One of the first to echo the death of Philippe Venet At 92 he was Christian Lacroix. The French designer defined Venet on his Instagram profile as “a gentleman, an underrated talent and a more than elegant heart.” And that’s how you remember it too Sonsoles Díez de Rivera, a person very close to both him and his partner, Hubert de Givenchy: “It was wonderful, discreet, fantastic. The two, in fact, were gentlemen, with an education and class that are no longer found today, full of wit and sympathy. Exquisite and refined as you can not get an idea.

The friendship with these two geniuses of the needle was inherited by Sonsoles from his mother, the emblematic Marchioness of Llanzol: “They were fascinated and when she passed away, they were very amused that I appeared.” During these last decades, Díez de Rivera was one of the couple’s best friends, with whom she maintained a very close relationship: «I had to call Philippe because the other day it was San Huberto and I wanted to talk to him to tell him everything he wanted. I remembered Givenchy, but it wasn’t possible. ‘ Sonsoles shared with them vacations in Europe, days in their different residences and a thousand adventures: «I was with them in Italy, in their house in Venice, in Paris … They lived wonderfully well there, within their discretion. They had a fantastic private hotel, when I was going to visit them I had the entire upper floor at my disposal. They lived downstairs, “he recalled yesterday.

Secondary actor

The genius of Givenchy, an icon of Parisian fashion, always weighed on Venet’s figure, although he assumed from the beginning his role as a supporting actor: «He always stayed behind in the photos, he knew that it was Hubert who was interested, and He always cared about him and told him to move forward, to go ahead with him. The love they had for each other would already be loved by many couples, ”explains Sonsoles, affected by a partly expected news. For fifteen years, Philippe Venet suffered from cancer for which they only gave him six months to live: “He survived the forecast and was great.”

Venet’s simplicity was partly due to the general ignorance of his contribution to fashion. He began training as a designer in Lyon, his hometown, when he was only 14 years old, and his talent led him to Elsa Schiaparelli’s studio, where he met Givenchy. Both left the house almost immediately and Venet began his solo career in 1962, far from his partner’s maison: “He was a perfect dressmaker. I still have a tailor of his that is impeccable. With him I know that I attract attention, “says Díez de Rivera.

“He had a lot of very loyal clients in the United States, the thing is that he never gave himself importance. In fact, when they both closed, he couldn’t sell his firm to anyone, which Givenchy did. Pending is a retrospective of Venet’s work, a project that was never carried out due to the designer’s fear of not being up to the task: «I think he thought that no one would go to see his exhibition, that this was not going to suit him to interest people ”, explains Sonsoles. “In fact, after the show at the Thyssen de Givenchy, he himself encouraged Venet to show his work, but in the end it couldn’t be done.” Venet has left as he lived, discreet, simple, without making noise, but leaving behind the admiration of all who knew him and leaving a legacy worth studying.

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