Haute Couture

[Lorna]

Great info -- thanks!

 

[_7.]

yes! it's true but a list of great designers can go on without end!

 

[papa_levante]

What is COUTURE?

In the HC FW 08 threads, I saw some members sort of clash in opinions on the definition of couture.

Leeroi said,

Well, many people here think Couture means obscene amounts of glitter, makeup, and froo froo.

Ronchamp said,

Couture originally referred to the way the clothes are made: the quality, skills and craftsmanship that go into it. And it's all handmade and made to measure. Nowadays, people label as "couture" anything that is grandiose and dramatic, but that's not really what it's about.

So, what is couture?

 

[cur53se]

First of all, Haute Couture is an artistic then clothing.

 

[_meat_eater]

Doesn't haute couture mean high sewing? I always thought of couture as the fabrics of highest quality and some women sewing extreme detail into garments, all handmade, of course.

 

[Alejandro]

from wikipedia:

Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.

To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture must follow these rules:

* Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.
* Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.
* Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.

 

[mass]

couture is a process, not a result.

 

[cygnenoir]

Ooooh, I love the words froo froo!

Anyhow, some useful threads about Haute Couture:

Process of Haute Couture
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/process-haute-couture-45256.html

The Secret World of Haute Couture
(A fascinating documentary)
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/secret-world-haute-couture-62174.html

Discussion of HC Clients
http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/haute-couture-clients-2008-a-64428.html

 

[Style-Addict]

Thanks for those links cygnenoir! I have always wanted to watch the GC documentary.