Hubert de givenchy – jackie kennedy's paris secret and couture works on screen

With the legendary Audrey Hepburn , Hubert de Givenchy was not only a messenger of beauty but also a deeply social friend. For former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy , Givenchy is again a little French secret who gives her freshness through outfits that are both ethereal and classic in a very Parisian way.

Hubert de givenchy – jackie kennedy’s paris secret and couture works on screen

As for the fashionistas in general, Hubert de Givenchy is forever an “elegant man”, a “couture monument” and the one who was instrumental in turning the capital of light into a world fashion center in the 1950s with his devices. Sophisticated and luxurious design.

Hubert de Givenchy (1927 – 2018) was the youngest son of an aristocratic family originating from Venice, Italy. Orphaned at the age of 3, Givenchy and his brother were raised by their mother and grandmother, Marguerite Dieterle Badin – an artist, director of the famous Gobelins factory and head of fabric factories in Beauvais (France).

Before that, his late grandfather was also a designer, who created costumes for factory workers in Beauvais and 13 costumes for the Elysée Palace. Growing up in an environment imbued with art helped Givenchy “sharpen” his artistic soul.

At the age of 10, Givenchy and his family attended the World’s Fair in Paris, which featured Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and a number of other designers. Here, young Hubert sees his future in the “dresses” of the fashion world. A few years later, he attended the most famous art school in France named École des Beaux-Arts – the “cradle” that trained generations of famous painters such as Géricault, Degas, Delacroix, Fragonard, Monet, Moreau , …

At the age of 18, Givenchy began an apprenticeship at the Jacques Fath brand, one of the three names that had a great influence on French fashion after World War II. His first design was also born here. In the following years, he had the opportunity to work for Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong, Pierre Balmain and even Christian Dior .. From 1947 to 1951, Givenchy joined Elsa Schiaparelli and became an “accomplice” of rebellious and surrealist creations.

In 1952, Hubert de Givenchy opened his first store in Plaine Monceau, Paris and was considered the youngest designer in French fashion history to have his own brand at that time. Not long after that, he released his first collection called Bettina Graziani.

Givenchy put its name on the world fashion map with only 9 designs in a small showroom. The impression lies in the fact that he uses all super cheap fabrics, priced 3 times lower than competitors but brings the same aesthetics and quality. After the success of the first collection, the 25-year-old designer set out for New York and there he met his idol – Cristóbal Balenciaga.

The meeting brought Givenchy a friend and teacher and created an important turning point in his design style forever. From basic shapes, Givenchy develops them into innovative, modern but always “chic” and sophisticated structures. Sharing with Women’s Wear Daily in 2007, Givenchy once said: “I consider my talent as a gift from God. Balenciaga is my religion. For me, having Balenciaga is having a God . ”

In the 1950s, Givenchy created a “new wind” in the style of dress of European and American women in general. Iconic designs such as puff sleeves, curvaceous ballon coats, babydoll skirts and flared shorts have replaced the waist-hugging tops and man-made curves of the time. “The Admirable Horror of Haute Couture” was born and conquered actresses around the world.

During the same period, Hubert continued to have the opportunity to meet the monument of Audrey Hepburn. The image of the actress in the elegant white dress of the fashion house when participating in the movie Love in Paris created the definition of a Givenchy “muse”. The fashion style of female stars is also the most quintessential, quality and representative of the brand.

In the three decades since they met, Hepburn and Givenchy have created classic fashion moments countless times. In it, not to mention the black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. Although Coco Chanel was the creator of the ” little black dress “, for Hepburn, she only knew Hubert de Givenchy and was also the one who gave it.

LBD up icon row. Hepburn is so enamored with Givenchy’s youthful designs that she wears them in most of her films such as Funny Face , Love in the Afternoon , Paris When it Sizzles , Charade , Love Among ThievesIn addition to Audrey Hepburn, the list of customers of the French fashion house has many names from the nobility and upper class, such as former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Grace Kelly .