Hubert de Givenchy became well-known for reviving an elegant and structured evening wear that was typical of the traditional couture houses. His clothes are best known for their simple and refined elegance, exemplified by his signature white cotton shirting in his big mens clothing range (variations of which appeared in every collection). He is also recognized for the iconic ‘little black dress’ he designed for his great friend and muse, Audrey Hepburn, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Givenchy worked with Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Leong and Elsa Schiaparelli before establishing his own couture house in 1952, at the age of 25. During the 1950s, silhouettes became more defined and shapes such as the A line, H line and Y line, initiated by Christian Dior determined the direction of fashion styling. Greatly influenced by his close friend Cristobal Balenciaga, Givenchy not only studied Balenciaga’s garments and sketches carefully, but attended his actual fittings as well.
When both Dior and Balenciaga widened the silhouette by letting out the seams in the late 1950s, they created a ‘freeline’ look - a style that was embraced by full-figured women as well as mothers-to-be. Givenchy, in response, designed the ‘Bubble’ dress in 1956, which was subsequently featured in the Barbie doll wardrobe (1959) and the triangular loose-fitting garment, which hung from the shoulders and became known infamously as the ‘Sack’ dress.
When Time magazine included photographs of the new chemise look, the underlying caption asked what had happened to the female shape. Givenchy replied that the Sack dress was inspired by modern art, the experimental art that seeks new shapes and forms transgressing the limitations set by convention. It became the dominant line of the 1960s. Interestingly, it was seen as fashion’s version of the avant-garde.
In 1963, Voguenoted that the innovations of both Balenciaga and Givenchy predicted ‘a clear-sighted boldness that needed no excessive extravagance’. In 1991 Givenchy was the subject of a retrospective at the Musee de la Mode et du Costume, in Paris, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his couture house and big and tall mens clothing lines. During his career he dressed a number of style icons, such as Jacqueline Kennedy and the Duchess of Windsor, and during their friendship of 40 years, Givenchy also designed Audrey Hepburn’s personal wardrobe and her wardrobe for films such as Sabrina, Funny Face and Charade.
Givenchy sold his couture house to Moet Hennessey - Louis Vuitton (LVMH) in 1988 and retired in 1995.
His final big & tall mens clothing couture collection was attended by a group of his peers paying their respects, including Valentine), Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Hanae Mori, Paco Rabanne , Jean-Louis Scherrer and Oscar de la Renta.
Upon retiring he was succeeded by John Galliano who went on to Dior in 1996 and was replaced by fellow Englishman Alexander McQueen. McQueen’s skills as a tailor were thought to make him a better ‘fit’ for the label but he resigned in 2000 and was replaced by Welshman Julien McDonald, whose designs failed to generate the same level of excitement. He was subsequently replaced by Riccardo Tisci.