Philippe Venet, the French designer, and partner of the late Hubert de Givenchy has died in Paris. He was 91.
Venet famously worked as an assistant to Elsa Schiaparelli from 1951 to 1953, and then worked beside Hubert de Givenchy at his couture house’s “tailleur” atelier through 1962, when Venet launched his own couture house.
“As Monsieur Hubert de Givenchy’s lifelong companion, he helped to build the house into an international force in fashion, and his many contributions remain an essential part of our DNA,” Givenchy said in a statement on Wednesday.
Olivier Gabet, director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, said that while Venet’s career largely played out in the shadow of his famous partner, he was prized among many upper-crust women in France and America for his impeccable and discreet couture, hinged largely on daywear.
“He was very famous for his coats in the 1960s” and owning one was a badge of honor for society women, Gabet related. “His clothes were nothing flashy, very discreet and impeccably made.”
According to Gabet, his devotees included the likes of art patron Hélène David-Weill, French actress Jacqueline Delubac and American society figures Mica Ertegun, Jayne Wrightsman and Marina Kellen French.
Philippe Venet R.I.P.Labels: 2021, couturier, fashion, Hubert de Givenchy, obit, Philippe Venet
