Why You Should Know About Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy's Collaboration

whether they know it or not a lot of people are familiar with audriette burns collaboration with the french fashion designer givenchy everyone knows this image this dress and this opening scene from breakfast at tiffany's it's an image that has become synonymous with hepburn with retro style with tourist merchandise and dorm rooms across the globe the black dress the sunglasses the pearls and tiara are a combination that has become almost commonplace today it is so well known that it's widely accepted as just an image to be placed on a poster or a bag or used as inspiration for a halloween costume but rarely does one stop to think why why is it that this image along with marilyn monroe's white dress blowing up over her knees has become such a staple in pop culture and who's behind the creation of this image many people seek to understand why i talk so highly of audrey hepburn and givenchy's collaboration why i want people to look beyond this archetypal image what many don't realize is what a huge impact they have had on both the worlds of fashion and film to fully understand we need some context to do that i'm taking you back two decades before hepburn and givenchy even met the year is 1931 and french fashion designer coco chanel has been flown to hollywood on a million dollar contract to design costumes for the upcoming film tonight or never this was big news in 1931 was one of the most famous designers in the field of french couture and she was going to design clothes which could be seen on the big screen this may not sound so unusual now in fact fashion and film have worked hand in hand for decades for us the modern audience barely a single year goes by without a film being released that includes clothes from some of the top designers just think of sex in the city the devil wears prada or crazy rich asians but back in 1931 this was something new this was something exciting for years perhaps even more so than today french author was a private microcosm reserved only for the european elite the closest anyone outside of that could get to that world of fashion was through photos in a magazine so there was a lot of traction surrounding these chanel designs what people did not predict however was how unsuccessful this marriage between couture and costume turned out to be in short chanel hated working on the films and struggled with the transition from fashion design to costume design she reportedly had disagreements with the film's star gloria swanson and struggled to let the story take precedence over her designs it was reported that for the second film she designed under her seven-figure contract parmy days she made at least four ostensibly identical versions of each dress slightly differently cut to show the design at its best for a specific movement or action it seems she didn't know how to adjust to the demands of a scream wardrobe it wasn't long before chanel left hollywood and returned to the sanctuary of paris where she could regain complete creative control in this instance it seemed that couture and film just didn't work together but that's not to say that no french couturiers were successful in their transitions to film following chanel designs by scaparelli were featured in films such as every day's a holiday in 1937 and moulin rouge in 1952 creations by christian dior were warned to great effect by marlena dietrich in stage fright and no highway in the sky and even the elusive balenthiago provided clothes for films such as lessons of good love in 1944 but generally these films and their clothes are not remembered the majority of people would never even know that these designers provided clothing for film even when at the peak of their fame a good question to ask is why one reason to suggest is that these designers weren't exactly seen as at home in the world of film and storytelling the clothing was almost pitched as an added character in the films themselves studios weren't promoting marlena dietrich in the role of charlotte inward in stage fright they were promoting marlena dietrich in dior in stage fright just as we see the common use of the celebrity guest appearance today it was a name used to stir excitement until the next celebrity guest appearance came along others have suggested that designers like dior weren't associated with a singular person on screen that would allow their names to be remembered in the realm of film now we fast forward to 1953 when there were two budding stars on the horizon the first was a 24 year old audrey hepburn who had wrapped on her first starring role in the film roman holiday which was in the middle of release in the united states she was considered a revolution in the world of film and the publicity machines were already churning out oscar buzz the second up-and-coming star was a 26 year old hubert de givenchy whilst hepburn was in rome filming her breakthrough role givenchy was presenting his debut fashion collection which was met with overnight and international acclaim the boy wonder of paris was championed for his fresh take on style and was named the one to watch both hepburn and givenchy were on the brink of meteoric success and in july 1953 the young stars collided it was in this summer that the two met and audrey asked givenchy to provide clothes for her next picture sabrina there was a lot to be said about this meeting this film and the importance of these clothes far too much to divulge in just this video it's something i'll talk about in depth in the future but in a simple black satin clad nutshell the two worked in tandem for the first time on this film and the result was a worldwide sensation not only were the clothes themselves hugely successful and influential but both hepburn and givenchy had formed a deep and unchanging friendship it was the beginning of a fashion love affair that would last over 40 years givenchy dressed hepburn on and off screen in a total of eight films until her death in 1993. it's difficult to describe what is known as the look that they created in just a few words perhaps one place to start is that this was something new at a time when the idea was one of excess an excess of diamonds like elizabeth taylor excesses of furs and fabrics or excesses in one's figure like sophia loren on monroe audrey challenged what it meant to look like a star suddenly words that had not been seen since the 1920s were being used to try and define hepburn's look she was dubbed a gamin boyish and an elfin beauty whilst it was an image others struggled to pinpoint it was something cuba de givenchy understood together they created clothes that would complement this new look it was clean cut and simple yet had a completely architectural edge be it the tailored coat she wore in charade or the dramatic evening ensembles from funny face these pieces were simple and understated yes but never dull or boring whilst they are best remembered for the little black dress hubert's use of color was equally incredible whether in a graphic monochromatic dress that could translate just as well in black and white film as it could in technicolor or in a bold red yellow green orange pink or blue the two delivered striking new designs for each film that would keep the audience and the fashion press on their toes so many stunning clothes were created in that era of high glamour be it by couturiers such as balenciaga jacques fat and pierre balmer or their counterparts in hollywood like edith head or helen rose yet the majority of them are remembered as being of that time we see small references to these styles today but in general we look back in hindsight and reflect on the beauty of these clothes as something in the past but the styles championed by audrey and givenchy are even today clusters timeless as transcending the decades and remaining ever relevant of course there are some aspects we recognize as being from a different era but nothing feels old-fashioned when you see rooney mara on the best dress list for the met gala red carpet you don't know that it's actually a copy of a look created by givenchy in 1964 or when lily collins is sporting a little black dress and a necklace draped across a temple in netflix's emily in paris you may think that's current but it was a look created by audrey over 60 years ago this is in part due to the accessibility of the looks they created now that's not to say that everyone can afford french oath couture far from it but the simplicity of audrey's givenchy wardrobe meant that it was replicated far more easily than the other screen styles of the era while the average person could not afford nor have the place to wear an elaborate evening dress complete with fur and diamonds they could buy themselves a simple black dress that they could accessorize for morning afternoon and evening as stated by audrey herself in 1989 women can look like audrey hepburn if they want to by flipping out their hair and buying the large sunglasses in the little sleeveless dresses i created a look in order to make something of myself this level of attainability was refreshing in the elitist world of hollywood and remain so today another tangible reason for the importance of their work is that unlike the collaborations before them be it chanel and gloria swanson or dietrich and dior the two worked in tandem they were each other's equals there was a joint vision a symbiosis that was shared between the two of them givenchy's work complemented hepburn's frame and undeniable beauty and in turn hepburn showed off shivanshi's design to their fullest effect when she was on screen you didn't just see the clothes nothing he made for her was designed to overpower and as such you saw the whole image in 1966 the pocono record discussed the newest collaboration between the two for the film how to steal a million and perhaps describe the secret to their success best givenchy's genius is at its unexcelled peak in the very fact that at no point does the costuming dominate the scene impair the action or overpower either miss hepburn or the role she plays the fashions are keyed to accompany the unfolding of the story in the necessary but unobtrusive way a fine pianist accompanies a singer not only that but these aforementioned costumes in how to steal a million are some of the most outlandish we see hepburn wear on film be it a head-to-toe lace outfit with matching masks or a white suit with space age helmet hat and oliver goldsmith goggle sunglasses they combine the classic luxury of french couture with this latest craving for mod fashion and yet once again these looks were made accessible to their audience who could buy the sewing patterns for these outfits for just one dollar and recreate the screen wardrobe for themselves but when it comes to explaining why you should look beyond the little black dress and more into the myriad styles they created together perhaps most elementary of all is the fact that these clothes are just beautiful that have been wearing these clothes culminates in some of the most breathtaking fashion moments to have graced the screen the audrey look is something the two crafted together and with its significant impact on the world of fashion costume and popular culture aside it is in its simplest form an embodiment of elegance and style

Channel: HENRY WILKINSON

Views: 623,973

Keywords: audrey hepburn, givenchy, hubert de givenchy, haute couture, edith head, sabrina, breakfast at tiffany's, french fashion, costume design, film costume, 1950s fashion, 1960s fashion, french couture, paris fashion, film history, coco chanel, schiaparelli, christian dior, gloria swanson, marlene dietrich, balenciaga, cristobal balenciaga, elsa schiaparelli, vintage film, vintage fashion

Id: NMQVqk0NmgU

Length: 14min 26sec (866 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 18 2020