Vogue on: Hubert de Givenchy

The handsome, aristocratic Hubert de Givenchy blended the hallowed traditions of haute couture with a modern sensibility. For 40 years he focused always on purity of line, but combined an artist&#39;s eye with a keen entrepreneurial mind.His innovative 1952 debut collection made its mark by presenting separates, then a little-known approach to fashion. Givenchy created the most unrepentantly glamorous of evening dresses, developed the influential &#39;chemise&#39; dress without a waistline, and fielded debonair little daytime suits which have never gone out of fashion. He is also credited with pioneering the princess silhouette, and his name became forever linked with the Sabrina neckline after dressing Hepburn in the eponymous film.Vogue, the international fashion bible, has charted the careers of designers through the decades. Its unique archive of photographs, taken by the leading photographers of the day from Cecil Beaton to Mario Testino, and original illustrations, together with its stable of highly respected fashion writers, make Vogue the most authoritative and prestigious source of reference on fashion. With a circulation of over 160,000 and a readership of over 1,400,000, no brand is better positioned to present a library on the great fashion designers of the modern age.

Drusilla Beyfus is a journalist, author, broadcaster and a well-known commentator on modern modes and manners. Formerly a senior tutor at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, she has contributed to numerous magazines and newspapers, featured in many TV and radio programmes and is the author of several books on etiquette.

Drusilla Beyfus

&#39;Valentissimo! Viva Valentino!&#39; exclaimed Vogue, lauding the achievements of the first Italian dress designer to take on the Paris fashion world and achieve haute couture status.Drawing on Vogue&#39;s archive of imagery and text, as well as the author&#39;s exclusive interview with the designer, this book analyses Valentino&#39;s exceptional fusion of Latinate sensuality and Parisian precision. It shows how his inventive colour sense and use of opulent fabrics derived from Italian classical painting, and how his trust in and promotion of Italy&#39;s craftsmen and women is evident in his use of featherweight materials, handmade embroidery, beading and pleating.Valentino&#39;s early love of costumes worn by stars of the Italian and American film industry influenced his designs, and he attracted a superstar clientele, including Hollywood celebrities from Elizabeth Taylor to Gwyneth Paltrow, European royalty, and society figures such as Jaqueline Kennedy - who wore him in mourning, and in remarriage, at her wedding to Aristotle Onassis.Valentino is unique: the exquisite quality of his dressmaking and the femininity, glamour and allure of his seasonal collections are matchless; exceptionally in his field, he is known by his first name only; and he holds a record as the founder of a house who remained in creative control of it for 45 years.

Drusilla Beyfus

Books by Drusilla Beyfus

Series by Drusilla Beyfus

Vogue on Designers

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