Evening dress with tie
- Place of origin:
Paris (made)
- Date:
Early 1968 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Givenchy, Hubert de, born 1927 (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Embroidered silk crêpe, plastic, cotton, diamanté, lined with silk
- Credit Line:
Given by Audrey Hepburn
- Museum number:
T.231&A-1974
- Gallery location:
In Storage
The couturier-client relationship between Hubert de Givenchy and the actress Audrey Hepburn is one of the most famous of its type. Givenchy first met Hepburn during the shoot for the film Sabrina in 1953. He subsequently went on to design almost all her outfits in her contemporary films, as well as providing clothes for her off-screen wardrobe.
Givenchy understood perfectly that Audrey Hepburn's clothes should be glamorous without distracting from her good looks. She looked best in crisply cut, elegant garments with superb detailing, such as this evening dress. This simple white crepe gown is encrusted with pale-coloured sequins, artificial flowers and embroidery. The subtle colouring of the embroidery ensured that it did not distract from the wearer's dark-haired beauty.
