Demi-Couture

[gius]

oups ,my reply to Scott, i didn't even even really address his questions i realise i am rambling about some other thing.

i think it's not really about taking to heart that it is "by hand" .. The most important thing is that it reaches a very high level of artistry and craftmanship, often achieved by taking a lot of painstaking work.. Usually,, possible only when done by hand, it relishes the best kind of control (or lack of ..).
answering eternitygoddess's question too. the high price tag is just an expected thing to come out of it.. with all of that blood and sweat and time/hour/research put into the design.



it's interesting, all this just reminds me of textile designers/artists And even more so, the ones that create clothing out of their work.

 

[gius]

There's also Calvin Klein s/s '09

A lot of the fabrics were woven by hand

The two white ones here, from silk ribbons
(the center one for sure.)

and this one

thecelebritycity.com

 

[dior_couture1245]

i think it's not really about taking to heart that it is "by hand" .. The most important thing is that it reaches a very high level of artistry and craftmanship, often achieved by taking a lot of painstaking work.. Usually,, possible only when done by hand, it relishes the best kind of control (or lack of ..).
answering eternitygoddess's question too. the high price tag is just an expected thing to come out of it.. with all of that blood and sweat and time/hour/research put into the design.

I would agree with gius' definition of demi-couture.

I personally love the idea of demi-couture. There's something very romantic about it (or maybe it's just the way Olivier described it and created it at Rochas).

 

[FashionPower]

hm? isn't 3000 "normal" for a runway P-A-P cocktail dress? especially from Balenciaga? a simple cashmere cardigan from Vuitton costs 1300 already....

You're probably right
Let's post this one then
Balenciaga FW08

The dress is retailed at £ 46,650

style,HB scans

 

[Scott]

okay i was a bit confused about my terminology. semi describes that certain rawness of craftsmanship while demi is a more accessible variation of HC. but yes,jen,semi was term MMM used to describe(and stamp)his a/w 97 collection. the one in which the pieces looked as if they had been recycled from dress form coverings. all raw,structured and poetic.

maybe we should have a semi-couture topic as well? i have some lovely examples of this method.

 

[Inaya]

^ yeah, please share them with us

 

[gius]

yeah i'm curious to see your side of it, scott i have looked at some designers you mention here and there that do handwork but i don't feel that all of the work might be classed as couture.. they just seem to focus more on imparting a made-by-a-living-person feel...

it's interesting also, with designers like MMM and Eric Tibusch (and Holly Fulton, that jennifer posted) their work is up to that level but they can use the most simple materials like recycled denim or who knows what.. I think many couturiers would argue couture being only about using the highest craftmanship and the very best materials/fabrics. I could imagine my instructor having a huge fit

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Here's a detail of that Saint Laurent jacket.
I wonder what material and technique has been used here?
(Mr Gius; any ideas?? )

Also this piece from
Yves Saint Laurent
S/S 09

I think someone said it was hand-cut leather (?)
(I could have just completely made that up )
I've been trying to find the price everywhere; I remember it being posted.
$25,000?


style.com

 

[Street_a_Licious]

personally, i'd guess the second YSL to be be vinyl. i can't imagine such thin leatherstrips hanging like that. definitely NOT handcut, as all the squares are uniform.

 

[Leeroi]

I can't fathom how YSL or Balenciaga could survive the recession with those prices.... yet they continue, seemingly unfazed.

 

[gius]

Here's a detail of that Saint Laurent jacket.
I wonder what material and technique has been used here?
http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/F2008RTW/YSLRG/DETAILS/00480m.jpg

and here's a detail of that detail

they seem to be just beads.
mulletproof calls them pailettes.



i think the second YSL is by machine too. there is laser nowadays.
does anyone agree/disagree.. the work of a person is a tragedy if you can find a way to do it faster, more precise by machine.
guess you have to draw the line somewhere...

for myself i sometimes go back and forth. i don't always have the facilities to do something faster, so i do it by hand. but i haven't got to the point where i feel it's unnecessary work. from a business perspective, maybe i am a would-be failure So thank god for birthing the word demi-couture

img src: celebritycity.com

 

[gius]

I personally love the idea of demi-couture. There's something very romantic about it (or maybe it's just the way Olivier described it and created it at Rochas).

Do you remember what he said? I thought the article was on tFS --I remember seeing the word demi-couture a couple of times.. but I can't find it

I'm kind of rethinking what I wrote earlier, the 'definition' of the term
I posted Calvin Klein SS 09 after it. I don't think those pieces have as much work at all compared to the Balenciaga posted so far, and Theysken's/Rodarte's work.. I think their fabrics were woven by hand mostly because it lets more air pass through, with the ribbons they're using. It could be more function rather than artistry

I've seen interviews with Ralph Rucci and he says he does some couture but he calls it RTW so that they can put a lower price point on it. Seriously.
Couture pricetags often denote something near unreachable...

 

[Street_a_Licious]

beads =/= pailettes

pailettes = sequins

and sequins those are not

 

[Lackuiew]

Here's a detail of that Saint Laurent jacket.

Also this piece from
Yves Saint Laurent
S/S 09
http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2009RTW/YSLRG/RUNWAY/00150m.jpg

I think someone said it was hand-cut leather (?)
(I could have just completely made that up )
I've been trying to find the price everywhere; I remember it being posted.
$25,000?


style.com

Right..According to US Bazaar January 2009, it costs $24,995..I doubt it was hand-cut, because it would be totally unnecessary and lavish to made by hand and apparently laser is more efficient and more accurate in this part .

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Yah . . I think my whole hand-cut leather idea stemmed from when the collection first came out and I was trying to figure out why it cost £15,000 . . . It's clearly machine.


Dolce & Gabbana
A/W 07-08

This Swarovski crystal embellished dress apparently cost a very round £100k.


style.com

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Francesco Scognamiglio
S/S 09

Silk gown, about £23,600, Francesco Scognamiglio

style.com
scanned by member: Miss NYC from u.K. Harper's Bazaar February 2009

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i veto the Dolce. while it's pretty, i wouldn't say its got anything to do with Haute Couture. unless all the crystals are elaborately handapplied in some atelier in Paris...

high prices =/= demi-couture.

it has to have something beside embroidery to really "elevate it" from just expensive and elaborate RTW. a certain artful touch. some special technique.

like those t-shirts from The Row with the single seam in the back which was sewn in a certain special couture technique (forgot the specifics).

 

[gius]

i'm pretty sure i read in an article it is just a french seam ^

beads =/= pailettes

pailettes = sequins

and sequins those are not

it is the same technique
beadwork

they all act the same , sequin,paillette, bugle,seed,crystal -doesn't matter. they all go under the term "beads" and "beadwork"
and are all applied the same way/s

 

[reese06]

i veto the Dolce. while it's pretty, i wouldn't say its got anything to do with Haute Couture. unless all the crystals are elaborately handapplied in some atelier in Paris...

high prices =/= demi-couture.

it has to have something beside embroidery to really "elevate it" from just expensive and elaborate RTW. a certain artful touch. some special technique.

like those t-shirts from The Row with the single seam in the back which was sewn in a certain special couture technique (forgot the specifics).

I think at the time it actually did have something to do with Haute Couture as those dresses were meant to somewhat compete with Atelier Versace.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

but except for the crystals, it's rather.... plain, no?