It's a well known fact that Audrey Hepburn's favourite couturier was Hubert de Givenchy and that he believed that her grace and elegance personified Givenchy style. But did you know that when Givenchy exploded onto the fragrance market, it was with a perfume created for his elfin muse? L'Interdit, the fragrance dedicated to, and inspired by, Hepburn, was launched - along with Le De Givenchy - forty years ago. Like the delicate-featured star of Sabrina, Funny Face, Love in the Afternoon and Charade (all films in which Givenchy provided Hepburn's dresses), L'Interdit is feminine and graceful.
Legend has it that L'Interdit was inadvertently named by Hepburn too. When Hepburn was in Paris, filming Love in the Afternoon, alongside Gary Cooper and Maurice Chevalier, Givenchy mentioned to her that he was thinking of distributing her perfume. Her reply was: ''Oh, but Hubert, that's my perfume. It's forbidden''.
Two years later, Givenchy decided to complement the women's perfumes by launching two fragrances for men: Eau de Vetyver and Monsieur de Givenchy. Since then, Parfums Givenchy has continued to work in this way: to launch a female fragrance, and then a partnering male one.
In 1970, Givenchy III for women hit the parfumeries and its male equivalent, Givenchy Gentleman, made its debut in 1974. The creation of Xeryus for men in 1986 was the inhouse response to the now-classic Ysatis, launched in 1984. 1991's Amarige is partnered with 1993's Incense.
Givenchy's most recent fragrances were launched last year: Xeryus Rouge for the men, and the sensual Organza for the ladies. But this year is L'Interdit year, and Givenchy fans can sample Hepburnesque elegance simply by investing in a bottle of
this classic fragrance. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Parfums Givenchy, there is a limited edition 30ml parfum L'Interdit (right), presented in a crystal bottle in the original 1950s design. The bottle is topped with a stopper from Tiffany's (a famous Hepburn character's favourite shop!). And the cost? A mere #250 . . .
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