Designer Hubert de Givenchy is set to participate in an upcoming benefit auction with an amazing dress from his private collection.
The vintage auction will take place in the lemon groves at the Corsini Gardens in Florence on April 18, 19 and 20.
It is being held on behalf of the Dominique Lapierre Foundation, which works in India.
In 2006, the designer donated the infamous Audrey Hepburn tube dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was bought by Christie's for 620,000 euros.
Designers participating in the 2008 edition range from Roberto Cavalli to Emilio Pucci, and clothing includes the Bluemarine dress worn by Jennifer Lopez to Enrico Coveri's sequined dress from 1985.
Other famous dresses include ones designed by Giorgio Armani, Gianfranco Ferre', Alberta Ferretti, Antonio Marras and Sonia Rykie.
Over 5,000 vintage dresses have been collected from all over Italy for the auction.
Guests can admire them during a special market that will be open during the three-day event.
The actual auction will take place on April 19.
At the same time, there will be a competition called '15 Young Designers for Calcutta' ('15 giovani stilisti per Calcutta'), aimed at students of the most important fashion schools in the world including the Royal College of Art in London, the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Anversa, Polimoda in Florence and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
Three designers from each school will create 15 exclusive models they will show alongside the designer pieces.
The three most interesting pieces will receive one of three awards: the Roberto Cavalli Award, the Hubert de Givenchy Award and the Emilio Pucci Award.
