French designer, 91, reimagined fashion

PARIS – 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. He was 91.

The house of Givenchy paid homage to its founder in a statement as “a major personality of the world of French haute couture and a gentleman who symbolized Parisian chic and elegance for more than half a century.”

“He revolutionized international fashion with the timelessly stylish looks he created for Audrey Hepburn, his great friend and muse for over 40 years,” the house of Givenchy said. “His work remains as relevant today as it was then.”

Givenchy was part of the elite cadre of Paris-based designers, including Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, who redefined fashion after World War II.

A towering man with impeccable manners, he forged close friendships with his famous clients, among them Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace of Monaco.

He was born into an aristocratic family in the city of Beauvais on Feb. 21, 1927, and founded his label in 1952, selling it to luxury conglomerate LVMH in 1988.

Clare Waight Keller, who has been at the helm of the brand since last year, said on her official Instagram account that she was “deeply saddened by the loss of a great man and artist I have had the honor to meet.”

“Not only was he one of the most influential fashion figures of our time, whose legacy still influences modernday dressing, but he also was one of the chic-est, most charming men I have ever met,” she wrote.

Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, said in a statement, “He was among those designers who placed Paris firmly at the heart of world fashion post-1950 while creating a unique personality for his own fashion label.”

AP FILE PHOTO French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy poses with mannequins in his shop in Paris in 1952, the year the designer started his own label.

HULTON ARCHIVE Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn were friends for 40 years.