Fashion Models and the Hottest Designer Trends

For his pre-fall 2010 collection, Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci is sticking to his similar inspiration for his spring/summer 2010 collection of a graphic and androgynous looks with the results being stunning. Riccardo said, “It’s much more clean. I’m going back to Givenchy’s roots, looking at late-sixties, early-seventies French style.”

Riccardo’s signature studding and heavy embellishments are gone being replaced with feminine and masculine elements hitting a bit of eroticism with inspiration from the 1974 film Emmanuelle. The collection features an ivory tuxedo over a shirt dress hemmed in ostrich feathers, yellow plumage over a pale-green fisherman’s sweater, a superchic black coat of wool and leather over a tiny black skirt, an ivory jumpsuit dipped low in front exposing a black lace tank, a delicate white blouse with a bow paired with a tough high-waisted black leather shorts, and even the ever popular Nightingale bag that now comes as a trolley carry-on.

The story about how Audrey Hepburn became Givenchy’s Muse goes as so… Givenchy got a message saying that Miss Hepburn was in his shop waiting for a fitting, exited about having the legendary Katherine Hepburn there he came out to find not Kate, But Audrey Hepburn to his surprise.

Their relationship grew and Audrey Hepburn became Givenchi’s prime model and of course the face of Givenchi in a time when starlets, not models, showed off the designer clothes.

In most of the old photos of Audrey’s appearances, she is usually wearing Givenchi and Audrey went on to make his most famous ads. It’s actually hard to find a photo of her in Black and white wher she is not wearing Givenchi.

Those ad campaigns and photos are so popular that people have tried to recreate them as in this photo of model Model Romilly Collins wears the black Givenchy dress made for Audrey Hepburn in the classic 1961 film ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys. Romilly tried to recreate the pose that audrey was in in her dress. That Givenchi dress sold for around $88k at auction at Christies in London, 2006.

A few of Audrey’s dresses have been auctioned.

Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. The daughter of a wealthy English banker and a Dutch baroness. She was born into high society but when the war came many things changed. The Nazi occupation was hard on Audrey and she is said to have suffered from malnutrition, like many kids in those days.

After the war, life for Audrey became better and she attended ballet school. Her parents were now divorced and she was with her mother. She was very graceful, petite and incredibly feminine with a slim build, long neck and tiny wrists and ankles. In that era a woman did not need to be 5’10″ to model and at 5’6″, Audrey Hepburn began modeling. Audrey’s grace made her a natural at it and she was spotted by a producer who cast her in a film.

The first part was a small bit, but she was cast in many more films and became very popular in the U.S. Her grace and understated sexiness made her a star.  She was so unlike the curvy sex kittens of the time. Audrey was elegant and refined. Between the 1950′s and 1970′s Audrey Hepburn was very busy making films and in 1993 Audrey Hepburn died of cancer, leaving a legacy of grace and elegance that designers still try to match to this day.

There have been many campaigns that try to capture her look, recently Liv Tyler did an ad for Givenchy that tried to capture Audrey’s spirit. Many Models have tried, but, no model has ever seemed to quite capture that same look.

Here is a photo gallery of Audrey Hepburn and vintage fashion, Audrey was usually in Givenchy.

Ralph Lauren Sky High Pink Bootie, I would kill for this Ralph Lauren shoe.. actually, I believe I want the pair. Very cool looking, hip and very cotton candy pink

Killer boots from Miu Miu, these are awesome, they look a bit hard on the feet… but hey, for these designer boots, I can deal with a few blisters.

Givenchy Boots, these are the same boots that have been shown over and over, the gladiator look was pretty hot at last years shows. I wonder what this years runway shows have in store

So what was in this spring / summer in the way of shoes… first thing that comes to mind is funky 1970′s platforms, strappy booties and some sky hight heels. It also seems like everyone was really into straps, lots of them. Check these out…

This is a Prada creation, it looks like it needs some metallic flowered wallpaper to go with this very 1970′s looking shoe. Not sure why, but the colors scream Brady bunch to me. Not sure if I would wear it, but very cool looking never the less.

Black leather and gladiator straps are in on the Givenchy catwalk.. it’s got that s & M dominatrix feel. Where’s the whip?

Christian Lacroix’s sandal above is a decade later than the majority with this punkish looking metallic sandal, but, it does have that 1970′s wood heel thing going

Dior, always very stylish

Yves Saint Lauren rainbow powered giant platform

Stella McCartney Hippie beaded platform shoe, with straps. Seems like every designer had to have straps this summer.

Proenza 70′s looking wooden heeled strappy sandal in that 70′s bright orange Brady Bunch hue.

And finally, nothing screams 1970′s more than terry cloth and here we have the powder blue Givenchy terry cloth platform slip on… I really like this shoe!

Givenchy seems to be a timeless brand that found its way from 1950′s households (popularized by Audrey Hepburns very glamorous style) all the way to 2008 without ever skipping a beat or losing any fashion and style popularity. The brand just keeps growing and has expanded over the years into many merchandise markets, from perfume all the way to eye glasses.

Below are some famous Givenchy ads for the first perfume, the first of many.

This is the Audrey Hepburn ad from 1957 for Givenchi’s first perfume offering

In 1957 Hubert de Givenchy launched his first scent “L’Interdit”, created for actress Audrey Hepburn ‘forbidden’ or l’interdit in French.

50 years later, Givenchy reissued a line of scents and perfumes called ‘Mythical’ . These are Givenchy scents which are no longer available, except for this limited time. L’Interdit, Le De, Givenchy III, (named after the address of the Givenchy Couture house in Paris) and Eau de Givenchy was available at Harrods in London and this promotion ended in the winter of 2007. If someone is looking for these, sure there are many bottles still around.. or you can wait 50 more years to maybe get a wiff of the historic scents, on the next relaunch.

Here is a picture of the bottle of Le De from Givenchy

Here are a few more products that carry the Givenchy brand as well as the Givenchy pricetag

above are Givenchy  black studded shoes, very hot, $535, Barneys.com and below we have one of the styles of eyewear from the Givenchy eyewear collection.

Givenchy 2007 winter collection