Artist Info
Givenchy
The “handsomest of French couturiers,” Hubert de Givenchy is best known for his simplified forms and clean, precise style. Givenchy designed chic dresses, coats, and suits worn by women as diverse as Lauren Bacall, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, and Wallis Simpson. Yet his most celebrated client was actress Audrey Hepburn. Inspired by her youth, gamine look, and elegant spirit, Givenchy dressed her onscreen and off. Their unique partnership established her as a leader in fashion. “His are the only clothes in which I am myself,” Hepburn once confessed. “He is far more than a couturier; he is a creator of personality.”
Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy, known as “Le Grand Hubert” in Parisian fashion circles, was born in Beauvais, France in 1927. At age seventeen, he moved to Paris, where he worked for couturiers Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong, and Elsa Schiaparelli. In 1952, Givenchy launched his first couture collection “filled with inventive, amusing new ideas and great youthfulness.” With the fashion world driven by Dior’s New Look, Givenchy’s collection—comprised of deluxe separates that included cotton skirts and blouses—was lauded for its invigorating spirit.
In 1953, Givenchy was introduced to the couturier he most admired: Cristobal Balenciaga. The appreciation became mutual, and Balenciaga served as Givenchy’s mentor for many years. When Balenciaga retired in 1968, he sent most of his clients to Givenchy. In 1995, Givenchy retired. His successors have included John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, two of the most influential fashion designers of the twenty-first century.
In 2005, Italian born Riccardo Tisci was named creative director at Givenchy. Tisci, who was educated at Central Saint Martin School of Arts in London, designs both ready-to-wear and couture, and has infused Givenchy with his darkly romantic style. "He has a classical point of view with a punk-rock sensibility," notes Madonna. Tisci’s work for Givenchy has been regarded as “hard glamour” by some, and by others as “Gothic.” However, Tisci prefers to describe his designs as conceptual and sensual. Inspired by the house’s history, Tisci has said, “I wanted to keep the elegance, the chicness, the DNA of the house but bring the darkness, the romanticism, and the sensuality . . . that were missing." Indeed, his edgy designs cater to a liberated woman confident in her sexuality. She embodies the Givenchy style, both old and new.
