In praise of the French designer, who died at the weekend, and his fashion legacy.

Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy may have been burdened with a wildly grand title, but the fashion designer, who died this weekend, definitely lived up to its prestige.

Nowadays, “iconic” is overused as a platitude, but there is no better word to capture the imminently recognisable clothing Mr Givenchy created. Take the black sheath dress worn by Ms Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. What is that if not iconic? Then there were outfits for Ms Jacqueline Kennedy, Ms Lauren Bacall, Princess Grace of Monaco, Ms Ingrid Bergman, Ms Greta Garbo… The list goes on.

Still, Mr Givenchy was about more than the game-changing dresses he crafted, and though he may have been known mostly for his talents as a womenswear designer (and his aforementioned designs for Ms Hepburn), he was also a keen dresser himself. A tall, fine-boned Frenchman who was seldom photographed in anything other than an impeccably tailored suit and tie, the designer mostly wore a sophisticated palette of black, cream and navy, occasionally adding a pop of bright colour, as when he was reclining on the sofa with his dogs (below) in those (very 2018) red side-stripe trousers. His own style shared some sensibilities with his womenswear. It was graceful, refined and, importantly, the clothes always complemented the wearer’s own qualities rather than covering them up.

Mr Givenchy retired from designing in 1995 and since then, the house’s creative output has come under the auspices of some of our most eminent fashion designers. After his retirement, Mr Givenchy was succeeded by Mr John Galliano, who in turn was replaced by the late Mr Alexander McQueen. From there, Mr Riccardo Tisci (now the incoming designer at Burberry) took the helm until last year, when Ms Clare Waight Keller was appointed artistic director.

Thanks to those talents, Givenchy designs – for men and women – remain incredibly relevant today and have amassed a legion of fans, including Messrs Kanye West, David Beckham and Jay-Z. Most recently, Black Panther star Mr Chadwick Boseman wore a black embellished Givenchy jacket to the Oscars, which showcased perfectly the label’s knack of marrying established elegance with a contemporary edge.

When Mr Givenchy gave a talk at the Oxford University Union in 2010, The Independent said, “Although Givenchy has lived through – and helped define – an era where elegance reigned over edginess, he doesn’t seem anachronistic, rather a distinguished ambassador of a lost refinement.” Now, after his death, that refinement lives on.

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