Elie Saab Haute Couture F/W 10.11 Paris

[TianSoFine]

@squirzee


Im sorry but if you think making random beautiful red carpet dresses counts as couture you missed the whole point of the story and art which forms the basis of couture. Yes I agree there is a lot of effort in these dresses but THIS IS NOT HAUTE COUTURE. Obviously you visited his atelier and feel a personal bias and all but sorry its not haute couture! period! As for Chanel , that was another glorified RTW collection as far as I am concerned.

You may not like this collection or its aesthetics or Elie Saab's style, but that doesn't mean it's not couture. Can you tell me what about it makes it not haute couture?

 

[Spike413]

^ I can't speak for disco54, but I personally expect to see clothes, whether they be simple or ornate, classic or experimental, that cannot be found elsewhere. You couldn't find the suits or cocktail dresses that were shown at Chanel just anywhere. You couldn't find the gowns or tailcoats from Givenchy just anywhere. You couldn't find Dior's hand painted dresses just anywhere. Even if they were toned down somehow, so many of those designs would still be distinct. If you looked hard enough you could find dresses that are similar to these from a multitude of designer labels at many different price points. The only thing that sets these apart is the (assumed) quality.

Haute couture clothes do not have to be hand made.

Actually I believe there is a certain percent of the work involved that must be done by hand for a garment to meet the standards of Haute Couture. Either that or there are certain things involved in the process of making the garment (say the seam finishes on the inside or something like that) that are required to be done by hand. I don't remember what the exact rules are, but I know that for something to meet the standards of the Chambre there is a minimum of work that's permitted to be done by machine.

 

[Paris71]

...Fantastic collectin as always.... For me, Elie Saab is the real KING of couturiers !!!
The Lebanese know very well how to wear women !!!... They are synonime of elegance and feminine style !!!!

 

[Mademoiselle-M]

so elegant!

 

[blackkohl]

Such a beautiful collection, as usual from Elie Saab. Love it all!

 

[maxlinden]

Full Show

 

[agee]

Haute couture clothes do not have to be hand made.

Actually I believe there is a certain percent of the work involved that must be done by hand for a garment to meet the standards of Haute Couture. Either that or there are certain things involved in the process of making the garment (say the seam finishes on the inside or something like that) that are required to be done by hand. I don't remember what the exact rules are, but I know that for something to meet the standards of the Chambre there is a minimum of work that's permitted to be done by machine.

Sorry for not responding to this earlier...
There are no "rules" regarding hand stitching when it comes to being designated as a haute couture house by the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture, the reason why I know this is because I was under the same impression and was surprised a while back when I was reading up on it to not see the hand-stitching rule listed on Wikipedia or the Chambre's site. Although hand stitching is often mentioned in the conversational definitions of haute couture and it makes sense that if someone is paying big bucks for a garment that part of what they are paying for is that personal touch and craftsmanship (although I have often wondered if technology has caught up with human skill). Now I assume that when you are dealing with a garment that is heavily beaded or has other embellishments, hand sewn would be the superior technique. So I guess the answer is that the garments produced by a house do not have to be fully or partially hand sewn for the house to attain or maintain its haute couture designation by the Chambre, but it is very likely that a significant portion of the garment is hand stitched.