By Mandy Heth, Owner of Vintage Baubles & Bits
Vintage jewelry has class, style and grace and no one represents those attributes as well as the lovely
Audrey Hepburn. Givenchy, the man, got his start on the couture scene in Paris, studying under greats such as Jacques Fath and Lucian Lelong in the 1940s. Hepburn captured the eye and imagination of Hubert de Givenchy, a French designer, who created luxurious pieces of clothing and built an empire
on the pillars of fashion, form and wearability.
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| 1970s Enamel Earrings at VintageMeet Modern |
Amongst all the high-class, extraordinary designers Givenchy stood out. He realized that the Paris couture scene could be dialed down for the masses, without losing its flair and uniqueness, and made accessible to all women. He's given credit as the first designer to come up with a luxury ready-to-wear line that he created in 1954.
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| Givenchy Hinged Rhinestone Bracelet from ElseWind |
It was during this time that he met the fashion-forward
Hepburn on the set of Sabrina and they
developed a fashion relationship that would last 40 years till her death in
1993. Hepburn served as his muse, helping him to develop trends that would
become part of his signature style. Givenchy also designed for Lauren Bacall
and former first lady, Jackie Kennedy.
In the late 1960s and early 70s he realized that his brand had value and he began to apply it to other products like jewelry, linens and shoes. It’s this time period that the majority of the jewelry from Givenchy was produced. Every piece of Givenchy is marked with a signature hallmark, as seen in seen in this bracelet from VintageObjectsShoppe. Four G’s are in a square pattern with GIVENCHY in all caps with a trademark symbol. Be sure to look for these marks when you’re selecting Givenchy pieces, anything other than these either indicates that it’s not a Givenchy piece, or that it is part of a collaboration from later in Givenchy’s career, like the Givenchy – Bijoux mark, making the piece newer.
Givenchy took a new direction in the 1980s and began
working for Louis Vuitton. Though he no longer owned his own company, products
were still developed under the Givenchy brand and Hubert continued to be a part
of the design process up until his retirement in 1995. Today, at age 87, Hubert de Givenchy
no longer manages the company he built from the ground up, but Audrey Hepburn
remains a stunning icon of Givenchy style.
1 comment:
Wonderful article about a legendary designer.
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