Study into the reputation of Givenchy by Meghan Browne

GIVENCHY

A discussion into how Givenchyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation has been constructed and maintained throughout the 20th century. Figure 1: (Friedman, 2018)

MEGHAN BROWNE Fashion Marketing 20th Century Fashion

CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BRAND OVERVIEW 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT 1.3 METHODOLOGY

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 3.0 THE START OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT: The relationship between Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn

3.1 EARLY RELATIONSHIP 3.2 BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S 3.3 L’INTERDIT

4.0 A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY: The Alexander McQueen takeover 4.1 FIRST COLLECTION

4.2 “IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE” 4.3 OUTFIT COMPARISON 4.4 MCQUEEN’S EXIT

5.0 THE START OF INCLUSIVITY: How Givenchy became a pioneer 5.1 THE BATTLE OF VERSAILLES FASHION SHOW

5.2 MARKETING MATERIALS

6.0 CONCLUSION 7.0 APPENDICES Appendix A

Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E

8.0 REFERENCE LIST 9.0 FIGURE LIST

Figure 2: (Major, n.d)

1.1

Brand overview

1.2

Objectives of the report

Founded in 1952, the eponymous fashion house of Givenchy has made a name for “breaking fashion codes of its time” (Givenchy, 2019). Hubert de Givenchy began the house’s establishment with the Separates collection, which saw him challenge the tight, restricted styles of the time by providing 8 inter-changeable looks of skirts and blouses (Roff, 2011). These innovations were supported by many icons in the public eye, which forms the relationship the founder made to create his brand identity and marketing strategy.

This appraisal aims to critically analyse the reputation of the Givenchy fashion house, constructed by marketing and the media over the 20th century. With the application of primary resource analysis, the report will highlight the marketing techniques utilised by the brand, specifically focusing on celebrity endorsement, diversity and the rise of new designers.

1.3 Methodology

In order to critically analyse in terms of marketing, various methods of research took place. Predominantly, the report research will consist of secondary research through unbiased, reliable sources. These include journal articles and books to compile theory and historical references, as well as brand-specific web resources and articles. To support this research, the primary research method of archives will be used to provide historical evidence for the marketing techniques used, for example the Vogue archives and museum collections, which will help to support the points made about tactics used by the fashion house.

INTRODUCTION

THE START OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUBERT DE GIVENCHY AND AUDREY HEPBURN Under the broad scope of creating a brand, there are a variety of strategies and theories at play in order to effectively establish a strong reputation with consumers. Posner (2011) highlights the overarching strong differences between brand identity and brand image in building a reputation. The idea of brand image focuses on the perception of the brand the consumer has as a result of the brand identity that the company has portrayed for itself (Posner, 2011, p.146). With Posner’s specialisation being in the field of branding strategy and how fashion is marketed, the credibility of the source mirrors the quantity of its usage within the report (Condé Nast College, 2019). Informed by her work within the field, Posner’s theories can be applied to how the fashion house Givenchy to identify the brand shifts through success and failure. Whilst brand identity is constructed through many elements such as logo, product and promotion, Okonkwo (2007) argues there to be more substance for a luxury brand to utilise to hold reputation. The theorist presents the idea of 10 primary attributes a luxury brand exhibits (see Appendix A) in order to achieve “differentiation and emotional appeal” (Okonkwo, 2007, p.106). With a more specific research area aimed at a set market level, this provides niche insight into relevant theory which can be applied to Givenchy due to the fashion house’s luxury market level. Another credible theory is presented by Cheah et al. (2016, p.5819) who highlight the use of ingredient branding by luxury brands, but more specifically utilising the brand’s country of origin and its ties, to present the consumer with added value, loyalty and trust. Fashion capitals, such as Paris, evoke connotations of high quality, luxuriousness and exclusivity; all attributes which consumers are expected to want to buy into, hence luxury brands ensuring their links to fashion capitals are obvious through their branding (Cheah et al., 2016, p.5819).

Figure 3: (Fisher, 2018)

LITERATURE REVIEW

Boyd (2017) defines a ‘muse’ as “not only an inspiration for fashion designers, but they also urge designers to continue creating”. What we see in the 21st century as influencer culture, with us taking inspiration from those on social media who present an aspirational lifestyle, can be traced back to solid foundations built around the idea of lifelong collaborations between a designer and their muse (Thompson, 2017; Friedman, 2018). This idea is very much synonymous with the relationship between Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. 3.1 Early relationship In 1953, a time when neither party’s career had sparked yet, Audrey Hepburn visited Paris in search of Givenchy to create looks for her upcoming role in ‘Sabrina’ (Rosseinsky, 2018). Hepburn was provided with a sample rail from which she picked three garments, one of them being a beaded, white ballgown, seen in figure 4 (Rosseinsky, 2018). At the time of its creation, the austerity period of World War 2 was starting to cease, leaving room for designers to take advantage of the returning prosperity (Olds, 2001). With this garment, it can be seen that Givenchy has taken inspiration from the New Look (see Appendix B) through the overuse of fabric to create the volume within the skirt, an aspect that highlights Givenchy to be utilising the prosperity, constructing an identity of being upscale and high-fashion due to his access to components that were seen as limited and upmarket (Olds, 2001). The use of Givenchy’s garments within the film began to compose high expectations within consumers’ minds of luxury and high-fashion; aspects which consumers may have craved after the austerity of World War 2, therefore evoking positive connotations of the brand through providing what was desired.Hepburn justified her choice of Givenchy by highlighting she wanted “a real Parisian dress, by a real Parisian designer” (Rosseinsky, 2018). This can be supported by Cheah et al. (2016) fore-mentioned theory of using the brand’s origin country to evoke connotations of trust and loyalty, ultimately adding these values to the identity construction of Givenchy (p.5819). 05

Figure 4: (Brookins, 2017)

Figure 5: (Heyman, 2015)

3.2 Breakfast at Tiffany’s

3.3 L’Interdit

In order for Givenchy’s success to continue, the brand needed to extend its offerings, making it easier to reach wider markets, a tactic often taken by luxury brands. Posner (2011) describes brand extension as “allowing a company to capitalize on the power of an existing brand’s equity and value to launch new products in a broadly similar market” (p.163). This can be seen in the case of Givenchy through the brand using the already-trusted collaboration with Hepburn to create further products. Givenchy commissioned his first perfume ‘L’Interdit’ to be for Audrey Hepburn, using ingredients with fragrances found on a scarf Hepburn left behind (Harris, 2018). With many women of the time aspiring to be like Audrey Hepburn, providing them a fragrance to smell like her would create additional marketing traction for the designer as they are giving the consumer more insight into her as a person, therefore creating an emotional connection with the client to instigate purchase. In terms of promoting the fragrance to consumers, Audrey was asked to be the face of the perfume (Mohrt,1998, pp.87-88). Using Hepburn for the campaign gave Givenchy the opportunity to display a sense of exclusivity around his brand, an attribute in which the higher social classes at the time would’ve already bought into, but the lower social classes would now get the chance to explore as a result of the diffusion product, thus extending his reputation as elite and sought-after through the consumer feeling they belong to a select, superior group/community (Mohrt, 1998, p.88). In terms of celebrity endorsement, Givenchy can be seen as a key innovator for the foundations of this marketing strategy through his work with Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn (The Telegraph, 2018). Cope and Maloney (2016) present a celebrity classification system (see Appendix C) which sees Hepburn fall into 2 categories (p.52). Her status can be seen as an ‘Achieved’ celebrity, known for her achievements and talent through her films, but arguably could be seen as a ‘Celactor’, known for her character, Holly Golightly; both categories utilised by Givenchy to create a trustworthy figure for his consumers to buy into and create an emotional connection with (Cope and Maloney, 2016). Playing on both of these category types reinforces the dependable reputation of the designer, due to having an inspirational figure in 2 aspects, who consumers are already loyal to and follow their work. Found through the primary method of archival research, figure 6 shows an advertisement for L’Interdit in the April 1986 issue of Vogue (Vogue, 1986). Through this advert we can see Audrey Hepburn in the long black cocktail dress, which is synonymously linked to Givenchy, therefore reinforcing the expected brand image which consumers automatically associate with the brand. With the advert having a sophisticated feel, this naturally contributes to the construction of a classy and elegant brand essence. The advertisement also gives romanticised connotations through the use of red and the shadow in the lower corner of the image presents a seductive aspect to the ad, creating an appeal for consumers of being attractive and sought-after when wearing the perfume, providing another reason to buy into the brand.

Audrey Hepburn’s starring role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s cemented both her and Givenchy’s reputation within the minds of consumers. Originally designing a black cocktail dress, Givenchy can be seen as the innovator for what is now a staple fashion trend, the little-black-dress (Vogue Italia, 2018). However, this design had promiscuous connotations as a result of the short hemline, leading to changes which resulted in figure 5 being the finished look (Vogue Italia, 2018). The look is an iconic image recognised globally, consequently attaching the success of the iconography to the designer’s reputation and making him a key reference point when the film is mentioned (Fine Collins, 2014; Jones, n.d). In terms of how Givenchy is using promotional methods to represent his brand through media, fashion and cinema is a key amalgamation in Givenchy’s success. Using the associations connected with an actor/actress to link to a fashion brand was a common promotional technique adopted in the 1950s as a result of the rise in population of cinema and the fascination with Hollywood (Bide, 2019). In the 1930s’, the demand for glamour was high, but was disrupted by the outbreak of WW2, resulting in films which were more “home-grown” (Bide, 2019). However, when prosperity returned, interest struck once again, with designers and film creators using it to their advantage (Bide, 2019). Due to its classic nature and the personality of the character being one of wealth and style, these connotations help to construct Givenchy’s brand image as one of exclusivity and providing the consumer a lavish lifestyle inspiration of which they are buying into when purchasing from the brand. Attaching these characteristics of her character continues to positively build the designer’s reputation through connotations of class and sophistication. 06

Figure 6: (Vogue, 1986)

A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY: THE ALEXANDER

4.2 “It’s a Jungle out there”

MCQUEEN TAKEOVER

After the lack of success for his first collection for the brand, McQueen took a different stance on his second collection (McQueen, 2018). The first collection he created was highlighted by him as a way to please the critics and reassure them, but after receiving poor critiques, McQueen took the next collection in his own direction, leading to an intense, animalistic show, with heavy makeup, extravagant hairstyles and untamed acting from the models (McQueen, 2018). This collection achieved the shocking outcome wished for by McQueen through it being oxymoronic to the typical elegance expected of Givenchy, embodying the aggressive nature felt by McQueen about the industry. As a result of this, this gave the brand marketing opportunities in other directions as, in some opinions, the brand became more innovative and future facing, but in contrast to that, the negative press was used as a way of developing ‘hype’ around the unexpected nature of what was to be produced next, ultimately presenting a huge shift in the usual certain strong reputation of the brand to one which was now questionable (Thomas, 2015).

Aptly named “The Hooligan of English Fashion” (Vernose, 2019), Alexander McQueen was a controversial choice to succeed John Galliano as head designer at Givenchy in 1996 (V&A, 2019a). With his background in tailoring, having trained on Savile Row, his style was structured and precise in comparison to the elegance expected from the Parisian fashion house, making his extravagant style negatively viewed in terms of consumers’ expectations (Wilson, 2009; V&A, 2019a). Fashion was beginning to undergo changes in expectations through a previous lack of innovation, therefore McQueen’s designs pushed boundaries; the effect that he desired through his work (Wilson, 2009).

4.1 First collection

With a short turn-around time of 11 weeks, McQueen began his time at Givenchy with a Greek mythology-themed collection, with each model having a character to create an immersive experience that goes beyond fashion; a feature of McQueen’s events that benefitted Givenchy’s reputation through adding innovation and excitement through the promotional medium of events (Gray,1999). He based this collection upon the brand’s logo, in particular the colours; white and gold (McQueen, 2018). Ridgeway and Myers (2014) conducted research into the area of colour within a brand, highlighting that colour for consumers can help them to recognise a brand but also that the colour used within the brand logo “influenced brand personality perceptions” (Ridgeway and Myers, 2014, p.50-51). This can be applied to McQueen sticking to the routes of the brand with white and gold, constructing a luxurious, powerful and elegant image of Givenchy, ultimately marketing the fashion house in a desirable manner.

Figure 7: (Archives, 2016)

Figure 8: (Vogue, 2019)

Figure 9: (The Met, 2019)

4.3 Outfit comparison

Figure 10: (NGV, 2019)

Through archival research, it is easy to see how the expected style of Givenchy took a shift when the brand was handed over to McQueen. Figure 9 shows a typical Givenchy evening dress created in 1968-1969 (The Met, 2019). From this artefact found in The Met’s archival collection, we can see the expected Parisian atelier elegant lines and well-structured classic shape of the evening dress, representing Givenchy as traditional and trustworthy through his methods in providing consumers with ‘perfect’ gowns. From this garment, it can also be examined that feathers have been attached to the trim of the gown in a meticulous fashion, with the shorter feathers layered closely together to create a gathered boa effect, scattered strategically with the larger feathers to create elaborate volumes and focal points for the observer (The Met, 2019). With this garment being created in a period of prosperity, the luxury provided with the use of feathers present Givenchy as one of exclusivity and opulence, whilst furthering the trust with the brand due to the attention to detail associated with couture being displayed through the placement of each component to add to the overall look (The Met, 2019). Finally, the sophisticated elbow-length satin gloves are indicative of the higher social class and synonymous with a desired opulent lifestyle, once again reinforcing the exclusivity associated with Givenchy. On the other hand, the McQueen cocktail dress which can be seen in figure 10 presents a stark contrast to Givenchy’s latter representation. In this Alexander McQueen garment for Givenchy, we can see it to hold a futuristic shape, made from stiffer fabrics than the soft-draping fabrics typically expected from a luxury fashion house (NGV, 2019). The asymmetrical aspect of the garment helps construct an innovative representation of the brand as they could be seen to be the initial ‘trend-setters’ of this use of shape, therefore becoming the most trusted with consumers (NGV, 2019). With the cut and fabric of the skirt, McQueen’s own sexualised, rebellious style can be seen to take influence as he was known for collections with certain areas of the body being on show which no other designer would dare to design. This sexualisation is something antonymous to the Givenchy fashion house, therefore possibly impacting negatively on the elegant and sophisticated brand image that had taken many years to build. 10

4.4 McQueen’s exit

After a short period with Givenchy, it became clear that McQueen’s creativity, shown through his own brand shows and collections: Voss and No.13 (see Appendix D and E), was limited through having to maintain the already well-established sophisticated brand image. McQueen’s last fashion show was changed at the last minute to 2 events which were a lot more intimate; the complete opposite to McQueen’s style (Cartner-Morley, 2001). This shows Givenchy to be using the media to display to the public that there was a level of control which was redeemed through going back to the exclusivity and intimate events as a foundation for the brand. Figure 11: (Vogue, 2019)

THE START OF INCLUSIVITY: HOW GIVENCHY

Figure 13: (WWD, 2018)

BECAME A PIONEER

Diversity and inclusivity are main elements of the macro environment in the 21st century. As a result of events which occurred previously, it is now impossible to escape expectation of a diverse range of models and images in the industry in order not to single out a single type of person as the ‘perfect’ image. In racial terms, Hubert de Givenchy can be seen as a key innovator of diversity in the 20th century, however his work was not as well marketed as the idea of inclusivity was very much a new concept (Keogh, 2018).

5.1 The Battle of Versailles fashion show

5.2 Marketing material

In 1973, a fashion show was held to raise funds for the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, with French designers going up against American designers showcasing their work (Keogh, 2018). At this show, Givenchy saw the models available and decided to change how he was demonstrating his pieces (Keogh, 2018). He decided to use African-American women to walk in his collection which, at the time, posed great risk to the brand he was building as it resulted in the loss of loyalty from some consumers due to the fact race was not fully accepted at the time of showcase (Cuttle, 2018). Whilst this could’ve damaged the brand, it also contributes a powerful characteristic to the designer’s reputation as him taking the risk presents his confidence with the brand, therefore reinforcing this confidence within consumers that his experience is something to be trusted

With the lack of literature based around this topic in terms of Givenchy, it could be highlighted that Givenchy didn’t over-show his passion for inclusivity. By this, it could be argued that this was a missed opportunity for Givenchy to construct an even stronger brand through creating promotional materials which show his affiliation with positive views, a strategy adopted by many brands in the 21st century. However, considering the context of the period, this view was not yet widely accepted, therefore possibly more detrimental than advantageous.

With his unfortunate passing in 2018 at the age of 91, Givenchy has created a legacy which will be continued on through the brand into the present day (Willsher, 2018). The brand continues to reinforce past connections and relationships with the refreshment of old products, such as the L’Interdit perfume reboot in 2018, which highlights the continuing importance and relevance of the Audrey Hepburn friendship in the foundations of the brand identity (LVMH, 2018). The brand continuing to use its history to remain in the consumer’s minds conveys a strong constructed identity throughout its establishment through various marketing strategies in order to remain relevant and appreciated. This appraisal has critically analysed the construction of the Givenchy brand through various strategies. To conclude, it could be argued that Givenchy is built upon the idea of celebrity endorsement to enforce a lifestyle and convey fashion as an experience to their consumer.

Figure 12: (Bateman, 2015)

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B Linda Grant discusses Dior’s ‘The New Look’

Okonkwo (2007) 10 core charcateristics of luxury branding

“The winter of 1946-47 was the coldest of the 20th century. Siberian winds blew in across Europe. In Milan, two men froze to death. And the Straits of Dover recorded the lowest temperatures on the European continent. Wrapped in furs to cover their government-approved, skimpy austerity suits and dresses, purchased with clothing ration coupons, British fashion editors travelled to Paris, where, in the salon of the unknown designer Christian Dior, they witnessed a fairytale collection of ballerina-length skirts, narrow shoulders, hand-span waists, embroidery, beading, silk, which came to be known as the New Look. The contrast with the gabardine suiting of the previous five years - coats that resembled uniforms, meagre skirts, mannish shoulders that bore the burden of shortages, wartime grief and digging for victory - could not have been a greater shock.” (Grant, 2007).

“1. innovative, creatibe, unique and appealing products; 2. consistent delivery of premium quality; 3. exclusivity in goods production; 4. tightly controlled distribution; 5. a heritage of craftsmanship; 6. a distinct brand identity; 7. a global reputation; 8. emotional appeal; 9. premium pricing; 10. high visibility” (Okonkwo, 2007, p.105)

“Wartime clothing had democratised fashion; war brought an enforced equality to rich and poor alike and no one could be in the fashion vanguard. Fashion had come to a kind of stop, frozen by the demands of sensible dress, such as the snood, which kept long hair out of the machines operated by women in the munitions factories. It was the opposite of consumerism - a time of make-do-and-mend, a time of dyeing your legs brown and painting a seam down the backs of the calves to simulate stockings” (Grant, 2007). “And in the middle of the bitter cold, the long drawn-out return to normality, the sudden reappearance of femininity, of waste, luxury, extravagance, marked the beginning of what a new exhibition at the V&A calls the Golden Age of Couture, which lasted from Dior’s first collection until his death 10 years later, in 1957. Like all fashion, it was a radical revolt against what had gone before. Couture - handmade, individually fitted clothes for only the very wealthy - would play a significant social and economic role in the revival of France’s postwar fortunes, and spawn a new development in fashion: copies produced on an industrial scale to feed the desire of millions of poorer women who demanded the New Look.” (Grant, 2007). “Under occupation, Paris had not had to endure quite the same austerity as wartime Britain - although when Cecil Beaton arrived there in 1946 and shot a collection against the backdrop of a pile of vegetables, he found his famished assistants more interested in the carrots than the couture. The earliest postwar visitors to Paris remarked that skirts were fuller and longer than those in Britain and America, though the materials were poorer, rayon rather than silk, and the full skirts were designed to conceal the lack of finish - the tailoring for which French fashion was renowned. Dior was not the first designer to show the ballerina length; his genius was to redefine the entire silhouette and to insist on standards of beading and embroidery that had not been seen for almost a decade” (Grant, 2007). “The lucrative US market had been cut off from Paris during the war. America had been forced to rely on domestic products and those French designers who had gone into exile across the Atlantic. But the US was still lacking self-confidence in its own emerging fashion industry, and looked to France to find out what it had been missing. To the French government, recapturing wealthy American buyers was the key to reviving its own economy. In 1946, Dior sent Yvonne Minassian, his export sales director, on the only available transportation to New York - a troop carrier. So dependent was Paris on US dollars that the shows were like closed sets, where the first audiences were not journalists but buyers from US department stores who paid a premium for exclusive access” (Grant, 2007). “In Britain, austerity was biting even harder than it had during the war due to the wartime loans the government was having to pay back. The New Look’s tiny waist and wide hips could be achieved only by foundation garments, but corsetry, regarded as inessential garments, was banned under rationing, “except on doctor’s orders”. The government response to the New Look was to try to deny it existed - Alison Settle, then editor of British Vogue, was forbidden by the Board of Trade, under its president, future prime minister Harold Wilson, to mention Dior in her pages. The need for income from exports restricted the textiles available for home consumption and the ministry feared that the New Look would create impossible demands for additional fabric” (Grant, 2007). 14

“In Britain, France and the US outraged women even attacked the earliest wearers of the New Look on the street, incensed at what they saw as a waste of material. In America there was public disapproval of the very idea of importing from abroad and when Dior himself toured the US to promote his collection, he was greeted with crowds of women protesters. But there were exceptions. At a secret session held at the British embassy in Paris in 1947, Princess Margaret was shown Dior’s creations. Her - and her sister’s - need for society clothes for state events played a large part in stimulating Britain’s own fashion industry. The Royal College of Art soon founded its first fashion department, and designers such as Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies, Digby Morton and Edward Molyneux were soon bringing the traditions of British tailoring to the exacting demands of couture” (Grant, 2007). “The postwar years were among the most extraordinary of the century. The New Look was a symptom of a public mood, a yearning for whatever war was not. “A golden age seemed to have come again,” Dior wrote the year after he achieved overnight fame. “War had passed out of sight, and there were no other wars on the horizon. What did the weight of my sumptuous materials, my heavy velvets and brocades matter? When hearts were light, mere fabrics could not weigh the body down.” Just a decade later, Brigitte Bardot would pronounce the death sentence on this greatest period in fashion: “Couture is for grannies.” (Grant, 2007).

APPENDIX C Cope and Maloney (2016) classification system for celebrities. “Ascribed: Derived from linage or inheritance Jackie Kennedy Jade Jagger Achieved: Derived from exceptional achievement Beyoncé David Beckham Attributed: “Famous for being famous” “Celebutants” Paris Hilton Celetoid: Derived from reality TV Requiring continual drama and re-enactment Kim Kardashian Celactors: Fictional characters James Bond Carrie Bradshaw” (Cope and Maloney, 2016, p.52)

APPENDIX D

APPENDIX E

The V&A discusses Alexander McQueen’s ‘Voss’ collection

The V&A discusses Alexander McQueen’s ‘No.13’ collection

“McQueen had always declared that he wanted his shows to elicit a strong audience reaction. Voss, one of his most celebrated, achieved that result. An enormous clinical glass box formed the centrepiece, constructed to resemble a padded cell in a psychiatric hospital with white tiled floors and walls formed from surveillance mirrors. From the outset the mood was tense; the audience forced to endure an hour-long wait, staring at their own reflections whilst listening to the unnerving pulse of a heartbeat. Eventually, the light levels in the glass box rose to reveal models trapped in the cube, who were unable to see the audience” (V&A, 2019b)

“McQueen’s thirteenth collection, simply titled No.13, was presented on a pared down, unvarnished wooden runway conceived of by Joseph Bennett, who had joined the team as production designer. Underpinning the collection was a concern with the handcrafted, inspired by the late Victorian Arts and Crafts Movement, with designs constructed from wood, leather, lace and raffia. Balsa-wood skirts, in natural tones, splayed out to mimic the spines of a fan, while winged bodices of the same wood connected the use of organic materials with the celestial and the sublime. The emphasis on the natural and the traditional stood in stark contrast to a soundtrack by American hip hop artists the Beastie Boys.” (V&A, 2019c)

“Depictions of madness and incarceration were the principal inspirations behind the collection’s presentation. While the psychiatric hospital was most readily identifiable, Frank Darabont’s film The Green Mile (1999), which told the stories of inmates on death row, provided an alternative notion of confinement” (V&A, 2019b)

“Paralympic athlete Aimee Mullins entered wearing a pair of wooden prosthetic legs, hand-carved in elm, which were reminiscent of the filigree qualities of Baroque carver Grinling Gibbons. Once again, McQueen experimented with the manipulation of bodily forms. Hard, leather bodices with high necks formed restrictive carapaces that forced models to adopt an erect posture. One model, wearing a mesh crinoline, appeared as though suspended in a spiral of wire, recalling ‘Models in a Surreal Landscape’, a feature photographed by André Durst for British Vogue (15 January 1936). Surgical undertones were implicit in lacing that appeared as crude stitches, and in moulded bodices and pants with leather buckles that evoked medical corsetry. These designs were inspired by the workshops at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton, which were instrumental in pioneering prostheses for casualties of the First World War. Yet this hardness was tempered by soft, tiered lace skirts and trousers – suggestive of the ruffles on a flamenco dancer’s skirt – that harmonized the aesthetic into images of romance and beauty. Recognition of this achievement was marked by the award of ‘Dress of the Year’ (for the second time), fashion editor Susannah Frankel selecting McQueen’s lace dress with moulded brown leather collar.” (V&A, 2019c)

“Voss, like so many of McQueen’s collections, harnessed multiple, disparate themes which coalesced into the designer’s unique vision of beauty. The title – the name of a Norwegian town renowned as a wildlife habitat – suggested the collection would celebrate nature. Bodices, skirts and dresses constructed from razor-clam, mussel and oyster shells astonished the audience with their elegance and ingenuity. McQueen’s love of birds found expression in feather skirts, and in a headdress composed of taxidermied hawks, which hovered perilously above a model and appeared to claw her hair through the bandages that swathed her head. The notion of medical scrutiny was starkly conveyed in a vermillion ensemble, modelled by Erin O’Connor, which comprised a skirt of dyed ostrich feathers and bodice of microscope slides hand-painted red to hint at the blood beneath the skin. The sharp glass of the slides hanging delicately from the bodice also mimicked the soft feathers on a bird’s chest” (V&A, 2019b). “McQueen’s fascination with the Orient was explicit in designs featuring appliquéd chrysanthemum roundels; an embroidered grey silk ensemble with real amaranthus dangling from the rectangular headpiece; and a dress that incorporated the panels of an antique Japanese silk screen atop a skirt constructed from 80 polished black oyster shells. The look was completed by a neckpiece of silver branches, adorned with clusters of Tahitian pearls. The finale was the most transgressive of any of McQueen’s catwalk shows: a recreation of Joel-Peter Witkin’s Sanitarium (1983). As the models dispersed and the soundtrack of a pulsing heartbeat gave way to a flat-line monotone, the glass box shattered to reveal the voluptuous, naked figure of fetish writer Michelle Olley, reclining on a horned chaise longue in the graceful pose of a Botticelli painting, her masked head bowed and attached to a breathing tube. Moths fluttered about her before the lights dimmed and left the audience to ponder the meaning of beauty” (V&A, 2019b)

“In spite of the understated backdrop, there was no shortage of spectacle. Models rotated on plinths like fragile music-box dolls. The finale was the most arresting of any McQueen show yet. Former ballerina Shalom Harlow stood centre stage between two industrial robots, which appeared to interact with her in a gentle dance before turning predator and firing sprays of black and acid-yellow paint at her pure white trapeze dress. The sequence, inspired by a Rebecca Horn installation High Moon (1991), was perhaps intended as a counterpoint to William Morris’s anti-industrial ethic, provoking comment on the interaction between man and machine at the turn of the twenty-first century.” (V&A, 2019c).

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FIGURE LIST Figure 1: Friedman, V. 2018. Givenchy and Hepburn: The Original Brand Ambassadors. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/fashion/hubert-de-givenchy-audreyhepburn-designer-muse.html Figure 2: Major, J. n.d. Hubert De Givenchy. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https:// fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-clothing-industry/fashion-designers/hubert-de-givenchy Figure 3: Fisher, L.A. 2018. A look back at Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn’s greatest moments. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/ g19405875/audrey-hepburn-hubert-de-givenchy/ Figure 4: Brookins, L. 2017. You could own Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Sabrina’ gown. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/you-could-own-audrey-hepburns-iconic-sabrina-gown-1041205 Figure 5: Heyman, J. 2015. Happy Birthday, Audrey Hepburn! 10 things you never know about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.vogue.com/article/audrey-hepburn-birthday-breakfast-at-tiffanys Figure 6: Vogue. 1986. Advertisement: Givenchy. Vogue. 176(4), p.87. Figure 7: Archives. 2016. Eva Herzigova for Givenhy Haute Couture SS 1997 by Alexander McQueen. [Twitter]. 22nd April. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://twitter.com/_archives_/status/723427159218384896 Figure 8: Vogue. 2019. Fall 1997 Ready-To-Wear: Alexander McQueen. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-1997-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen Figure 9: The Met. 2019. House of Givenchy – Evening Dress. [Online]. [Accessed 1st December 2019]. Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81468?searchField=All&amp;sortBy=Relevance&amp;ft=givenchy&amp;offset=0&amp;rpp=20&amp;pos=2 Figure 10: NGV. 2019. Cocktail dress. [Online]. [Accessed 1st December 2019]. Available from: https://www. ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/115142/ Figure 11: Vogue. 2019. Fall 1999 Ready-To-Wear: Givenchy. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-1999-ready-to-wear/givenchy/slideshow/collection#53 Figure 12: Bateman, K. 2015. Versailles 1973: How one show changed American fashion history. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a11385/ versailles-french-american-fashion-show/ Figure 13: WWD. 2018. Hubert de Givenchy has died at 91. [Online]. [Accessed 8th December 2019]. Available from: https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/hubert-de-givenchy-has-died-1202626244/