So what Happens to those Haute Couture Creations?

[chessmess]

Why are you taking offense? This is only a discussion. And I didn't stress that what I'm expressing is simply my own veiw on things for no reason. What sort of conclusions are you jumping to? That I would rather???!? I would rather live in Mauritius if we're talking about something that I would rather do. When it comes to fashion, I simply stated my opinion on how the fashion evolves, in circle, not in a straight line, repeating trends and re-inventing itself.

im not takign offense im just amazed by what your opinion is.
we need innovators in fashion... we need people to experiment with fabric and i think there will always be a market because people arent going to be fine with "reinvention" over and over and over.

 

[gruhche]

I think "people" are going to be just fine with reinvention, as they have been for the last fifty years. Most people do not live and breath fashion. Most people, look for fashions that are wearable, fabrics that are comfortable and affordable. Because for a trend to STICK it needs to be those two things. Otherwise it fades away. This whole thing the two of us started discussing was about the recurring trends in fashion. Not about the new things that happen which only fashion insiders take notice of.

 

[chessmess]

fashion needs to change with the times and technology...

 

[cads]

[slightly off-topic I know] A friend of mine was describing the monstrous sight of the original couture garment next to the 'mannequin' of it's customer, wearing the recreation. The houses create detailed body mannequins of their customers, with padding, wadding, and sometimes caving to create a basis from which to work. She described how they had to take a hammer to the chest of one mannequin to recreate the concave nature of one customer's chest...

 

[donttry]

However, MOST designer, do not try to be that innovative. MOST designers, try to follow their passion, flourish in their chosen field AND be able to pay the bills. (...)

And then of course, there is the other thing.. that everything worth wearing has already been invented. That for the last forty or so years and for all to come, it will be a question of RE-invention. And that everything that is, in deed, invented, is rather a "forced push" that does not come off as something natural, thus has absolutely no chance to persevere and remain.

According to that, and that:

haute couture is imo the last bit of real fahsion you can find, and the last fashion which wasn't made - at least since 2004 or smth like this - commercial. now even haute couture becomes more unspectacular. but some years ago it was still a way to make fashion art, and that's what fashion really is.
too bad more and more designers are forced to design more commercial just because ppl like us are saying "uff, you coudln't wear this anywhere" ... so they make it the way you could where it everywhere and that's make the fashion which ones was art to normal fashion.

I think that haute couture is also above what trendsetters like Nelly Rodi, Faith Popcon, Li Edelkoort and others will say about future. Haute couture as opposed to rtw don't pay attention to that. Or i might be wrong

 

[CholoChic]

I wonder that one of the purpose of a piece of couture
is give the spirit of the season to the products of the house
from a simple scarf, a perfume, to a evening gown...

I wonder a couture piece inspiring the team of the house
to create the products of the season...

Finally couture buyers, buy the pieces but always modified...

and the main, the main, purpose of a couture dress
is make us dream...

So What happens to a couture creation?
it rises your spirit!!!!
isnt it the ideal work?

 

[chessmess]

i would be interested in a couture collection that incorporates innovative tech fabrics and techniques...

 

[gruhche]

[slightly off-topic I know] A friend of mine was describing the monstrous sight of the original couture garment next to the 'mannequin' of it's customer, wearing the recreation. The houses create detailed body mannequins of their customers, with padding, wadding, and sometimes caving to create a basis from which to work. She described how they had to take a hammer to the chest of one mannequin to recreate the concave nature of one customer's chest...

that's an amusing piece of trivia, thanks cads

 

[gruhche]

i would be interested in a couture collection that incorporates innovative tech fabrics and techniques...

most couture collections do, that's why they're called couture, because of the complex technique and the elaborate fabric used

 

[La Dauphine]

I wonder that one of the purpose of a piece of couture
is give the spirit of the season to the products of the house
from a simple scarf, a perfume, to a evening gown...

I wonder a couture piece inspiring the team of the house
to create the products of the season...

Finally couture buyers, buy the pieces but always modified...

and the main, the main, purpose of a couture dress
is make us dream...

So What happens to a couture creation?
it rises your spirit!!!!
isnt it the ideal work?

i completly agree! and specially that last part! OH what wonderful dreams they are!

 

[Dkammern]

^^^ideal entertainment maybe (god knows how many of use would like to spend our time on that)... but work as in a company context... there's always the deficit issue!

 

[gruhche]

^^^ideal entertainment maybe (god knows how many of use would like to spend our time on that)... but work as in a company context... there's always the deficit issue!

care to elaborate?

 

[Dkammern]

^^i was refrearing to what cholochic said:

it's ok to say it rises one's spirit, and it makes you dream and all that... but what in general terms is killing couture (i know it's more profitable now than it was 10 years ago, but i am talking about the times when there were more than just 15 or so couture houses) is the fact that making people dream took only 6 months of atelier and some amazing quality chiffon... and if you were good enough, you'd make the audience dream.
the dream today costs a lot more than that... there's the settings that are worth millions, there's the stars attending the show, there's the after-party, the videos, the advertisment, the best make up artists, the best hairdressers, the highest paid designers... all that, PLUS the lack of petite-mains and artisans, AND lack of interest from the buyers who would rather buy the RTW just because they dont wanna have to undergo the whole three-fittings process and consequent trips to paris.

the whole thing economically translates into a huge disaster (which may not apply to the big houses doing couture nowadays that have loads of money to spend on building enormous wood jackets and paint them to look like concrete), and that's why i pointed that couture could be the best entertainment to spend time in, but when it comes to the money, as time has proved, it's just not profitable! (again, if you are not one of the big houses)

 

[Erin]

What a fantastic thread! I have spent the last several minutes reading all of the informative/interesting responses. Even a couple of minor debates are going on.

Thanks for the entertainment.

 

[Marnii]

I like the idea that these women who buy Haute Couture, keep the pieces in their closets and wear them time and time again. Thats so romantic.

I think it is profitable regardless of what people think. The production may cost millions but a woman purchasing 10 pieces per year, can level that expense.

Like Karl Lagerfeld said, there are lots and lots of wealthy people; it's just they prefer to be anonymous.

For all we know, a woman in Dubai could have spent 5 million dollars on Couture in one year. Again - no one knows how profitable it is unless they work in a financing company as part of Chanel or Dior.

 

[chessmess]

most couture collections do, that's why they're called couture, because of the complex technique and the elaborate fabric used

well i mean more technologically advanced/integrated couture but i guess thats what hussein chalayan is

 

[chessmess]

I like the idea that these women who buy Haute Couture, keep the pieces in their closets and wear them time and time again. Thats so romantic.

I think it is profitable regardless of what people think. The production may cost millions but a woman purchasing 10 pieces per year, can level that expense.

Like Karl Lagerfeld said, there are lots and lots of wealthy people; it's just they prefer to be anonymous.

For all we know, a woman in Dubai could have spent 5 million dollars on Couture in one year. Again - no one knows how profitable it is unless they work in a financing company as part of Chanel or Dior.

wel.. it is a known fact that couture has become a money losing venture...

 

[gruhche]

I like the idea that these women who buy Haute Couture, keep the pieces in their closets and wear them time and time again. Thats so romantic.

I think it is profitable regardless of what people think. The production may cost millions but a woman purchasing 10 pieces per year, can level that expense.

Like Karl Lagerfeld said, there are lots and lots of wealthy people; it's just they prefer to be anonymous.

For all we know, a woman in Dubai could have spent 5 million dollars on Couture in one year. Again - no one knows how profitable it is unless they work in a financing company as part of Chanel or Dior.

My understand was that they don't wear them more than once or twice though. Most of the pieces are worn at highly publicized events and their owner would not run the risk of committing a social faux-pas such as being seen in the same gown twice.

What I found very interesting, however, in the "Secret World of HC" video, was that if a person kept their haute couture creation in a good shape for 15-20 years or so, they could donate it to a museum, and write the entre cost as a tax write-off. Now that makes it more than a worthwhile investment!

 

[eternitygoddess]

couture is the art of fashion.

the height of man's creative genius.

 

[writergal28]

I found this very informative article you might enjoy: http://lifestyle.indianetzone.com/fashion/1/fashion_design.htm

For those that would rather not read it, here is a synopsys. It lays out the criteria that needs to be covered by those houses aspiring to belong to the Syndical Chamber of Haute Couture in Paris and therefore, be able to label a line as "Haute Couture". Apparently the requirements differ depending on how established and experienced the house is.

According to the author of the article an incomplete list of all the houses that meet the requirements includes Chanel, Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Versace, Armani and Gucci, Jean Paul, John Galliano, Valentino and Gianni, Moschino, Escada Louis Feraud, Hermes, Hugo Boss, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Leonardi Emilio Pucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Sergio Rossi, Dunhill, DKNY, Brooks Brothers.

It is not a very coherent list, since most of those are designers and not houses, and most of them do not have couture lines. Nevertheless, it is an interesting article.

Enjoy

Brooks Brothers and DKNY? You SERIOUS? They don't seem all that "haute" to me.