Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the house of Givenchy in 1952.
He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.
He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.
Early life
Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy was born on 20 February 1927 in Beauvais, OiseHubert de Givenchy: 'It was always my dream to be a dress designer', The Independent, 7 June 2010Connie Roff, Who's Who: Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, 11 November 2011 into a Protestant family.
He was the younger son of Lucien Taffin de Givenchy, Marquis of Givenchy (1888–1930), and his wife, the former Béatrice ("Sissi") Badin (1888–1976).
The Taffin de Givenchy family, which traces its roots to Venice, Italy (the original surname was Taffini), was ennobled in 1713, at which time the head of the family became Marquis of Givenchy.Jougla VI, 256, numéro 32324.
He had an elder brother, Jean-Claude de Givenchy (1925–2009), who inherited the family's marquessate and eventually became the president of Parfums Givenchy.New York Times,Hubert de Givenchy Dies at 91; Fashion Pillar of Romantic Elegance, by Eric Wilson, March 12 2018
After his father's death from influenza in 1930, he was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, Marguerite Dieterle Badin (1853–1940), the widow of Jules Badin (1843–1919), an artist who was the owner and director of the historic Gobelins Manufactory and Beauvais tapestry factories.
Artistic professions ran in the extended Badin family.
Givenchy's maternal great-grandfather, Jules Dieterle, was a set designer who also created designs for the Beauvais factory, including a set of 13 designs for the Elysée Palace.
One of his great-great-grandfathers also designed sets for the Paris Opera.(fr)
Encyclopedie.picardie.fr, Givenchy, Hubert de
He moved to Paris at the age of 17, and he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts.
Career
Givenchy's first designs were done for Jacques Fath in 1945.Rose-Mary Turk, Givenchy : For 36 years, He Has Reigned as a Prince of Fashion; an Unusual Retrospective in L.A. Will Show Why, The Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1988 Later he did designs for Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong (1946) – working alongside the still-unknown Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior.
From 1947 to 1951 he worked for the avantgarde designer Elsa Schiaparelli.
In 1952, he opened his own design house at the Plaine Monceau in Paris.
Later, he named his first collection "Bettina Graziani" for Paris's top model at the time.
His style was marked by innovation, contrary to the more conservative designs by Dior, and he is credited with introducing in 1957 the loose-fitting-but-narrow-hemmed "sack/sac dress," soon copied by Christian Dior for his 1957 Fuseau/Spindle line.
At 25, he was the youngest designer of the progressive Paris fashion scene.
His first collections were characterized by the use of rather cheap fabrics for financial reasons, but they always piqued curiosity through their design.Working on a tight budget, Givenchy served up the floor-length skirts and country chic blouses in raw white cotton materials normally reserved for fittings.
French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy has died at the age of 91, News Corp Australia Network, March 13, 2018
Audrey Hepburn, later the most prominent proponent of Givenchy's fashion, and Givenchy first met in 1953 during the shoot of Sabrina.Ashifa Kassam, Hubert de Givenchy needled by collapse of haute couture, The Guardian, 22 October 2014Mary M. Lane, Hubert de Givenchy Remembers Audrey Hepburn, The Wall Street Journal, 4 September 2012 He went on to design the black dress she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
He also developed his first perfume collection for her (L'Interdit and Le de Givenchy).
Audrey Hepburn was the face of that fragrance.
This was the first time a star was the face of a fragrance's advertising campaign.History of the house
At that time, Givenchy also met his idol Cristóbal Balenciaga.Lauren Milligan, Hubert De Givenchy On Fashion Today, Vogue, 20 October 2014 Givenchy sought inspiration not only from the lofty settings of haute couture but also in such avant-garde environments as Limbo, the store in Manhattan's East Village.Vogue (15 February 1966)
Givenchy's notable clients included Donna Marella Agnelli, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Countess Mona von Bismarck, Countess Cristiana Brandolini d'Adda, Sunny von Bülow, Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, Capucine, Marlene Dietrich, Daisy Fellowes, Greta Garbo, Gloria Guinness, Dolores Guinness, Aimee de Heeren, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Holzer, Grace Kelly, Princess Salimah Aga Khan, Rachel Lambert Mellon, Sophia Loren, Jeanne Moreau, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Empress Farah Pahlavi, Babe Paley, Lee Radziwill, Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes, Nona Hendryx, Baroness Pauline de Rothschild, Frederica von Stade, Baroness Gaby Van Zuylen van Nijevelt, Diana Vreeland, Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney, Baroness Sylvia de Waldner, the Duchess of Windsor, Haitian first lady Michèle Duvalier and Jayne Wrightsman.
In 1954, Givenchy's prêt-à-porter collection debuted.
Givenchy created the iconic 'Balloon coat' and the 'Baby Doll' dress in 1958.The iconic Givenchy balloon coatThe 'baby doll' dress
In 1969,Givenchy Gentleman: prêt-à-porter for men  a men's line was also created.
From 1976 through 1987, the Ford Motor Company offered a Givenchy Edition of its Continental Mark series (1981 to 1983) and Lincoln Continental (1982 to 1987) automobiles beginning with the 1976 Continental Mark IV coupe and ending with 1983 Lincoln Mark VI and the 1987 Lincoln Continental sedan.
In 1988, he organized a retrospective of his work at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
The House of Givenchy was split in 1981, with the perfume line going to Veuve Clicquot, and the fashion branch was acquired by LVMH in 1989.Pat McColl, Fashion 89 : Givenchy and Valentino Add Final Touch, The Los Angeles Times, 27 January 1989 As of today, LVMH owns Parfums Givenchy as well.
Later life
Givenchy retired from fashion design in 1995.
His successor to head the Givenchy label was John Galliano.
After a brief stint by Galliano, a five-year stay from Alexander McQueen and a term from 2001 to 2004 by Julien Macdonald, Givenchy women's ready-to-wear and haute couture was headed by Riccardo Tisci from 2005 until 2017.
Clare Waight Keller held the post from 2017Vogue, Clare Waight Keller Is Givenchy’s New Artistic Director, March 16, 2017 by Nicole Phelps until April 2020.
Matthew M. Williams became Givenchy's creative director in June 2020.
Givenchy resided at the Château du Jonchet, a listed historic castle in Romilly-sur-Aigre, Eure-et-Loir, near Paris.
In his retirement, he focused on collecting 17th and 18th-century bronze and marble sculptures.
In July 2010, he spoke at the Oxford Union.
From 8 to 14 September 2014, during the Biennale des Antiquaires, he organized a private sale exhibition at Christie's in Paris featuring, artwork by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot, the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Jacques-Louis David, and Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, etc.Christie's: Empire, mise en scène par Monsieur Hubert de Givenchy
In January 2007, the French Post Office issued postage stamps for Valentine's Day designed by Givenchy.
In October 2014, a retrospective exhibition featuring ninety-five of his designed pieces took place at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain.Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: Hubert de Givenchy
His longtime partner was fashion designer Philippe Venet.GGG.at: Modeschöpfer Hubert de Givenchy ist tot (german)
Hubert de Givenchy died in his sleep at the Renaissance chateau near Paris on Saturday 10 March 2018.Fashionista website.
Retrieved 14 March 2018.
He was 91 and was buried in Passy Cemetery in Paris.
Bibliography
Françoise Mohrt, The Givenchy Style (1998), Assouline.
Pamela Clarke Keogh, Hubert de Givenchy (introduction): Audrey style (1999), Aurum Press.
Jean-Noël Liaut: Hubert de Givenchy : Entre vies et légendes (2000), Editions Grasset & Fasquelle.
References
External links
Hubert de Givenchy: 18 facts about the iconic designer
