HUBERT DE GIVENCHY left his home in Beauvais, just outside of Paris, at the age of 17 for the opportunities offered in the City of Light. There, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts and began his career as an apprentice. In 1952, he established his couture house, la Maison Givenchy, and two years later in 1954, became the first couturier to present a luxury ready-to-wear line. He would meet his iconic muse, Audrey Hepburn, in 1953, and the two would remain close friends for over 40 years, until her death in 1993.

Givenchy sold his business to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey in 1988, and retired in 1995. Today, at 88 years of age, he lives in a country estate — Le Jonchet — a beautiful Renaissance castle from the early XVIIth century. Built by the architect Gabriel de Lestrade, the château was in a state of ruins in the 1950’s, and restored by the architect Fernand Pouillon (1912 – 1986). It was later owned by Roger Bellon, owner of pharmaceutical companies of the same name and is now currently the retirement home of the renown couturier. Click through for a glimpse of his incredible style . . .

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