When you see the name Audrey Hepburn, you immediately think of her talented performances in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday, etc., her ubiquitous influence that took over Hollywood in the 1960s, and her minimalistic and ageless elegance in every piece that she would wear in her films and in her personal life. However, some people overlook the one fashion relationship that was one of the reasons for her status as an icon in the fashion industry: her relationship with Hubert de Givenchy.
Take a good look at the 1954 film Sabrina and pay attention to the gowns that Hepburn wears, and search up “who designed the gowns in Sabrina?” You’ll see the name Hubert de Givenchy, who is the founder of Givenchy (obviously). The film led to a lasting relationship between Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy, allowing Givenchy’s work to have a profound influence on Hepburn’s personal wardrobe.
Their fashion romance would captivate the fashion and film industry for 40 years (until Hepburn’s death in 1993) and would play a huge role in the designs in Audrey Hepburn’s films, such as Sabrina and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (everyone’s favorites), Funny Face, Love in the Afternoon, etc.
Now that I’ve told you everything, what about the real topic?
Audrey Hepburn’s Relationship With Givenchy
Have you ever had one of those moments in life where you thought you were going to work on a high school project with one particular person, but then it turned out to be another person you didn’t know much about? Yet the more you learned about their personality by spending more time together, the more you realized that you made the best decision by partnering with them. That’s exactly what happened with Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn.
In 1953, during the filming of Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn wanted a designer to create an elegant wardrobe for the fictional character Sabrina Fairchild. In accordance with her journey, she visited Givenchy’s atelier in Paris to take a look at his designs. He was expecting to meet the iconic Hollywood star Katharine Hepburn, as he was told about “Miss Hepburn.” Instead, he was introduced to Audrey Hepburn.
When Givenchy met Hepburn, he politely declined as he was too busy to create new designs for the rising film star. However, she asked if she could see the dresses from the current collection, and Givenchy allowed her to try them on. After spending a lot of time together with the designs, Givenchy became obsessed with Audrey Hepburn’s personality and charm, which ultimately led to the agreement that he would help Hepburn with the designs for the film Sabrina.
You know the white silk gown that Hepburn wore in Sabrina? Guess what? It was designed by Givenchy himself. With the success of Sabrina, it became clear that it wasn’t the end of their relationship, and her beauty and brains would enchant Givenchy forever.
Funny Face (1957)
Givenchy brought his finest work for Hepburn to wear in this film, including a floral ball gown featuring yellow, orange, and white poppies; a tea-length (below the knees and above the ankle), ballerina-style wedding dress with a high boat neckline and a multi-layered tulle skirt design; a strapless ruby gown; and more.
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
In the 1957 comedy directed by Billy Wilder and starring Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn stunned in a Givenchy-designed white, haute couture ball gown featuring tulle, rayon, and organza materials; a boned, fitted bodice; silver thread embroidery; turquoise rhinestones; and a sky-blue satin bow at the waist.
After the film, Hepburn gifted the dress to her friend Tanja Star-Busmann in 1958, following Tanja’s recent childbirth.
The little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
The little black dress from the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s had such a profound influence on the fashion and film industries that it even has its own Wikipedia article dedicated to it (I’m not lying).
Givenchy’s version was a shorter dress design, but Paramount complained that the dress was too revealing. Edith Head made a design that had a lengthened hemline to make it floor-length (and her version is the one that made it to the film and was destroyed after filming).
There are three copies of the dress: the first one is preserved in the private archives of the House of Givenchy; the second one is stored for public display at the Museo del Traje in Madrid; and the third one (which was the short dress that was originally designed by Givenchy) was given to writer Dominique Lapierre and his wife before he auctioned off the dress for charity at Christie’s in 2006 for 467,200 euros ($765,000 in USD).
Charade (1963)
In the film Charade, Hepburn stars as Regina “Reggie” Lampert, and she rocked many designs by Givenchy, including the brown ski outfit with a matching hat and soft fur. For those who don’t know who Reggie Lampert is, she is a widow whose husband was wanted for stealing money, and the men now go after her due to her being the only link to her husband.
Paris When It Sizzles (1964)
To fully embody Gabrielle Simpson’s sophisticated Parisian style, Hepburn wore a wardrobe of Givenchy clothing, including a blue nightgown with lace details on the sleeves and train, a black and white dress with a ribbon at the waist, and a mini green tweed suit.
How to Steal a Million (1966)
In the 1966 film How to Steal a Million, Hepburn wears tons of Givenchy designs in the movie. The most iconic one, in my opinion, is the black lace dress, coupled with a lacy face mask. Givenchy doubted the mask and wanted Hepburn to wear the dress, but Hepburn insisted on wearing it (a bold decision indeed)!
The final years of Hepburn and Givenchy
A year before she died, Hepburn got cancer. Givenchy was so supportive of Hepburn in her final year that he arranged for a private jet to bring Hepburn back to her home in Switzerland. Hepburn was a strong warrior in her battle against cancer, but that wouldn’t last long, as she died on January 20th, 1993.
Hubert de Givenchy, now having to live in the world without his muse, was a pallbearer at her funeral and retired from fashion in 1995, two years after her death. 22 years later, after her death, Givenchy released a book titled “To Audrey with Love,” which features his fashion sketches, to reveal the designs he created for her. He died on March 20th, 2018, in his sleep.
Conclusion
Dude, what isn’t there to love about Audrey Hepburn? She’s talented, beautiful, smart, and knows how to communicate. When you think of Audrey Hepburn, you have to also think of her relationship with Hubert de Givenchy, whose designs continue to influence the fashion industry and the public’s fashion styles to this day. Aside from her work in the film industry, she inspired the entire world with her humanitarian work in advocating for children’s rights around the world, which led to her getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom. You can’t be a Hepburn fan and disagree with this.
