French fashion designer, Givenchy, dies at 91

Hubert Taffin de Givenchy, French fashion designer aged 91, has died.

The designer, who is famous for designing the little black dress, died at the Renaissance Chateau near Paris where he lived with his partner and fellow designer, Philippe Venet.

DailyMail UK reports that Venet, a former haute couture designer, confirmed the news through the Givenchy fashion house.

“It is with huge sadness that we inform you that Hubert Taffin de Givenchy has died,” he said explaining that the deceased passed away in his sleep.

“Hubert de Givenchy was a symbol of Parisian elegance for more than half a century… who revolutionised fashion,” his label said on Monday.

Clare Waight Keller, its current British-born designer, said Givenchy was ‘not only one of the most influential fashion figures of our time, whose legacy still influences modern-day dressing, but he also was one of the chicest most charming men I have ever met’.

“The definition of a true gentleman that will stay with me forever.”

During her stay in the White House, Jacqueline Kennedy, former US first lady, adopted the Givenchy look with a uniform of shift dresses, pillbox hats and low-heeled pumps.

The designer, who learnt his craft under Cristóbel Balenciaga, became a giant of the fashion world in every sense.

“To dress a woman is to make her beautiful,’ the late designer, who resigned in 1996, once said.

“In haute couture, we are cosmetic surgeons, erasing imperfections and refining the silhouette… for isn’t a couturier a magician of sorts, who creates illusion and perhaps beauty itself.”

His creations were eagerly anticipated and sought out by the titled and wealthy in the 1950s and 60s, including Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duchess of Windsor.

His presence was felt on the 2018 Oscars red carpet, when stars, including Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman, wore custom Givenchy designs.