HAUTE COUTURE, SPRING/SUMMER 2006
PACKING light has never been something a fashion follower would endorse, and with Paris Fashion Week - the 'Elite Edition' – about to begin, now is really not the time to start. In the days running up to the Haute Couture shows there has been sun, torrential downpours and wind - spring through to bleakest winter - but there has thankfully lots of a our favourite sort of banner everywhere:'Soldes'. Just the flag you want to welcome you to the City of Light. Best new find has been MONA, on rue Bonaparte, spookily just opposite where a heap of shows will take place this week, selling Alaia, Pierre Hardy and Marc Jacobs shoes at say 60% off… need I say more?!
Today, the couture presentations will kick off with Armani Privé, Dior and Valentino thebig names of the day. This being January, this is couture for the Academy Award shoppers - just enough time to get something run up for the red carpet event on March 5.
Before we get going lets just discuss that age old chestnut: is couture dying? What do I think? No. Far from it. There are new designers who have bought the whole business back to life but there is also a new breed of clients. Only last week the Money Programme revealed there are more female than male millionaires in the UK and things are on the up. In twenty years time 60% of the wealth will be female and do you think we are going to be buying speedboats, gadgets and gizmos? Come on! Women are now not only high-powered big earners, they are going to spend it and look the part.
"Couture is the nucleus of all ideas, the essence of what the house stands for," says
John Galliano. "It is aspirational."
As long as people want inspiring there will always be couture. Couture is where the ready-to-wear stems from - the best that money can buy. No wonder the houses have a waiting list of clients all booked to come in and place their order - and they haven't even seen the runways yet. (January 23 2006, AM)
By Camilla Morton
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