French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy was BOTD in 1927. Born in Beauvais, he was the youngest son of the Comte de Givenchy, who died when he was three. He developed an interest in fashion design as a child, moving to Paris when he was 17 to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, followed by apprenticeships with couturiers Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli. He launched his own fashion label in 1952, delighting clients and the fashion press with blouses and skirts designed to be worn interchangeably, creating multiple outfits from a few key pieces. The Bettina blouse, a white cotton shirt with black-embroidered flamenco ruffles, became one of his most popular designs, helping launch his brand in America. His most famous client was the actress Audrey Hepburn, who wore his designs in the films Funny Face, Sabrina, Charade and a now-famous little black dress as Holly Golightly in the film adaptation of Truman Capote‘s novel Breakfast At Tiffany’s. In the early 1960s, he met the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, developing a creative collaboration over the next decade. Under Balenciaga’s influence, Givenchy’s designs transformed from simple and girlish ready-to-wear to lavishly decorated haute couture, attracting celebrity clients including Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly and Wallis Simpson. He retired from fashion design in 1995, remaining active as an antiques expert for Christie’s auction house, the Château de Versailles and the Louvre art museum, and managing the French branch of the World Monuments Fund. He was in a long term relationship with couture designer Philippe Venet, living together in the lavish 16th century Château du Jonchet. He died in 2018, aged 91.