Hubert de givenchy years of life. Hubert de Givenchy, French fashion designer: biography, personal life, career

The style of this world-famous couturier corresponds to himself, because Hubert de Givenchy is a real count by origin. Elegance and grace are the main features of any thing produced by the great fashion designer, because it is not for nothing that the inimitable Audrey Hepburn was the face of all his collections, becoming the personification of his unique style.

Legendary fashion from Hubert Givenchy: sophistication and sophisticated design

A student of the famous designer Belenciaga, a boy from a good family, Hubert Givenchy, has been opening his own Fashion House for 25 years. The first collection of clothes was successful, but did not bring wealth to Hubert. Only after Audrey Hepburn, who was still unknown to almost anyone, became his muse, the Givenchy Fashion House became the standard for all fashionistas and brought money and world fame.

Features of the style of Hubert de Givenchy

Creating fashion and inventing something new is not so easy, but the fashion designer was able not only to accomplish all this, but also to discover a lot of new and unknown things. After Audrey Hepburn, many celebrities became clients of Givenchy: Jacqueline Kennedy, who is still considered the epitome of style and grace for many women around the world, Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and others.

The distinctive features of Hubert Givenchy's style, which make his models special and can be traced in all his collections, are simple cuts, quality fabrics, square-shaped cutouts, no collars and pencil dresses, which are popular to this day. Probably everyone remembers the fashion for high stylish hats, which Givenchy came up with for Audrey.

It was Hubert who first created the so-called ready-made dress, which did not need to be ordered, but could be immediately bought in stores. The era of the couturier came at the end of the 50s and the beginning of the 60s, it was in those years that he created the most famous outfits for the most famous women in the country. 19 years ago, Givenchy retired, but his style and invented images will always be relevant and popular.

Givenchy: yesterday, today, tomorrow

Now Hubert de Givenchy no longer releases exclusive models, but many of his collections and outfits are still considered the standard of taste and the epitome of style. The late period of his work is characterized as a bold experiment: sports style, youth bright clothes, luxurious outfits and even interior design of hotels, luxury car salons and new fragrances.

After leaving the podium, Givenchy did what brought him pleasure: he organized an exhibition in honor of his teacher, Balenciaga, and became the author of unique postage stamps. Hubert does not accept what has become fashionable now: brightness, pomp, an excess of sparkles and jewelry, because restraint and traditional classics will always be in fashion and will only emphasize the natural beauty of every woman.

It should be noted that Givenchy dressed not only the fair sex, but also the strong half of humanity. In general, Count Hubert became famous not only for his contribution to world fashion, but also for the creation of famous and exquisite fragrances - today the GIVENCHY brand is a real sign of quality.

On February 21, we remember Hubert de Givenchy - the French fashion designer and founder of the fashion house would have turned 92 today. He was born into an aristocratic family, studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, worked as an assistant to Elsa Schiaparelli, Lucien Lelong and Robert Piguet, and in 1952 opened the House of Givenchy. The very first show was a resounding success, and very soon the name of Hubert became one of the most famous in the history of fashion. All this would have been impossible if the couturier's talent had not been supported by his muses and assistants - we remember these inspiring women.

Bettina- the red-haired beauty, a successful model of the 1950s, not only posed for Givenchy, but also worked as a press secretary, helped organize shows and, of course, was Hubert's muse. He named his first collection after her: Bettina Graziani. It was she who inspired him to create a signature blouse for the House with voluminous ruffles on the sleeves.

For the visit of the Princess of Monaco to Washington in 1961, Hubert de Givenchy created a bright green dress and jacket that Grace Kelly completed with a white hat. The outfit certainly made an impression. Givenchy's creations became so recognizable that when they met, the president asked Grace: "Is Givenchy on you?" Grace, surprised, asked how President Kennedy got such knowledge, and he replied that he began to understand this quite well, since "fashion has become more important than politics and journalists are more interested in Jackie's outfits than my speeches."

Itself Jacqueline Kennedy, of course, also dressed in Givenchy. The first lady of America, contrary to tradition, turned to the French designer for an outfit for a visit to Paris and for official events. Notorious for her dress for the farewell ceremony for the president, for her and her mother, Hubert de Givenchy created very discreet and sophisticated dresses. The collaboration between Hubert and Jacqueline was long and fruitful, he created her style, complementing the iconic pillbox hat.

One of the regular customers of the House was Babe Paley- incredibly beautiful socialite. A perennial favorite of Time magazine's fashion nominations, she was able to become a style icon thanks to her work at Vogue as a fashion editor and marry an oil heir who gave her the opportunity to buy entire Givenchy collections. In 1958, Babe Paley was inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in Time magazine.

The main muse of Hubert de Givenchy has always been Audrey Hepburn. According to the fashion designer, their relationship was like a marriage, although love was platonic. For the actress, he created a minimalistic Wedding Dress, a luxurious outfit for the Oscars and numerous dresses for her heroines, including those from the films Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face. Audrey asked very much to create a fragrance for her that no one else in the world would have, and Hubert de Givenchy fulfilled her desire by inviting perfumer Francis Fabron to work and creating the fragrance L'Interdit, which means "forbidden", - for several years Audrey did not allow it to be released for sale.

Hubert de Givenchy, the founder of the House of Givenchy, turns 85 today. Let us recall the main milestones of his creative biography.

The founder of the legendary Givenchy House - Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy - was born on February 21, 1927 in the city of Beauvais, located north of Paris, into an aristocratic family. In 1930, his father died, and Hubert and his older brother Jean-Claude were raised by their mother and grandmother.

A strong impression on Givenchy, then still a child, was made by the World Exhibition held in Paris in 1937: having seen the pavilion dedicated to fashion and elegance, the boy decided to become a designer in the future. It should be noted that there were other prerequisites for this: Hubert had famous artists in his family. He is the great-grandson of the French painter Pierre-Adolf Badin, the grandson of the artist and director of tapestry factories Jules Badin. There were also designers in the Hubert family on the maternal side, including those who were engaged in decorating the famous Grand Opera in Paris.

Hubert was educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Then he began working as an assistant to the famous designer who had a significant impact on fashion - Jacques Fat. The novice designer Givenchy had a chance to work with such masters as Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong - together with Hubert, they adopted the experience of the then unknown Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior. And from 1947 to 1951, Givenchy worked for the avant-garde designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

Having gained experience, in 1942 Givenchy, who was then barely 25 years old, opened his own fashion house in Paris, becoming at that time the youngest designer in the industry. Givenchy named his first collection Bettina Graziani in honor of the then-famous fashion model who became her face. His famous model of a modest white cotton blouse with black and white ruffles has also become known as the "Bettina blouse".

Hubert, then still on a budget, initially used fairly inexpensive materials, but his style immediately aroused considerable interest. He gravitated towards the then current "new look", however, unlike the more conservative Dior, Givenchy was innovative.

1953 brought Givenchy an acquaintance with his idol - the Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga, as well as with actress Audrey Hepburn, who was filming at that time in the movie "Sabrina". Subsequently, Audrey became the muse of Givenchy, his most famous client and good friend. Hepburn was the epitome of sophistication and elegance at Givenchy. She began to wear clothes of this particular brand both in life and in the cinema - who does not remember the famous black dress, where Hepburn's heroine Holly Gollightly had breakfast in front of the Tiffany boutique window, another famous Audrey heroine, Sabrina, was also dressed in sophisticated Givenchy outfits.

Givenchy, in turn, said that Audrey is the perfect embodiment of the woman for whom he creates his clothes.

Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn

Givenchy also dedicated his first perfume L "Interdit to Audrey, after which the Parfums Givenchy perfume line was launched.

Among Givenchy's clients there were other women who became a real embodiment of elegance - Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and many others.

In 1954, Givenchy presented his first prêt-à-porter collection, and later, in 1973, launched a men's line. In 1988, the House of Givenchy became part of the French group LVMH.

Hubert de Givenchy is a couturier, his personal life remains a mystery to this day. He is known for founding a fashion house and working with Audrey Herburn. He created clothes for films, devoting his whole life to working on various variations of men's and women's costumes, perfumes. In addition, he was engaged in the design of vehicles. His creations have become popular and in demand due to their simplicity and conciseness at the same time. The fashion designer's work was both simple and perfect, complete. This style can be seen in all his works - dresses for women, interior transport and any other creations.

Childhood and youth

Hubert de Givenchy's date of birth is February 21, 1927. His homeland is France, Beauvais. When he was still a boy, he was described as "a man not of this world". Ros Hubert de Givenchy in the family of a pilot who was one of the first who wanted to conquer the sky. When the future fashion designer was 2 years old, his father died.

He did not associate his career with the sky, although he was similar to his father in behavior. Most likely, he did so, given the feelings of his mother, for whom the death of her husband was a heavy loss. However, the dreams of beauty did not leave the boy, he wanted to create a miracle, to make the world a better place. As a result, as you know, he became a great and famous fashion designer, he managed to realize his desires, creating unique images that can be seen in his collections.

Hubert studied at the school of arts in the capital of France. His talent for creating was discovered from childhood. He was fond of fashion, and when he was ten years old, he was at the world exhibition in France. He was especially struck by the pavilion where models of fashion houses, which were considered the most popular, were shown. After this event, he decided to be a fashion designer.

When his country was liberated from occupation during the war, he was able to move to the capital. There he worked as an assistant to famous people in the fashion world - Jacques Fat, Robert Pique, Lucien L. Collaborated with E. Schiaparelli.

In the winter of 1952, a significant event took place in the biography of this famous person - he opened his own boutique. It is important to note that at that time the fashion designer was 25 years old. He went down in history as the youngest creator haute couture. The first line of clothing that he released was very successful. For a well-known model who came to represent the firm, he created a well-known piece of clothing called the "Bettini blouse", after her name. This blouse is made from cotton. white color and having contrasting black-and-white ruffles in the area of ​​the sleeves.

The fashion designer believed that he should make a revolution in the style of clothing, create perfect wardrobe items for women and men.

In 1953, he met K. Balenciaga, with this man he developed an excellent working relationship, they became friends. Givenchy was able to support a friend when he decided not to let media workers into his exhibitions. This was done so that the press could not influence clients.

Then the media announced a boycott to the fashion designer. However, despite this, the decisions of this couturier could not be missed, he was quite an influential person.

fashion tendencies

From the early years of his life, it was clear that Hubert had an excellent aesthetic taste, he had a sense of beauty and a great talent for creativity. Since childhood, he could look at blooming gardens, decorations of houses for a long time, he was interested in studying the fabric, various trimmings that were in the house. According to his biography, all the scraps of various materials were in a box, which the boy was very fond of opening.

He could disassemble and neatly lay out pieces of fabric for a long time, while selecting them so that they would be combined with each other not only in color, but also in texture. At a young age, he already knew how to distinguish material without looking. Velvet was his favorite fabric.

Even though his mother wanted him to become a lawyer, he pursued a different career that brought him huge success and popularity.

Paris

When Hubert was 17 years old, the young man studied at an art school in the French capital. In the mid-40s, he did work for J. Fatou, and a year later he began to work on designs for Piqué and Lucien L.

From the late 40s to the early 50s, the fashion designer worked as an assistant to E. Schiaparelli. The woman appreciated the work of Hubert, and after some time entrusted him with the leadership of one of her boutiques.

According to some information, there was a case that a young girl came into this store, who tried on several outfits, and then asked if there were jobs in this place for her. Despite the fact that Givenchy's relationship with women was carefully concealed, like many facts of his life, it was a fateful meeting, and the girl who entered the store became part of his fate.

At the moment of the beginning of communication, the only thing he could promise her was to work with him after opening his own fashion house. As a result, he managed to open his boutique, at this point young man was 25 years old. He did not forget that he promised the girl a job, and took her as a secretary. This event was the beginning of a story that is connected with their relationship.

First show

The first show took place in the early 1950s. At this time, the fashion designer's fashion house was moved to another street, he did not move again and is located there to this day, namely on George Vth Street. The fashion designer created his first collection from ordinary cotton, because at first there were few financial resources.

There were 15 people at his first show. However, his invention in the form of a frilled blouse called "Bettina" won the hearts of many women. Many ladies wanted to have the same thing in their wardrobe. This model combined lightness, simplicity and sophistication, the thing was not pretentious, but at the same time it was very feminine.

The lack of financial resources did not prevent making things for the show. They were made of inexpensive fabric, but were unusual due to the special cut, had interesting design, isolated positive sides figures.

The first manufactured models of the Givenchy fashion house brought fame to the master. He was known as the man who created a revolution in the fashion world. However, this reputation did not characterize him, it was alien to the fashion designer - his main goal was not to surprise people, but to create really concise elements of clothing that emphasized the individual characteristics of a person.

The personal life of the master

The personal life of Hubert de Givenchy is a secret that he did not disclose. However, his meeting with O. Hepburn became significant in the life of a couturier. According to media reports, he could choose a suit for her for any occasion - going to a cultural institution or for everyday wear, and he himself loved this woman.

The fashion designer himself said about her that this woman is the one for whom he creates all things. According to some reports, he dedicated the first perfume he released to her, and after that all the perfumes for women released under the Givenchy brand were created under her influence.

Hepburn said that she was dependent on this fashion designer. This union brought great results, Audrey is rightfully considered a symbol of the fashion designer's house for almost 50 years. There is no data on the proximity between these people, whether it was love or just the work of two people is unknown. However, one can understand that everything done by Givenchy under the influence of Hepburn is done with love.

Audrey died of an incurable disease - cancer. During this period, her relatives and friends were with her - her husband, sons and Hubert. A couple of years after her death, Givenchy stopped doing business, and this fact is easy to explain - his muse was gone forever.

Hubert de Givenchy (his full name sounds like Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy) offered his customers exceptional creations, mixing tradition and modernity. He dressed Maria Callas, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Empress Farah Pahlavi, Baroness Pauline de Rothschild.

Childhood and youth

Hubert de Givenchy was born on February 21, 1927 in Beauvais. He was the youngest son of the Marquis Lucien Taffin de Givenchy and Beatrice (Sissi) Baden. The father's family came from Venice. In 1713, its senior representative received the title of marquis.

After the death of his aviator father in 1930 from influenza, baby Hubert was raised by his mother and grandmother Marguerite Baden. She was the widow of an artist who was the owner and director of the historic tapestries and factories in Beauvais.

fashion tendencies

The boy developed an early aesthetic taste. Hubert de Givenchy was always ready to admire the flowering gardens, the decor of buildings and the collection of his grandmother, who collected the most unexpected items and kept scraps of fabrics from which she sewed dresses. The shreds were in a large box, which the child opened with bated breath. He spent hours assembling the multi-colored pieces and laying them out beautifully, carefully matching one to the other. He unconsciously searched for their combination in texture and color. At the age of five, closing his eyes, he could tell by touch, knowing all the names, smooth satin from velvety velor.

The most favorite material was velvet. When Hubert was ten years old, he went to the fair with his mother. From the pavilion with exhibited fashionable dresses he didn't want to go out. He wanted to examine each of the exhibited dresses with all the details. These were the works of well-known couturiers at that time. It turned out that he himself wants to invent beautiful outfits, even better than those that he saw. His mother saw him as a lawyer, but the childhood passion did not go away.

Paris

At the age of seventeen, he comes to the capital and begins to study at the School of Fine Arts. His first works were made for Jacques Fatou in 1945. In 1946, together with still unknown Balmain and Dior, he developed designs for Robert Piqué and Lucien Lelong. From 1947 to 1951, Hubert de Givenchy worked as an assistant to the extravagant Elsa Schiaparelli. She liked his work, and soon the young Givenchy was already in charge of one of Elsa's boutiques.

One day a young girl looked in. She, having tried on several dresses, asked if there was a job for her. Hubert de Givenchy, whose personal life was always carefully hidden by him, once lifted the veil of secrecy and said that this was the woman who had occupied a key place in his life for many years. But at the beginning of his acquaintance, he could only offer her the prospect of working with him when he opens his own Givenchy fashion house.

This event took place on 02/02/1952 on A. de Vigny street. To do this, he borrowed money from relatives, who eventually believed in the future of young talent. The twenty-four-year-old fashion designer did not forget his promise and entrusted the girl with the work of a personal secretary. This was the beginning of a long and beautiful story their relationship.

First show

In 1953 the first collection was published. The fashion house by that time had already moved to George V Street, where it is now located. Due to the fact that the designer did not have enough funds, he created a collection of cotton. Only fifteen people came to the show.

Model Bettina Graziani, wearing an unusual white blouse with wide sleeves, which adorned with black and white flounces, became immediately famous. Every woman wanted to have the Bettina blouse in her wardrobe. All that the debutant achieved was a subtle combination of charm and lightness. The fashion designer made the next show in 1954. Hubert de Givenchy, whose collections in his youth, for financial reasons, were made from relatively inexpensive fabrics and always aroused curiosity because of the unusual cut and construction, strove to ensure that the silhouette emphasized the dignity of the body.

Epochal acquaintance

On a warm morning in 1953, the secretary told the 26-year-old couturier that Miss Hepburn was waiting for him. He expected to be visited by Oscar-winning Katharine Hepburn, so he was very surprised when he saw a thin and rather ridiculously dressed young embarrassed girl. She wore sandals, a white T-shirt, tight plaid trousers, and a straw hat. The girl introduced herself and said that she was offered a role in the movie "Sabrina", and she wants to dress with true Parisian chic. Not paying much attention to the young client, the designer invited her to choose some dress from his collection herself.

She had impeccable taste, and the dress in the picture was a success, but Givenchy's name was not even mentioned in the credits. After the film's release, Audrey flew in to apologize. The designer consoled her, saying that after Sabrina, a wave of customers hit him. Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn became lifelong friends. Moreover, the young star became the fashion designer's muse for thirty-nine years, until her death in 1993.

Perfume "Prohibition"

In 1957, Audrey asked to develop a new perfume for her personally. Hubert invited the famous perfumer Francis Sabron. He created an exquisite aroma, which combined citrus, floral, fruity and berry notes. For three years only Hepburn used them. Only then did they go on sale. With these perfumes, the designer's activities in the perfumery field have just begun. New flavors coming later: Le De, Monsieur de Givenchy, Amarige, Xeryus, Ysatis, Organza.

Film Breakfast at Tiffany's

In 1961, in this film, Audrey will appear in an aristocratically luxurious black Givenchy dress. Each time she will look different thanks to accessories: hats, scarves, gloves and pearl necklaces. It was developed not according to the patterns that the great Coco created, but according to fundamentally different rules.

The designer will consider that this dress made his name immortal. He created more than one outfit for Audrey, dressing her in films and in life. For Audrey, Hubert was a close friend. She came to him with grief when she parted with her first love, when she buried her first son, when she baptized her second child. For her second wedding, Hubert sewed her an elegant pink outfit.

Seal of Balenciaga

Givenchy considered this couturier an unsurpassed master. They met in 1953, and Balenciaga, with some arrogance, allowed Hubert to study with him. The influence of Balenciaga affected the conciseness in detail and manifested itself in the appearance of bag dresses.

Hubert de Givenchy at the end of the 50s created loose dresses, made of stiffly starched cotton, the waist of which was not emphasized. He softened the inexpressive cut with feather trim, beads and never forgot his favorite color black.

The departure of the great fashion designer

In 1995, the great couturier, who at that time had already sold his fashion house, left his job. He ceases to be engaged in fashion, creating sketches for stamps, is engaged in landscape design, and his offspring begins to feverish. First, John Galliano will work as creative director for a year, then McQueen, Julian McDonald.

Finally, in 2005, the Italian Riccardo Tisci will appear. He will try to restore Givenchy's almost lost charm. In 2008, his collection will receive the most prestigious reviews from critics. He will introduce black color, expressive feathers, flounces, laces, massive chains into his toolkit. Later, shiny leather, black velvet, studs will appear, which will give the collection a gothic touch.

In his last work, Tisci, as he himself said, made almost exact copies of Givenchy's sketches. Perhaps this is how he wanted to return the simplicity and elegance of the great couturier to the products. Undoubtedly, the fashion world was able to turn Hubert de Givenchy. His biography is still being written. The great 89-year-old couturier now lives in France.