Hubert de Givenchy, the legendary French fashion designer best known for creating Audrey Hepburn’s “little black dress” in 1961 movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” has died at age 91, according to media reports.
Philippe Venet, Givenchy’s longtime companion, told AFP that the designer passed away in his sleep on Saturday.
LVMH, which has owned the House of Givenchy since 1988, issued a statement calling the late fashion legend “a gentleman who symbolized Parisian chic and elegance for more than half a century. He will be greatly missed.”
In addition to designing Hepburn’s memorable frock in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Givenchy worked on other Hollywood projects, including “Funny Face” in 1957 and “How to Steal a Million” in 1966.
The actress, who met Givenchy on the set of her Oscar-winning 1953 breakthrough film “Sabrina,” also inspired his first perfume, l’Interdit.
Givenchy apprenticed under the legendary designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, but soon developed his own reputation in the 1950s and ’60s with a well-heeled clientele that included Jackie Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco and Wallis Simpson.
As first lady, Kennedy adopted the distinctive Givenchy look of shifts dresses, pillbox hats and low-heeled pumps as her signature style.