 | |
| Designer | Givenchy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1954 |
| Type | White floral dress |
Audrey Hepburn wore a white floral Givenchy dress to the Academy Awards in 1954, at which she won an Academy Award for her performance in Roman Holiday . The dress is now regarded as one of the classic dresses of the 20th century.
Audrey Hepburn was a close friend of French designer Hubert de Givenchy, referring to the designer as her "best friend" while he called her a "sister". [1] They originally met in 1953 during shooting for the film Sabrina , when Hepburn went to Paris to acquire an authentic Paris couture dress by Balenciaga for her role. [2] Balenciaga turned her away, advising her to visit his former pupil, Givenchy, who had expected to meet a different actress named Hepburn, but was won over by Audrey. [1] [2] This led to a lasting professional association, which would see Hepburn wearing Givenchy for seven of her most outstanding movies, as well as regularly wearing his clothes off-screen. [3] [4] The belted white floral dress she wore for the 26th annual Academy Awards was the first time audiences saw Hepburn in one of Givenchy's creations. [3]
The white dress had a floral pattern and tight white belt which showed off Hepburn's very slim waistline. [1] It featured a bateau or boat neckline, considered unusual for an Oscar dress. [5]
The dress, like Hepburn's later little black dress in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's , is cited as one of the classic dresses of the 20th century. A poll by Debenhams, published in the Daily Telegraph , voted it the second most iconic red carpet dress of all time. [6] Time magazine voted the dress the greatest Oscar dress of all time. [7] Variety magazine's Complete Book of Oscar Fashion placed it among their selections for the Oscar's most beautiful gowns with the header "It's a Cinch!" [8]
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List.
Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.
Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre was a Spanish fashion designer, and the founder of the Balenciaga clothing brand. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior and as "the only couturier in the truest sense of the word" by Coco Chanel, who continued, "The others are simply fashion designers". On the day of his death, in 1972, Women's Wear Daily ran the headline "The King is Dead".
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Givenchy is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter. It is currently owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH.
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