Givenchy Biography And Important Works
Venerated French designer Hubert de Givenchy made a splash with his first collection of mix-and-match separates in 1952, which launched his namesake fashion house, the clean lines and refined silhouettes of the pieces offering a contrast to the more structured shapes then dominating postwar womens fashion. His roster of clients would eventually include Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, all of whom were drawn to the designers architecturally and materially simple pieces that combined sensual femininity with elegance.
At the age of 17, Givenchy left his hometown of Beauvais, France, for Paris. There he studied drawing at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and apprenticed for the houses of Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli. Givenchy earned his first high praise for the 1952 Bettina blouse, an embroidered, ruffle-sleeve linen shirt named for his publicist and model Bettina Graziani. The Givenchy label soon developed a following of fashion icons around the world, most notably Audrey Hepburn, who would serve as Givenchys muse for decades after they met in 1953. The couturier created pieces for many of her films, such as the iconic little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffanys , as well as her personal life, including her wedding dress for her 1969 marriage to Andrea Dotti.
On 1stDibs, browse a collection of vintage Givenchy evening dresses, handbags, necklaces and other clothing and accessories today.
Givenchy Sneakers For Women
Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy launched the label in 1952 as a line of simple, light separates. Two years later, the Balenciaga-mentored Frenchman debuted a full ready-to-wear collection. A meeting to fit a young Audrey Hepburn marked the start of a legendary designer/muse relationship that spanned forty years he used her as the face of his first perfume, LInterdit, and she became the first actress to sell a scent . The house hit a home run with fashion heavies like Lauren Bacall, Jackie O, and Princess Grace, and Givenchy went on to launch a mens line in 1973. By 1976, the brand included fabrics, furnishings, shoes, jewelry, and a Ford Lincoln Continental. Givenchy joined LVMH in 1988, and after Huberts retirement in 1995, it gained notoriety as an incubator of style stars like Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. The relatively obscure Riccardo Tisci was named creative director in 2005.
Finding The Right Shoes For You
Today, a pair of vintage and designer shoes by the likes of Chanel, Gucci or Versace is integral to completing your carefully orchestrated street-style or evening ensemble, but footwear wasnt always the big deal it is for your average Adidas Yeezy enthusiast.
The decorative floor-length gowns that upper-class women of the 18th century wore meant that their shoes, then likely featuring high curved heels finished with woven or embroidered silks a sharp contrast to the heavy, rudimentary form of the eras footwear for men were partially or entirely obscured by the base of their ornate dresses. What good is fashion if its tucked away?
Our modern ages legions of sneakerheads might have trouble tracking down a pair of black-and-gold vintage Jordans but can at least fill their dream closets with original Adidas Gazelles or 1980s New Balances if they put the time in, while 1990s-era Prada pumps or a good pair of mid-20th-century jewel-tone heels in satin or silk havent lost their allure with todays nostalgic fashionistas.
A pair of shoes can commemorate an achievement, mark an important trip overseas and is sometimes a rich manifestation of a hard-won physical feat. Whether theyre Hermès sandals, Off-White ankle boots, ivory-leather-and-pink-daisy heels by sublime shoemakerManolo Blahnik or Louboutin platform pumps, you can find your next pair of legendary luxury vintage shoes today on 1stDibs.
Read Also: Gravity Defyer Women’s Sneakers
