Givenchy, Hubert James Marcel Taffin de (1927– )

French fashion designer. His simple, reasonably priced mix-and-match blouses, skirts, and slacks earned him instant acclaim when he opened his couture house in Paris 1952. He was noted for his embroidered and printed fabrics and his imaginative use of accessories.

At 17 Givenchy was apprenticed to Parisian designer Jacques Fath and spent eight years working for other designers, including Elsa Schiaparelli. In the 1960s he designed both screen and personal wardrobes for Audrey Hepburn, creating for her the princess dress of the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.