhibition in Paris, realizing that he wanted to connect his life with fashion. The teenager was delighted with the outfits from the most famous fashion houses in France, presented in the Elegance pavilion. A developed sense of beauty marked the beginning of his hobby, which later grew into his life's work.
Young Hubert grew up, gradually turning into a charming guy. Tall, stately, handsome and yet very shy. American Vogue wrote about Hubert de Givenchy: "He is more beautiful than many movie stars." Despite the fact that Hubert was a very attractive young man, he was in no hurry to become the soul of the company, preferring to contemplate, rethink what was already established, and at the same time he was not a rebel, he admired the classics and simplicity of thought. Like no one else, he knew how to embody the simple in a chic guise. Like many, Givenchy had his own idol. He was Cristobal Balenciaga, a talented couturier who loved to create chic outfits. For that time, he played crazy, beating time itself! This attracted the calm nature of Hubert.
He wanted to study with Balenciaga, but he was never admitted to the famous couturier. But Givenchy did not think to give up. Ticket to the world haute couture became the Fashion House of Jacques Fat, where the creative path of Hubert originates. Givenchy wanted to develop his sketching technique, which is why he began attending the School of Fine Arts. Later he will present his first creations. Already in these works, the talent and professionalism of the great couturier was visible. After completing his collaboration with Jacques Fat, Givenchy worked with Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong, and after 4 years with Elsa Schiaparelli.
It was during his work with Elsa that he gained wide connections in the fashion world and a reputation as a responsible and talented specialist. Schiaparelli trusted his talent, and so Hubert headed one of Elsa's boutiques. Later, when the Schiaparelli salon closed, Hubert decided to create his own clothing collection, and he succeeded. Many celebrities lined up to purchase outfits from Hubert Givenchy. His creations were distinguished by elegance, simplicity of lines and extraordinary femininity. It may seem that the path of the master was smooth and easy, but it is not. The idea that visited him while working at the Schiaparelli salon was to release ready-made dresses the luxury class failed, the production system proved to be inefficient. However, Hubert managed to turn the vector of fashion for “pret-a-porte” clothes. In 1968, Givenchy opened the Givenchy Nouvelle boutique, proving that ready-made clothes luxury is the future of the fashion industry.
In 1952, Hubert Givenchy, who at that time was 25 years old, opened his fashion house. Thanks to his undeniable talent and perseverance, he becomes the youngest couturier with his own fashion house. The fashion model Bettina Graziani became the face of his fashion house, for whom the fashion designer would later create his legendary white blouse with black frills and name it after Bettina.
1953 becomes one of the most significant years in Hubert's life. Acquaintance with an idol, finding a muse and inspiration for all his future creations and the release of the first collection. But first things first! Givenchy finally meets his idol, Cristobal Balenciaga. From that moment begins the friendship of two great talented creators.
They listen to each other's opinions, both admiring and criticizing each other's collections. Hubert fully supported Balenciaga when he decided to no longer allow the press to his shows. This was done so that the press did not influence buyers. Of course, the press rebelled after such a decision, but after the death of Dior Balenciaga became one of the most respected couturiers, and his opinion had to be reckoned with. In turn, in gratitude for his support, Balenciaga takes Hubert under his wing.
The very first collection, which saw the light in 1953, was a huge success. Particularly successful was the very blouse that Hubert created for Bettina. The fashion model put it on at the show, after which the model became famous, and every woman wanted the Bettina blouse in her wardrobe. Due to lack of funds, Givenchy had to create his collection only from cotton. Then only 15 people came to the show, but despite this, the collection was successfully sold.
The meeting with his muse for Hubert was unexpected! Then still unknown to anyone, Audrey Hepburn came to Givenchy's salon for a dress for her role in the film "Sabrina". The secretary of the great couturier said that Hepburn was waiting for him. Hubert suggested that the same Hepburn, Oscar-winning actress Katherine, was waiting for him. He was quite surprised when he saw a beautiful, fragile and embarrassed girl. Who was wearing sandals, a white T-shirt and plaid pants with a straw hat on her head. The actress told the couturier that she wants to dress with true Parisian chic. After all, she was offered a role in the movie "Sabrina"! The couturier then did not pay much attention to the young girl and suggested that she herself choose a dress to her taste. The dress chosen by Audrey was a huge success in the film. However, Givenchy was not credited. Later, Hepburn will come with an apology to the couturier. After reassuring the girl, Hubert will say that thanks to the film, his outfits are even more in demand.
Givenchy even won an Oscar for her outfits in Sabrina. From that moment began their long 39-year friendship, until the death of Audrey in 1993. Couturier was next to his muse until the last minutes of her life, when Audrey was dying of cancer. After the death of the actress, Givenchy completed his creative activity.
Every creator needs a muse, and his muse was no more. He had no one to create for, so two years later the couturier sold his fashion house and left the fashion world.
But still, his muse inspired him to new creations for many years. So in 1967, Audrey asked the couturier to create perfume just for her. Then Givenchy invited the famous perfumer Francis Sabron, who created an exquisite fragrance called l’Interdit (“Forbidden”), which combined citrus, floral, fruit and berry notes. For three years only Hepburn used them. Only later did it go on sale. With these spirits, the activity of the designer in the perfumery field began. Later new fragrances will appear: Le De, Monsieur de Givenchy, Amarige, Xeryus, Ysatis, Organza. Audrey influenced all the fragrances of the women's line.
On March 10, Hubert de Givenchy, the legendary French designer and founder of the Givenchy brand, died. It was he who became the author of that black dress of Audrey Hepburn from the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and it was he who influenced the whole fashion of the second half of the 20th century.
What should be a woman dressed from Givenchy? She should be like Audrey Hepburn. Graceful, light and elegant. After all, it was Audrey Hepburn who became the muse for Hubert Givenchy for many years. An ideal to which he was faithful all his life.
Fashion is the ability to dress in such a way that you can walk down the street unnoticed,
Givenchy said.
Hubert de Givenchy: biography
Hubert de Givenchy was born on February 21, 1927. His father, Lucien Tuffin de Givenchy, was an aviator, one of those first romantic pilots who, despite all the danger, aimed for the stars. He died when his son was only two years old. Hubert Givenchy's great-grandfather on his mother's side, Pierre-Adolf Badin, was a famous French painter.
At the age of 10, Hubert decided that he would be a fashion designer. It was at this age that he visited the Paris exhibition and visited the Pavilion of Elegance, which presented 30 models of the most famous French fashion houses.
Hubert Givenchy designed Audrey Hepburn's wedding dress
Growing up, Hubert Givenchy moved from hometown Beauvais to Paris, where he worked and studied with such famous fashion designers of the time as Lucien Lelong, Jacques Fat, Robert Piguet. He also worked with Elsa Schiaparelli, this unflappable surrealist from the fashion world.
In Paris, he also went to study at the school of fine arts. And in 1952 Hubert Givenchy's cherished dream came true - he opened his own fashion house, Givenchy Fashion House. At that time, Givenchy was then only 25 years old - he became the youngest couturier in Paris.
And his first collections enjoyed unprecedented success. It was then that he created the "Bettina blouse" - a white cotton blouse with black and white frills on the sleeves. It is named after Bettina Graziani, a model and press agent for Givenchy Fashion House. His first muse.
Blouse Bettina
In 1953, Hubert met the Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciagara, who became his idol, teacher and friend for many years. Cristobal, in particular, became famous for the fact that in 1957 he decided not to allow journalists to his new collections for the first eight weeks, so that they could not influence the opinion of buyers.
Audrey Hepburn
In 1954, Givenchy met his muse, the ideal for life - actress Audrey Hepburn, for whom he had to sew a dress for the film "Sabrina". It was for the costumes for the film "Sabrina" that Givenchy received his first Oscar. This event took place on February 4, 1955.
Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina
Givenchy has designed costumes for all Audrey Hepburn films. For Hepburn, he also created his first perfume L "Interdit -" Forbidden ". These perfumes began a new line of activity for the Givenchy Fashion House - Parfums Givenchy.
Another woman who glorified the Givenchy style was Jacqueline Kennedy. Even for her husband's funeral, she ordered a dress from Hubert Givenchy.
In 1973, the Givenchy House began men's fashion. In 1980, Givenchy became part of the LVMH corporation. The LVMH Corporation today also owns " Christian Dior", "Louis Vuitton", "Christian Lacroix" and "Celine". In the 1990s, fashion became rebellious, designers began to deviate more and more from the canons, Givenchy still preferred harmony, remained true to himself.
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's
Perhaps he simply ceased to suit the leadership of the LVMH corporation. But Hubert de Givenchy left on his own - in 1995.
The main thing is to stop in time,
- so he commented on his dismissal.
Givenchy stopped doing fashion, creating sketches for stamps, he was engaged only in landscaping. Hubert de Givenchy has undoubtedly turned the world of fashion upside down and will forever make elegance and grace fashionable.
Hubert Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn
Hubert Givenchy: personal life
The meeting with Audrey Hepburn was fateful for both, but, first of all, for the novice couturier. He always chose clothes for her, not only for movies, but also for Everyday life. Hubert was in love with an actress.
"This woman is the embodiment of the one for whom I create all my models," he said of her.
A man in love, as you know, is capable of much, a Frenchman in love is capable of everything. He created his first perfume just for her. Subsequently, for all women's fragrances The company, until Hubert's departure from business, was influenced by Audrey.
Hubert Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn
Hepburn, in turn, said the following: "I am as dependent on Hubert Givenchy as Americans are on their psychoanalysts."
It is difficult to imagine a more fruitful union than the actress Audrey Hepburn and couturier Hubert de Givenchy. Audrey became the symbol of Givenchy fashion house for 40 years.
Were the actress and couturier closer than friendship and joint creativity? History is silent about this. But it is difficult to disagree with the fact that everything created by Hubert for Audrey was simply saturated with love.
Hubert Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn
When Audrey was dying of cancer, her beloved men were next to her: her beloved Robert Wolders, both of her sons and, of course, maestro Hubert de Givenchy. 2 years after the death of Hepburn Givenchy retired. Every artist needs a muse, and his muse is gone.
Brand man Hubert de Givenchy and his musesHubert de Givenchy, the founder of the Givenchy fashion house, turns 85 today. The founder of the legendary Givenchy House - Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy - was born on February 21, 1927 in the city of Beauvais, located near Paris, in an aristocratic family: his father Lucien Taffin Givenchy, Marquis de Givenchy. The Taffen or Taffini families have their roots in Venice, Italy since 1713. Hubert received love for the beautiful from his grandfather and great-grandfather, who, being designers and artists, performed works of art for the Elysee Palace in Paris and for the Paris Opera. So the creation of Givenchy Fashion House by Hubert Givenchy in 1952 was quite natural and even predictable.
Fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy and actress Audrey Hepburn
Givenchy has become one of the most brilliant fashion houses in the world and remains so to this day. Elegance and beauty - that's what distinguishes the products of this brand of clothing. Among Givenchy's clients there are many stars and celebrities who have become a real embodiment of elegance and femininity: Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and many others. The main muse of the man-brand is the actress Audrey Hepburn...
Actress Audrey Hepburn in a dress for the film "Sabrina" (Sabrina) 1954
Stills from the movie "Sabrina"
Acquaintance with actress Audrey Hepburn took place in 1953, who was filming at that time in the movie "Sabrina". For the costumes for this film, Hubert de Givenchy received an Oscar film award. Subsequently, Audrey Hepburn became the muse of Givenchy, his most famous client and good friend. Films in which she starred in his costumes (for example, "Funny Face" (Funny Face) and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Breakfast at Tiffanny's)), glorified him throughout the world. For her, the designer created his first perfume. They saw the light in 1957, five years after the first fashion show of the haute couture collection of a then little-known young fashion designer. The fragrance dedicated to the actress was called L'Interdit and was floral-aldehyde with a powdery undertone.
Actress Audrey Hepburn
Fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy at work
Creation of costumes and costumes for the movie "Funny Face" (Funny Face) 1957
Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astor (frame from the movie "Funny Face")
Domino Audrey Hepburn from Funny Face
famous black dress Audrey Hepburn from the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Breakfast at Tiffany's) 1961
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Audrey Hepburn was the epitome of sophistication and elegance at Givenchy. She began to wear clothes of this particular brand both in life and in films. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the famous black dress worn by Hepburn's character Holly Gollightly for breakfast in front of the Tiffany boutique... Thanks to Hubert de Givenchy, we now know what a real lady should look like.
Hubert de Givenchy 1972
Models of clothes of Givenchy fashion house, stored in The Victoria & Albert Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dress 1964
Evening dress 1969
Evening dress 1960
Evening dress 1955
Count Hubert Taffin de Givenchy passed away quietly in his sleep, in his own castle, just three weeks after his 91st birthday. A worthy end to a worthy - or rather, magnificent - life.
For Hubert, everything turned out exactly as he had dreamed of since childhood. In fact, he, the son of aristocrats from the city of Beauvais in northern France, was destined for a career as a lawyer. But Givenchy himself knew from the age of 10 that he did not want to pore over the papers in the office: his vocation was to create beautiful things. It all started with a trip with his mother to Paris in the late 30s - then they got to an exhibition in the Petit Palace. The exposition was dedicated to fashion, curated by Jeanne Lanvin herself, and the creations of Schiaparelli, Chanel and other couturiers were exhibited. What he saw so impressed the little Hubert that he firmly decided to associate with the fashion world own life. The boy's father died when he was only two years old, and the mother had no choice but to accept and support her son. Cristobal Balenciaga became the idol of the teenager - from his youth, Hubert dreamed of meeting him.
Already at the age of 17, Givenchy moved to Paris, entered the prestigious Higher School of Fine Arts and quickly acquired the necessary connections in the fashion world. He trained with Jacques Fath and Robert Piguet, was friends with Christian Dior, and even at one time was the art director of Elsa Schiaparelli's boutique. In 1952, when he was only 25, Hubert decided to set out on his own. His first atelier on rue Alfred de Vigny was so tiny that dresses and blouses had to be ironed in the bathroom before the first show. However, the young fashion designer came up with a smart strategy - already in his debut collection, he presented sets of interchangeable items that could easily be combined with each other. It was new and commercially justified. In March of the same year, international media such as American Life began to write about him.
A year after the triumph, another dream of Hubert came true - during a trip to New York, he met with Balenciaga. Moreover, the acquaintance became fateful: the couturier, who was already in the status of a legend, believed in the talent of a promising newcomer and took an active part in his fate. Over time, the Spaniard helped Givenchy move to a large atelier on George V Street (the Givenchy flagship boutique is located here to this day). In addition, it is believed that the older friend seriously influenced the aesthetics of the Givenchy brand - in particular, he instilled in the young designer a love for rounded silhouettes and a well-defined cut. “I am a believer, and I have two idols - Balenciaga and the Lord God,” Hubert would later say.
Another extremely important person for Givenchy was Audrey Hepburn. They all met in the same 1953, when the young actress came to the boutique of an aspiring fashion designer to pick up things for filming the movie Sabrina. Hubert himself was sure that Audrey's more famous namesake at that time, Katharine Hepburn, would come to him. By his own admission, he was quite upset when he saw that he was mistaken. However, that evening, he and Audrey had dinner together, and even before dessert was served, Givenchy knew that he would "do anything for this girl." They collaborated and were close friends for forty years - until the death of Audrey in 1993. Givenchy created costumes for almost all of Hepburn's heroines.
Characters from the serious and thoughtful Jo Stockton in Funny Face to the frivolous Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's wear Givenchy in the frame. The only exceptions were "War and Peace" (they needed not modern, but historical costumes) and "Two on the Road" - here Audrey played an ironic and emancipated woman, and the director decided that things from Paco Rabanne and Mary Quont would be more suitable for her .
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Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn
"Sabrina"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Dress and lace mask from the movie How to Steal a Million
In addition to Audrey, Givenchy's clients included other era-defining celebrities: Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and Princess Grace of Monaco. His style has become the epitome of "expensive" and "thoroughbred" elegance. The Givenchy brand has carved its niche somewhere halfway between Chanel and Dior. His pieces were not as “daring” and concise as those of the first, but still not as complex and deliberately feminine as those of the second. A Givenchy woman does not seek to attract attention at any cost. At the same time, just by looking at her, you will understand that her outfit is worth several thousand dollars.
In the late 80s, Hubert de Givenchy sold his brand to LVMH, and in 1995 he completely retired, giving way to his successor, John Galliano. He was succeeded in succession by Alexander McQueen, Julien MacDonald, Ricardo Tisci and Clare Waight Keller. The work of each of them is a separate chapter in the history of the fashion house. But we, taking this opportunity, will remember why the world will remember Hubert himself - a man without whom this whole story would never have begun at all.
"Broken" kits
The beginning of the 50s, when Givenchy founded his brand, was not the easiest time for European fashion designers. Many old fashion houses closed, unable to compete with American brands: customers increasingly preferred clothes from across the ocean - they appreciated it for its affordability and practicality. That is why the young designer decided from the very beginning that his clothes would be wearable and comfortable - two qualities that not all of his French competitors took into account.
Already in his first collection, he included sets, the components of which could be bought and worn separately. For example, blouses and cardigans, which were matched with several skirts. different lengths and with different prints. Now it seems surprising, but in those years this approach was considered innovative - before Givenchy, it was not customary to “break” sets and costumes.
Blouse "Bettina"
Another highlight of Givenchy's 1952 debut collection, the blouse, whose sleeves are adorned with large curly frills and a contrasting black print, instantly became a bestseller. The license for it was immediately bought by the New York store "Russex" - they began to sell a cheaper copy of the thing there - it is difficult to come up with a better evidence of recognition.
The blouse was demonstrated by the one in whose honor it was named - Bettina Graziani, model, it-girl, muse and right hand Givenchy: for several years she was in charge of public relations in his fashion house. In the mid-50s, Bettina left her job, but they continued to be close friends with the fashion designer until her death in 2015. In honor of Graziani, one of the most famous Givenchy Amarige fragrances was created in the 90s.
