Haute Couture Memories

A glimpse into the fantastic history of vintage Couture Houses

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Didier Ludot, the dealer in vintage Haute Couture, famous in Paris as the “fashion antiquarian”, hardly needs an introduction. 

“The Little black dress found its birth in 1926, under the aegis of Coco Chanel (1883 - 1971), also through its role in Nouvelle vague cinema. It is the symbol of Parisian chic, the very model of refinement, the sensual armour slipped on by generations of women who have found themselves transformed by a sublime raiment that forgives their failings and glorifies their virtues, turning heads everywhere it went. (…) While it may be ‘little’ in size – the black dress has always been worn short – it is immense in the story it tells.”

This 1963 Chanel Haute Couture, black sequined cocktail dress, that was part of the 2017 Sotheby’s Haute Couture sale dedicated to the little black dress,  finds it’s provenance in the wardrobe of the very elegant Austrian-French cult-actress Romy Schneider (1938 - 1982). 

“Mademoiselle Chanel considered Romy schneider as the perfect ‘model’ for her creations.” Ludot says.

Romy wore the dress on several occasions, such as in 1963 on a cocktail party at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Hollywood. 

© Sotheby’s, HauteCoutureMemories

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Hubert de Givenchy (1927 - 2018), tall, noble and impeccably tailored, tells a story about dressing The Duchess of Windsor (1896 - 1986), whose husband, The Duke of Windsor (1894 - 1972) gave up the throne of England for the woman he loved.

“The Duke didn’t speak French – he spoke Spanish, German and, of course, English,” the couturier remembers. “He said to me, ‘Givenchy, you know, I really like what you do for the Duchess.’ But just as I replied, ‘Thank you, that is very kind, it’s very encouraging,’ he suddenly asked me, ‘Why is the price so high?’”

At that moment The Duchess entered, with a new bouffant hair-do by her hairdresser, Alexandre de Paris, trying to smooth things over: “Do you think the price is so high for all the joy and pleasure I give you with all the lovely dresses Hubert has designed for me?”

When The Duke died in 1972, Givenchy created a coat, dress, and pillbox hat for The Duchess. The all-black couture outfit, made in hardly two days and nights of work, was finished just in time for the plane arriving to take the Duchess to an icy reception in England.

She greeted the designer with the words, “Hubert, it is really marvellous.” “But I said, ‘No, it is normal; it is my job to do that,” Givenchy recalls. “Although there is a lot of criticism about the Duchess, she was a very elegant, amusing and entertaining lady.”

© Vogue, HauteCoutureMemories

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Paris: The Mauve Decade 1970. Women, coming through. More soignée, softer, more complex, half-hidden. More romantic. 

Givenchy designs one of the most exiting dresses in Paris. An evening glory in morning glory purple organza, opening up under a blazing bolero, jeweled and baubled with gold. For a mysterious moment, the head is hidden in a small, triangular scarf. In Sache silk.

This organza dress, as above described in Harpers Bazaar in 1970, made part of the renowned collection of H.R.H. Lilian de Réthy, Princess of Belgium (1916 - 2002), second wife of H.R.H. King Léopold of Belgium (1901 - 1983). 

The dress made part of the 2003 Sotheby’s auction Fit for a Princess: Jewels and Couture from the collection of the late Her Royal Highness Princess Lilian of Belgium. 

The immaculate dress, labelled and numbered 42348, was accompanied with the matching scarf, belt and René Mancini shoes.

© Harpers Bazaar, Sotheby’s, HauteCoutureMemories

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Hubert de Givenchy has passed away. (1927 - 2018)

With him, one of the last witnesses of the golden age of real Haute Couture disappears.

Givenchy was just 24 in 1952 when he opened his own couture house, and in February that year presented his debut collection, featuring the Bettina blouse, which became an early emblem of his aesthetic.

Givenchy was one of the first designers to form on - and off-screen - design collaborations with celebrities, including one of his most famous clients and dearest friends, Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993).

Designing the slim-cut black jumpsuit and the strapless, embroidered organza gown immortalised in Sabrina, Givenchy forged a friendship with Hepburn that was to span seven subsequent films, creating some of the most iconic looks in cinematic history - including the famous black sheath dress worn by Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Givenchy also designed for The Duchess of Windsor, The Princess Lilian of Belgium, Jackie Kennedy and The Princess Grace Kelly, amongst others.

© Vogue, HauteCoutureMemories

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For his Spring-Summer 1982 collection, Yves Saint Laurent (1936 - 2008) designed a few very colourful looks inspired by India. 

 This Indian-inspired evening ensemble is worn by Amalia Vairelli during the fashion show for the spring-summer 1982 haute couture collection, Salon impérial of the Hôtel Inter-Continental, Paris, January 1982. 

 "I am very much alone. I use my imagination to conjure up countries I don't know. I hate to travel. For example, if I read a book about the Indies with photos or about Egypt, where I've never been, my imagination takes me there. That's where I take the best trips." Yves Saint Laurent, in an interview with Catherine Deneuve, Globe, May 1, 1986. 

 © Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, HauteCoutureMemories