美国国家公共电台 NPR French Fashion Designer Givenchy Dies At 91

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

One of the fashion world's most famous designers has died. Hubert de Givenchy styled some of the world's most fashionable women, icons¹ like Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace of Monaco. NPR's Paris correspondent Eleanor Beardsley has more on his legacy².

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE³: Hubert de Givenchy went into fashion against his parents' wishes. They wanted him to be a lawyer, says Dana Thomas, fashion expert and author who has interviewed Givenchy and also knew him personally.

DANA THOMAS: He was a count from a grand, aristocratic family. They'd made their money in the tapestry⁴ business, and he once said that he grew up as a child in this mansion⁵, in this chateau⁶. And up in the attic⁷ were all these old tapestries⁸, and he thought that he found his first love of fabrics⁹ by playing with all these tapestries as a boy.

BEARDSLEY: Givenchy started with internships but quickly rose to the top. He founded his own house of Givenchy in the 1950s. He quickly gained a reputation. Actress Audrey Hepburn heard of him and made an appointment to see Givenchy when she was making the film "Sabrina" in Paris, says Thomas.

THOMAS: He was completely surprised when Audrey Hepburn walked in because he thought it was Katharine Hepburn. He'd never heard of Audrey Hepburn. He called her delicious. He said we met, and within five minutes, I knew that I was in love with this woman. I would dress her forever. She was delicious. And it was a friendship that began then and lasted until her death. And he dressed her for many of her movies, including "Breakfast At Tiffany's."

BEARDSLEY: Jacqueline Kennedy also became a huge fan of Givenchy, but her husband's advisers¹⁰ told her it would play better if she wore American designers. So, says Thomas, she and her sister cooked up the idea of her wearing American-made clothes based on French originals.

THOMAS: And so her sister Lee Radziwill would bring these beautiful Chanels and Givenchys and Balenciagas over from Paris. And then they'd have them redone by somebody in America to look exactly the same.

BEARDSLEY: After more than 30 years in charge of his own brand, Givenchy sold his label to the French luxury goods group Louis Vuitton. Thomas says he is the last of the great 1950s Paris designers, which also included names like Christian¹¹ Dior. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

(SOUNDBITE OF SON LUX'S "CHASE")

1 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

5 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

6 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

7 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

8 tapestries   

n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

10 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。