French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, who created famous looks for Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy, has died at the age of 91.
French designer Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn talk together at the Galliera Museum in Paris during a reception honoring Givenchy for his 40 years in fashion. Photo: AFP
His partner Philippe Venet, a former couture designer, confirmed the news.
The enduring appeal of Givenchy was showcased at this year's Oscars, where Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman wore a custom design.
But the designer is best known for the "little black dress" worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
"It was... an enormous help to know that I looked the part... Then the rest wasn't so tough anymore. Givenchy's lovely simple clothes [gave me] the feeling of being whoever I played," Hepburn said of their partnership.
The friendship between Givenchy and Hepburn endured for 40 years, and helped cement his place in fashion - and cinema - history.
She became his muse, and he designed her suits and woollen dresses for the musical Funny Face in 1957, and the light-hearted heist caper How to Steal a Million in 1966.
Givenchy came from an aristocratic background, and worked alongside the then unknown Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior after World War Two.
The House of Givenchy is sad to report the passing of its founder Hubert de Givenchy, a major personality of the world of French Haute Couture and a gentleman who symbolized Parisian chic and elegance for more than half a century. He will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/xapm0zSwDy
— GIVENCHY (@givenchy) March 12, 2018
He was employed by the avant-garde designer Elsa Schiaparelli before leaving to found his own fashion house in 1952. There he introduced the concept of "separates" - blouse, skirt, jacket and trouser combinations that could be mixed and matched.
The designer, who stood at a towering 1.98m (6ft 6in), won instant acclaim for his first collection at the age of 24.
"These dresses remind you of that first, best, glass of champagne," one admiring British fashion writer declared.
Givenchy swiftly ventured into menswear, and moved to New York to consolidate his success.
There, his celebrity customers included US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore one of his designs to President John F Kennedy's funeral in 1963.
The little black dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Photo: Screengrab
Screen legend Grace Kelly, who would become princess of Monaco, was another famous client.
In 1970, Givenchy branched out into furnishing fabrics, and designed interiors for hotels and even a Ford Continental car.
A series of world-famous designers have held the creative reins at the fashion house since its founder retired in 1995.
They included talented mavericks John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, and - from 2005 - Italian designer Riccardo Tisci, who introduced a more subversive aesthetic.
In March 2017, Clare Waight Keller became the first woman to be named the brand's artistic director.
Givenchy remains a popular choice for actors seeking awards season glamour - including Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, who chose a gown from the label's Haute Couture collection for the 2018 Oscars.
"Hubert de Givenchy was a symbol of Parisian elegance for more than half a century," his label said on Monday.
French business magnate Bernard Arnault, head of the luxury goods company LVMH which now owns Givenchy, called the designer "one of the creators who put Paris at the summit of world fashion in the 1950s".
The designer had asked that his friends and admirers make a donation to the children's charity Unicef in his memory, instead of sending flowers.
- BBC
