Ivy Getty on Fashion, Family, and Philanthropy
At 27, Ivy Getty, beyond being an heiress and fashion devotee, embodies her family’s dynastic history as well as her generation’s heightened awareness.
Photography by Kenzia Bengel de Vaulx
In a Venetian garden on an April evening, Ivy Getty’s face stands out in the darkness like a James Whistler portrait. Clad in a timeless Chanel jacket, she wears bold ‘60s-style eyeliner à la Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton, and Twiggy, and a bun that is equal parts messy and glamorous. It’s been five months since her wedding to photographer Tobias Engel—a happy moment for Getty since losing both her father, John Gilbert Getty, an eccentric musician, as well as her beloved grandmother, Ann Getty, a publisher, philanthropist, anthropologist, and interior designer, in 2020. “It was really exciting to have my family and all my friends from all over the world together. Everyone got along perfectly and now there are friendships forever made from the wedding, and I love that,” she says.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a close family friend, officiated the ceremony. Blue, Getty’s chihuahua, was the ring bearer. Walking down the aisle, Getty wore a haute couture gown by John Galliano for Maison Margiela. “I didn’t envision myself in a typical wedding gown,” she says. Galliano designed a structured dress of several bias-cut layers in blush silks and tulle with an over-dress composed of broken mirror fragments. The tulle train was embroidered with symbols—guitars for her father and walnuts for her grandmother—linking Getty to her guardian angels. Her tiara was made from repurposed bottles. The look was certainly not typical but navigated the line between off-kilter grandeur with an American gothic twist, a style Getty has been cultivating for years.
As a native San Franciscan, Getty was raised in the cradle of the hippie movement. “My mother makes her own kombucha and grows her own vegetables, and has always embraced this very carefree way of life. I mean, my middle name is Love, which I feel like speaks for itself,” she adds, laughing.
In April, Getty made her debut on Air Mail’s International Best-Dressed List alongside names like Hedi Slimane, Zendaya, Lady Gaga, Norma Kamali, Dapper Dan, Charles de Vilmorin, and actress Anya Taylor-Joy, Getty’s best friend and bridesmaid. “We met a long time ago when we were both super young,” she says. “[Anya] wasn’t famous yet. She had no idea what my family was. It was supernatural. It was one of those instant friendships where you just feel like you’ve found your person.”
Beyond fashion, Getty devotes most of her energy to philanthropy, following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who contributed to organizations in healthcare, politics, and especially the arts (she championed the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the San Francisco Opera and Conservatory). On the night of this interview, Ivy is hosting a charity dinner in Venice with her friend Peter Brant II to support Ukraine. "Philanthropy is the most important thing to me, and so I’m really grateful to be here and to be able to raise money for Ukraine. It’s important to stay aware of what is going on in the world,” she says.
As the next generation joins the fight to preserve their future, Gen Z’s fervor gives Getty hope. “I think that Gen Z is really powerful. They have such an opportunity to make a change in the world. A lot of people don’t see how serious climate change is and how real it is; they are so used to waiting until something affects them to do anything,” she says. “I think Gen Z [says] ‘That’s not OK.’ Especially being on TikTok I can see firsthand the spreading of awareness and how honestly monumental that could be for the future so long as people start listening.” If today’s world is broken like the mirrors on her Galliano dress, Getty seems ready to light it up with a little more.
