[Squizree]

^ Wow, that sounds pretty drastic. What a waste.

[chloehandbags]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2Nova the 30% discount that they mention in "The Secret World of HC" is only if you can fit into that dress the model wore, if not a new one is made from scratch.

Quite.

I'd have thought offering only a 30% discount, on what is essentially a worn designer sample(!), would be pretty fruitless, TBH?

After all, the main thing that differentiates HC from good R-T-W is that it's made-to-measure.

So, paying 70% of a huge price (a price that is, primarily, based on the item being made to fit one perfectly) seems very high?

Even if it did fit me, I think I'd want at least 70% off, not the other way around!

[EmmiCamille]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WidowOfCulloden ^ I can't be 100% sure, so i don't insist on my opinion but if you're right, it's a true shame. BTW, since Chanel was mentioned, i've read somewhere on the web that Chanel is burning the unsold products at the end of every season, as an attempt to reduce counterfeiters. It sounds silly, i know, but look it up. It's true. Plus, H&M are destroying the leftovers too. Actually there was quite a buzz in New York in the beginning of the year about it. So, i suppose most of the houses might do something similar?!

If that's true than it's probably the unsold RTW sent back from the stores at the end of the season and not the couture.

[WidowOfCulloden]

^ Possibly. The article i read didn't make that clear.

[cygnenoir]

There's a woman in my town who buys couture.

She rarely/never wears it (she mostly wears stuff like J. Crew) and keeps her collection in a temperature controlled warehouse with her art collection. She has display cases in her home and switches them out periodically. She only started buying fairly recently and once told me that she would like to start buying vintage couture as well. I don't really know her at all but I love her.

I don't think she ever attends shows. I suppose she could buy the 30% off samples if she's not wearing them but if the samples have been worn/photographed a lot they get a bit rough.

[eternitygoddess]

Any chance you could ransack her closet?

[Squizree]

cygnenoir, you should ask if you could take a lot at them sometime.....and take photos and post them right here

[cygnenoir]

I know! I don't really know her but I've run into her at fashion events. As you can imagine, she's older and erm, not really in my social circle!

She is really nice. I asked if she ever wore any of her collection and she did say that every once in awhile she'll wear a gown to an event but then worries that she'll spill wine on it! So maybe she does buy to fit her? She is slim but I don't know if she's quite model sample size.

OH! I just thought of my new dream job: her couture curator! I know she and her husband have a few employees that just catalog their art collection. Hmmm.

[eternitygoddess]

Do ya know what designer she prefers?

[Dkammern]

your neighbor deserves a tFS thread of her own!!!
tell us more about her

[cygnenoir]

She is interesting. I probably shouldn't even be talking about her as I know that couture buyers are pretty secretive!

I don't really know all that much about her. I didn't know who she was and chatted with her at a fashion show. After that I heard a rumor that she was buying couture so when I saw her again I asked her. She was really pleased that I was interested. I get the feeling that most people she knows do not care. I'm sure most people would never guess. She dresses like a semi-fashionable Mom. No obvious designer shoes or handbags, very low-key.


eternitygoddess, I don't know who her favorite designer is, but she did tell me that she was looking for vintage Balenciaga. We once had a cute discussion about how annoyed we were about designers who call themselves "couture" when they are not official members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture!

Dkammern, she lives in my city but not my neighborhood. Because then I would live in a massive house and would visit her clothes every day!

[Chloe Parks]

Haute Couture is an art form...it goes into lots of editorials, on red carpets, archives, and in the closets of the rich and/or famous...

[Lady Luck]

If she dresses rather low-key despite having an apparently fabulous wardrobe, maybe she's going to donate all her couture to a museum someday.

[eternitygoddess]

Quote:

I get the feeling that most people she knows do not care.

That is a travesty.

[cygnenoir]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Luck If she dresses rather low-key despite having an apparently fabulous wardrobe, maybe she's going to donate all her couture to a museum someday.

I think that is her plan. I think she just sees it as part of her art collection since she also puts it on display. I don't think she has that much as she only started buying a few years ago.

All this conversation makes me realize that I need to find her and just boldly ask if I can see her collection.