Hubert de Givenchy

Hubert de Givenchy founded his eponymous house in 1952 in Paris, instantly shaking up couture with his 'Bettina blouse'—a crisp cotton shirting with bold ruffles. His 1957 collaboration with Audrey Hepburn for *Funny Face* cemented his signature: clean lines, aristocratic ease, and a modern femininity that rejected the stiff silhouettes of the 1940s. Givenchy’s 1953 introduction of the 'sack dress' and his 1958 'baby doll' hemline presaged the coming revolution in women’s fashion. He retired in 1995, leaving a legacy of understated luxury that bridged the golden age of haute couture and the rise of ready-to-wear.