French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, aged 91

French couturier Hubert de Givenchy, a pioneer of ready-to-wear who designed Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress in Breakfast At Tiffany’s, has died at the age of 91.

The artistic director of Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller, said on her official Instagram account she is “deeply saddened by the loss of a great man and artist I have had the honour to meet”.

Givenchy was part of the elite cadre of Parisbased designers, including Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, who redefined fashion after the Second World War.

The designer forged close friendships with his famous clients, among them Liz Taylor, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace of Monaco.

Born into an aristocratic family in the provincial city of Beauvais on February 21 1927, Givenchy struck out for Paris in his late teens, in the wake of the Second World War.

Couturier Jacques Fath hired Givenchy on the strength of his sketches. He spent two years learning the basics of fashion design, from sketching to cutting and fitting haute couture styles.

After apprenticing with other top names, Givenchy founded his own house in 1952.

His debut collection ushered in the concept of separates – tops and bottoms that could be mixed and matched, as opposed to head-to-toe looks that were the norm among Paris couture purveyors.

Givenchy retired in 1995, and was succeeded by John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald, Italy’s Riccardo Tisci and its current chief designer, Clare Waight Keller, the first woman in the role.

Givenchy is survived by his companion, French couturier Philippe Venet.

Hubert de Givenchy.