Givenchy, Hubert de.
French designer
In 1992 Hubert de Givenchy celebrated his 40th anniversary as a couturier. Givenchy chose his vocation
at the age of ten, and as a youngster admired the designs of Elsa Schiaparelli and Madame Gres.
Later,
after stints with Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, and Lucien Lelong, he spent four years working for
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Schiaparelli, during which lie designed the clothes sold in her boutique, many of them separates, an
American idea new to Paris in the early 1950s, for which Givenchy gained a following.
Although he is
now appropriately acclaimed as a classicist and traditionalist, it was as an enfant terrible of sorts
that Givenchy burst upon the couture scene in 1952, just weeks before his 25th birthday, with a novel
collection based on separates, in which even eveningwear was conceptualized as a series of interchangeable
pieces. Also noteworthy in that first collection was his generous use of white cotton shirting, which
had an economic as well as an aesthetic rationale: the shirting was as inexpensive as it was fresh-looking.
The Bettina blouse which Givenchy has recently used as his signature was part of that cotton group;
it had a convertible stand-up collar and ruffled sleeves with scalloped black eyelet trim. A few years
later the blouse reappeared, in white organdie without trimming, a metaphor for the direction
Givenchy's work would take: Simplify and refine were the watchwords.
Again and again in Givenchy's early years as a couturier, the appeal of his designs to young women
was remarked upon. The symbol of that youthful appeal was Audrey Hepburn, an actress whose rise to
fame paralleled his. Givenchy created the clothes worn by Hepburn in several of her most beloved roles,
starting with Sahrina (1954) for which Edith Head won the Oscar for costume design and Givenchy
received no credit. Although Head designed some of Hepburn's Sabrina wardrobe, the very soigne
black tailleur and hat in which Sabrina returned from Paris, and the strapless white organdie gownembroidered with black and white flowers which was the envy of every young woman who saw the film,
were both from Givenchy's collection. Typically, these were clothes which transformed Hepburn from
charming gamine to paragon of chic sophistication. Similar transformations were at the heart of Love
in the Afternoon (1957), Funny Face (1957), and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). By 1963, when Charade
appeared, the gamine had finally grown into the sophisticate, and "the world's youngest couturier"
had become the most elegant of classical couturiers. Hepburn remained Givenchy's muse for almost 40
years, the quintessential Givenchy client, flying into Paris from Switzerland to sit in the front row
for his collections until shortly before her death.
Givenchy shared the ideal of creating a perfect, simple dress from a single line with his idol,
Balenciaga. When the two men finally met, by accident, in 1953, they developed a relationship
that was perhaps unique in the annals of couture, with Balenciaga giving Givenchy unprecedented
access not only to his sketches, but also to his fittings and his workrooms. Starting in 1959, after
Givenchy moved to 3 avenue George V, almost across the street from Balenciaga, they conferred daily,
critiquing each other's sketches and collections. Their aesthetic affinity was such that when
Balenciaga closed his couture salon, he referred his most valued clients to Givenchy.
Because of the emphasis on line rather than decoration, Givenchy's designs were easy to adapt,
endearing him to the many American manufacturers who interpreted them. Givenchy himself helped to
make his clothes accessible to a much wider market in the early, pre-licensing years, designing
junior sportswear to be made by American manufacturers with American fabrics, for Seventeen and
Glamour magazines. The caption for Glamour's December 1955 cover, featuring a Givenchy sweater,
speaks directly to the appeal of his designs: "The Givenchy marks: its young chic, ... meant for long,
lean people in pipestem skirts ... for when they want to look casual in a worldly way."
Today Givenchy continues to enjoy designing fashions that make a woman look beautiful; his
oeuvre bespeaks restraint and refinement, with gradual transitions from one season and style
to the next. Although Givenchy still designs cotton separates, including some with Matisse-inspired
patterns in his 40th anniversary collection, his designs have matured along with his original clientele. Givenchy's creations begin with the fabric; his forte is choosing or developing Europe's most
luxurious, yet tasteful, fabrics and embroideries in an expansive range of colours. From these
he creates exquisite couture clothes that complement the lifestyles of a clientele which has
included several of the world's most elegant women. He is known for deceptively simple day dresses,
superbly tailored suits, coats that are marvels of line and volume, sumptuous cocktail dresses or
suits, extravagant evening dresses that are nevertheless eminently wearable, and hats that reveal
his sense of whimsy and fantasy.
-Arlene C. Cooper
Extract from “Contemporary Fashion”, written by Richard Martin. Detroit: St. James Press, 1995.
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