Obituaries

Famed French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy has died at age 91, the couture house bearing his name confirms. CNN.com Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy was a French fashion designer who founded The House of Givenchy in 1952. He was famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970. Audrey Hepburn wears three dresses from the movie, "Sabrina," 1954. (Lisa's History Room) Known for designing the little black dress that Audrey Hepburn wears in the opening scene of 1961's Breakfast At Tiffany's, Givenchy was a trailblazer in the world of ready-to-wear fashion. Born into an aristocratic family in the northern French town of Beauvais, Givenchy was a physically towering man who launched his first collection with immediate fanfare, as Reuters reports: NPR A British fashion declared his first collection: "These dresses remind you of that first, best, glass of champagne," Reuters notes. Among his customers were a number of women who defined style in the 1950s and '60s including Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore a Givenchy design to President Kennedy's funeral. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clare Waight Keller (@clarewaightkeller) But it was Hepburn who was his muse and close friend, wearing his fashions in the films Sabrina, Funny Girl and others. His eponymous fashion house called its founder the enfant terrible of haute couture: "is 'separates' – elegant blouses and light skirts blending architectural lines and simplicity – met with enormous success in light of the more constricted looks of the day. ... Spare lines, slender hips, slim silhouettes and swan-like necks won over actresses from around the world." Hepburn in Givenchy (1955) In 1969, the designer launched a menswear line called Givenchy Gentleman. He sold the Givenchy house to luxury conglomerate LVMH in 1988, staying on until he retired in 1995. "Not only was he one of the most influential fashion figures of our time, whose legacy still influences modern day dressing," wrote Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller on his passing, "but he also was one of the chicest most charming men I have ever met." Amazing tributes NEXT... https://twitter.com/givenchy/status/973194563027456000 https://twitter.com/ninagarcia/status/973208994654375936 https://twitter.com/Msuwonkunda/status/973186985564176384 https://twitter.com/davelackie/status/973187090711175168 https://twitter.com/BritishVogue/status/973189101456326657 https://twitter.com/tomandlorenzo/status/973194570610675712 https://twitter.com/FashionweekNYC/status/973198521519263744 https://twitter.com/mrjoezee/status/973203063346405377 https://twitter.com/VVFriedman/status/973185229358862336 https://twitter.com/ComplexStyle/status/973199967069368321 https://twitter.com/AsaSoltan/status/973193391616901121