The House of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy, the focus of the brand during his years as creative director was classic and simple, pure and clutter free (no surprise that his greatest admirer was Audrey Hepburn). Here we have an extraordinary example of his early Haute Couture work and it is a rare find indeed. The bodice of this dress is scooped in low wide curve on both the front and back of the dress and the straps set slightly wide on the shoulder - a Givenchy trademark. The skirt is gathered in gentle soft pleats into the waist for a slight amount of fullness. Every stitch is a testament to couture and the dress is finished to an exquisite degree. The fabrics are beautiful - the skirt is a heavy silk satin so the shape is held wonderfully. The bodice is Lesage beaded and sequinned with hand appliqued, rich red silk velvet drops that are each hand-edged in tube beads. More beads and sequins are hand applied in and around these to cover the bodice for a stunning and decadent effect. Early Hubert de Givenchy numbered pieces are extremely rare and this dress is an absolute treasure. Presents as excellent condition

I have dated this as being from the 1962 collection as the lines are almost identical to the dress that Audrey Hepburn was photographed in while standing between Jack Lemmon and William Holden in the boat “Bateau Mouche” on the Seine after a press conference for the publicity of her movie “Paris When It Sizzles”. Paris (France), July 13, 1962. Audrey was wearing a Givenchy Haute Couture dress in this photo and it is identical to this one in terms of the cut.

Fully lined in a fine black tissue silk. It closes with a hand set side zipper that has snaps to cover the zipper from the waist down. Beautiful couture construction - the skirt has a fine ribbon finish to the inside edges and it is self lined in a layer of silk organza and a backing between the exterior fabric and the organza. An inner silk skirt sits under that. Measurements given are of the inner skirt. Numbered tag underneath with couture number "47992". Note that there are some fine vertical slits in the skirt. I have photoed the main one so you can see what I mean. I count eight that are mainly hidden in the folds with two being along the skirt hem. They seem stable and did not get bigger when dry cleaned. I chose to not have anything done to them since it the dress is entirely original. It could easily be worn as is and one would never notice these small flaws. It has been priced taking this into account.

Bust: 16" flat across from side seam to side seam
Waist: 11.5" flat across from side seam to side seam
Hips: 18" flat across from side seam to side seam the inner skirt, 20" on the outer
Bodice: 15" from top of bodice to waist
Skirt: 25" from waist to hem

Modern Sizing Equivalent: XS

Item# DD1620

This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.