Where it all began...

Hubert de Givenchy was born in 1927 in the city of Beauvais, located in the northern French region of Picardy.  Growing up, Hubert spent a large amount of his time with his grandmother who happened to be a seamstress.  Here, he began to truly develop a love for fabrics and fit.  In 1944, at the young age of seventeen, Hubert de Givenchy moved out of his home to create opportunities for himself in Paris.  His family wanted him to attend law school, but still supported his decision.  He began this journey by attending one of the top fashion schools known as Ecole des Beaux-Arts.  He jump started his career by being the apprentice for French couture designer, Jaques Fath.   Givenchy later was reccommended by fashion illustrator and designer, Christian Bérard, to work with, couturier, Robert Piguet.  Some designers that Givenchy studied, admired, and then became associated with were those such as  Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli.  Givenchy spent a total of four years working with Schiaparelli, were he was both an assistant and director of her boutique.  In 1952 Hubert de Givenchy opened his first house, in Paris, France, known as "La Maison Givenchy".  Here, Givenchy was known for his elegance and  simplicity, along with his lack of using padding in his designs.  His collection also consisted of the iconic Bettina Blouse.  The Bettina blouse was named after one of Givenchy's models named Bettina Graziani.  This blouse was created with shirt fabric, it had an open collar with ruffled sleeves.  This shirt was very popular and was replicated by numerous designers.  Givenchy went on to dress some of the most influential women in the world throughout his career.

Bettina Graziani wear Givenchy's Bettina Blouse

Givenchy 1963

Givenchy 1971

Givenchy's Muse

Audrey Hepburn's black dress from the movie Breakfast At Tiffany's.

The November, 2011 issue of vogue claims that when Audrey Hepburn was asked about Hubert de Givenchy's clothing she replied by saying "His are the only clothes in which I am myself."  Hubert de Givenchy's clothing really seemed to take flight when he dressed, famous actress, Audrey Hepburn.   You can find Miss Hepburn wearing Givenchy's designs in movies such as Sabrina, Funny Face, and the ever-so-famous Breakfast at Tiffany's. In a recent article in Time Magazine entitled Stylish Pairs: Top 10 Celebrity-Designer Relationships, Hepburn and Givenchy were rated second.  He first dressed Hepburn on the set of Sabrina in 1953.  When styling for the movie Sabrina, Givenchy was under the impression that he was dressing Katharine Hepburn, to his surprise he was actually styling Audrey Hepburn.  He later received an Oscar for the costumes for his work in Sabrina.  One of the most iconic looks not only for Audrey Hepburn but for fashion as a whole was the black dress worn in the movie Breakfast At Tiffany's in 1961.  Hepburn and Givenchy's professional relationship turned into a life-long friendship.  In 2006 the infamous "Little Black Dress" was auctioned off for charity for the price of  $920,909.  Hepburn continued to wear Givenchy's designs outside of movies and in her everyday life until her death in 1993.  According to the book entitled The Givenchy Style by François Mohrt, Givenchy stated: "In every collection a part of my heart, my pencil, my design goes to Audrey.' 'Audrey has now departed, but still commune with her."

Hubert de Givenchy with lifelong friend, Audrey Hepburn.

Givenchy expands his creativity and the waistline

In 1957, Givenchy had created the sack dress.  In an era where women's clothing were very fitted and had such focus on hemlines, this new sack silhouette opened doors for many new styles of clothing and dress.   The sack dress was very non-fitting and would hang off women in a sack-like manner, in which it's name entails.  During the same year Givenchy launched his first perfume line.  This line consisted of two perfumes named L'Interdit and De.  L'interdit was created for, and promoted by, Audrey Hepburn.  About a year later Givenchy introduced the baby doll dress along with the balloon coat.  The baby doll dress was strapless and, similar to the sac dress, was not tight fitting. The baby doll dress had an A-line shape, versus the sack dress that's hem came back in at the bottom.  The balloon coat however seemed to have a little bit more of a structured look when compared to the sack and baby doll dress; similar to the sack and baby doll dress, it still lacked a slimming waistline.

Balloon Coat

Baby Doll dress

The Sack Dress

Givenchy dresses the First Lady

"Evening dress worn by Jackie Kennedy on the occasion of her first official visit to France, with Mr. Kennedy,  in 1961" (The Givenchy Style, 1998 p. 165)

Becoming the first lady and being able to wear designers you love is not as practical as one may think.  On January 20th, 1961 Jackie Kennedy became the First Lady to, 35th President, John F. Kennedy.  After spending her junior year of college studying abroad in Paris, France Jackie had developed a strong passion for French designs.  Jackie also had a style icon known as Audrey Hepburn.  Therefore, it only made sense that Jackie turned to the main behind Hepburn's iconic style.  The First Lady chose Hubert du Givenchy as her main designer.  Mrs. Kennedy wore a silk-embroidered evening dress made by Givenchy, to her first visit to France as the First Lady.  As time when on Jackie felt the pressure of the American people and began to wear more ensembles that were designed by American designers.

"This dress was worn by Mrs. John F. Kennedy for a Richard Avedon photographic sitting with John F. Kennedy Jr. in Palm Beach, Florida on January 5, 1961." (www.jfklibrary.org)

"Evening dress and coat of silk-embroidered zibeline created for Jackie Kenedy on the occasion of her first official visit to France in 1961." (The Givenchy Style, 1998 p. 165)

Givenchy passes the torch

Hubert de Givenchy (The Givenchy Style p.147)

After several advancements such as launching a men's line called "Gentleman Givenchy", men's cologne, creating wedding gowns, decorating the Brussels Hilton in 1977, several awards, and even participating in the Ebony Fair in 1980, Hubert du Givenchy was a very well-established and respected designer for his collections.  During the year of 1988, Givenchy sold his business to designer Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy.  In 1993, Givenchy lost his life-long friend Audrey Hepburn.  The year of 1995, he honor of her death by creating a ready-to-wear line called "Hepburn look."  This was Givenchy's final collection because in 1995 he retired.  According to Mohrt (1998) in 1997, "Givenchy accepted the presidency of Christie's France, a post for which his deep knowledge of the decorative arts makes him eminently suitable."(p. 205)  Many designers succeeded Givenchy, these designers were Alexander McQueen, Julien MacDonald, John Galiano, and-the current creative director of Givenchy couture- Ricardo Tisci. Tisci is also creative director for the Givenchy ready-to-wear.  He was appointed in 2005.

Photo from ~1970's The Givenchy Style p. 173

Givenchy Now

Hubert de Givenchy 2011

Currently, Hubert de Givenchy's empire has been passed down to designer, Riccardo Tisci.  Tisci serves as the creative director for the Givenchy haute couture and the ready-to-wear collections.  Riccardo Tisci has taken Givenchy's name to the next level.  Almost every A-list actor, artist, model, and politician is wearing some of his designs.  Artists such as Beyonce, Rihanna, and many more wear his flashy ensembles on their world tours.  Givenchy is still one of the "must-see" fashion shows and continues to make it's mark in the fashion industry.  Recently, Tisci has teamed up with Nike in launching a new brand of Nike sneakers designed by Tisci.  You can find many of Givenchy's designs  on many celebrities today.  (Click here for Givenchy's 2014 -2015 Fall/Winter Fashion Show)

Riccardo Tisci with Supermodel Joan Smalls for Nike collaboration.
Picture provided by:Vogue Magazine

Beyoncé Knowles in Givenchy during her 2013/2014 World Tour

Why I chose Givenchy

The topic chosen for my choice project was, French designer, Hubert de Givenchy.  Throughout this project I choose to reflect on the monumental events of Givenchy’s career.  From his first shop opening, to him, passing down his legacy to up and coming designers.  His designs were a part of some of the most influential looks in fashion history.  From the construction of the balloon dress to his unique choice of fabric for his Bettina blouse, Givenchy created iconic looks that are still popular today.  His couture clothing was put on the backs of celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn and, First Lady, Jackie Kennedy.  Givenchy was known for pushing the envelope and this is still the approach his clothing line takes today.

When making the choice of studying fashion, I lacked knowledge of several designers.  What I looked forward to the most in the Apparel Merchandising sequence was the knowledge I would gain when it came to textiles, construction, merchandising and designers.  After creating this blog, I had such a strong understanding of different styles during certain time periods, leading ladies in fashion, and the dedication needed to become successful in this competitive industry.  Having the opportunity to work towards my degree while studying my passion is something I am very grateful for. 

This project applies to my future because it helped me gain knowledge on designers, along with the evolution of clothing.  Wanting to be a celebrity stylist, it is very important to know several designers, where their influence came from, and how they evolved in the fashion industry.  After researching several websites, fashion magazines, and fashion books, I have not only learned about Givenchy and his designer friends; I also learned about his famous clients who showcased these trends.

Learning about the leading ladies of fashion during the 1950’s all the way up to now, has really opened my eyes to how much has changed, as well as, how much has stayed the same.  When looking at the styles of Givenchy’s celebrity clients such as, Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn I can see how some of their items went “out of style” while others have become timeless pieces.  I use the word “timeless” because you can still see their styles worn today by celebrities such as Beyoncé and Michelle Obama.  Givenchy put a large amount of work into these garments and it showed when these women wore his beautiful designs. 

As a whole, in order to be successful, an individual must have passion, dedication, and talent in their field.  After studying Givenchy and all the hard work he put into his brand, I am now even more motivated to become successful in the fashion industry.  His passion and dedication showed through his designs and his talents only improved as he went on.  I look back on this project and I feel, as if, it has had really opened my eyes to what I need to do in order to fulfill my dreams.  I have large amount of knowledge on Givenchy and his designer associates, leading ladies in the fashion world, and what it takes to become successful. 

References

References

Audrey Hepburn's little black dress. (2010, May 29). The Sun (London, England). p. 9

Bender, M. (1960, July 15). Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The New York Times. Retrieved

From http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/jacqueline_    kennedy_onassis/index.html

Berry, A. (2013, March 21). Stylish Pairs: Top 10 Celebrity-Designer Relationship.

TIME. Retrieved from http://style.time.com/2013/03/25/top-10-celebritydesigner-relationships/slide/all/audrey-hepburn-and-hubert-de-givenchy/

Daisy Embroidered Evening Dress. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset

            -Viewer/f2k6CQ8f9UCHVvH85LVKYA.aspx

Ella, A. (2014, January 24). Ricardo Tisci for Nike Unveiled.  Vogue

Hubert de Givenchy: Evening gown. (October 2006).  In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art

History. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of- art/1974.184.2. 

Lisa, A. (2013). Hubert de Givenchy: the man who shaped the Sixties. Daily Telegraph

            (London), 33.

Mohrt, F. (1998). The Givenchy style / Francoise Mohrt. New York : The Vendome

            Press, 1998.   

Roff, Connie. (2011, November 11), Hubert de Givenchy. Retrieved from

            http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/hubert-de-givenchy-biography