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So what Happens to those Haute Couture Creations?
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Street_a_Licious
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i remember a story where the daughter of some millionaire approached Dior to make a wedding dress that supposed to look similar to the from the character Belle from The Beauty and the Beast. Galliano walked her through several versions, mixed with his own ideas but in the end, what she got was an exact replica of the dress from the movie
so i guess Haute Couture pieces basically still means that the client may ask for ANYTHING they want and that the show is mostly for showpieces, a grand advertisement of their skill.
or clients can pick elements, say, a special fabric or embroidery or painting/dyeing technique from the show and have them incorporate it into a garment of the client's wishes.
first of all, i honestly dont believe couture clients would fit into model size double zero... for instance Beyonce and her booty.... she even uses butt pads!
secondly, the pieces are stored for further reference and/or for museum exhibitions...
thirdly, if clients wanna purchase haute couture, they dont take the runway outfits! If someone is interested in buying an Haute Couture dress she has to make an appointment that is followed by about 3 fittings. Fittings are very elegant and exclusive affairs. For instance at Valentino, expensive perfume is sprayed into the air a few minutes before the client arrives, so she does not have to breathe the same air as the masses. At the first fitting, they measure the client and make the torso figurine that is the exact copy of client's body and then they start sewing the dress on it... the final dress will fit the client perfectly, hiding the flaws and exaggerating the pretty parts... they get what they pay for.... not some random catwalk dress sewn for somebody else... or commercial outfits produced in thousands you see in regular stores.... they get one of the kind in the world original outfit adjusted to their body....
secondly, the pieces are stored for further reference and/or for museum exhibitions...
thirdly, if clients wanna purchase haute couture, they dont take the runway outfits! If someone is interested in buying an Haute Couture dress she has to make an appointment that is followed by about 3 fittings. Fittings are very elegant and exclusive affairs. For instance at Valentino, expensive perfume is sprayed into the air a few minutes before the client arrives, so she does not have to breathe the same air as the masses. At the first fitting, they measure the client and make the torso figurine that is the exact copy of client's body and then they start sewing the dress on it... the final dress will fit the client perfectly, hiding the flaws and exaggerating the pretty parts... they get what they pay for.... not some random catwalk dress sewn for somebody else... or commercial outfits produced in thousands you see in regular stores.... they get one of the kind in the world original outfit adjusted to their body....
As much as the detail in your post is very appreciated (the 'breathing the same air as the masses' was rather unnecessary imho), it's a bit odd that you list it as the one and only procedure for buying couture.
Some clients DO fit model size (which is likely not a double zero), and as a result what they get IS actually an adjusted version of the catwalk dress. It only makes sense as houses could hardly afford the cost of having an archive for every piece they show (take chanel as an example= around 60 looks per season, 2 seasons a year, karl has been at the helm for 30 years... all of that preserved in separate cabinets under controlled humidity and temperature), let alone the cost of redoing, for instance, an embroidered cape that took thousands of hours to make.
This happens of course when the "random catwalk dress sewn for somebody else" is wearable (think not just Chanel, but also Armani, Versace, Elie Saab, Valentino and a few others) and it is needless to say that the process of fittings will occur no matter if the dress is made from a runway original or not. As you well say, the made to measure part is what the clients pay for.
Some clients DO fit model size (which is likely not a double zero), and as a result what they get IS actually an adjusted version of the catwalk dress. It only makes sense as houses could hardly afford the cost of having an archive for every piece they show (take chanel as an example= around 60 looks per season, 2 seasons a year, karl has been at the helm for 30 years... all of that preserved in separate cabinets under controlled humidity and temperature), let alone the cost of redoing, for instance, an embroidered cape that took thousands of hours to make.
This happens of course when the "random catwalk dress sewn for somebody else" is wearable (think not just Chanel, but also Armani, Versace, Elie Saab, Valentino and a few others) and it is needless to say that the process of fittings will occur no matter if the dress is made from a runway original or not. As you well say, the made to measure part is what the clients pay for.
considering only about 500-3000 women in the world can afford to purchase haute couture and out of 6 billion people only about 500 girls have a perfect body of a supermodel i dont think these haute couture clients happen to be the lucky ones... especially when i see the pictures & videos of some clients they are far for current ideal expectations of perfect woman body... of course there are some like Daphne Guinness but only few..
i dont think they store ALL outfits and i never said that but they keep some for reference... you can see some youtube videos of galliano talking about his vintage hc gowns.....
your Chanel example was very unfortunate, because only Chanel sells about 150 HC outfits a year (that covers your 120 runway outfits a year) and Chanel is one of the most overpriced top houses, especially now during crisis when they raised their prices up by 20%... even the small Chanel quilted bag costs around 3'500 euros, not talking about Chanel perfumes like no5 and make up that nets millions of euros for haute couture.... i think chanel can afford anything.... its really unbelievable how much it expanded within last decades and still expands worldwide... Fashion finance gurus believe Chanel’s annual revenue runs between $2.3 billion and $3 billion.
the costs of haute couture shows are covered by pret-a-porter, accessories and cosmetics, and these costs are paid ahead so the house counts with them as dead costs for advertisement and reputation... the main reason of haute couture is NOT to make money or to be a sell out.... and the additional costs for producing new outfits are covered by the customer.... and if i were the customer paying 20-80'000 i would want an original unworn dress, not some adjusted sweaty runway outfit... in some cases, bridal gowns cost even 200'000 euros... some outfits get even damaged during the show.. i would more incline to lending outfits for photoshoots and representation than selling..... also, many times clients want customized designs, especially patterns or colors and if runway outfit is pink and customer want blue gown, i honestly dont think there is any way to 'adjust' that... and i dont even mention that many haute couture outfits are not wearable and have to be heavily edited for daywear... like at Dior or Gaultier
and as i said some outfits are also available for exhibition... like Dior HC ss03 outfit worn by stella tenant was in sum museum as well as there was exhibition of dior hc ss07 collection, or couple years ago gala institute had many vintage outfits... also Balenciaga and he doesnt do haute couture although using haute couture techniques stores his collections at rue cassette and has an archive where even some original christobal balenciaga outfits are... also outfits do not take thousands of hours of manual sewing but usually about 200-1000 hours and due to Syndicate de la Haute Couture every couture house must employ at least 20 full-time workers in one atelier, so producing a garment of clothing doesnt take that long... i dont think hc client would be waiting that long...
i dont think they store ALL outfits and i never said that but they keep some for reference... you can see some youtube videos of galliano talking about his vintage hc gowns.....
your Chanel example was very unfortunate, because only Chanel sells about 150 HC outfits a year (that covers your 120 runway outfits a year) and Chanel is one of the most overpriced top houses, especially now during crisis when they raised their prices up by 20%... even the small Chanel quilted bag costs around 3'500 euros, not talking about Chanel perfumes like no5 and make up that nets millions of euros for haute couture.... i think chanel can afford anything.... its really unbelievable how much it expanded within last decades and still expands worldwide... Fashion finance gurus believe Chanel’s annual revenue runs between $2.3 billion and $3 billion.
the costs of haute couture shows are covered by pret-a-porter, accessories and cosmetics, and these costs are paid ahead so the house counts with them as dead costs for advertisement and reputation... the main reason of haute couture is NOT to make money or to be a sell out.... and the additional costs for producing new outfits are covered by the customer.... and if i were the customer paying 20-80'000 i would want an original unworn dress, not some adjusted sweaty runway outfit... in some cases, bridal gowns cost even 200'000 euros... some outfits get even damaged during the show.. i would more incline to lending outfits for photoshoots and representation than selling..... also, many times clients want customized designs, especially patterns or colors and if runway outfit is pink and customer want blue gown, i honestly dont think there is any way to 'adjust' that... and i dont even mention that many haute couture outfits are not wearable and have to be heavily edited for daywear... like at Dior or Gaultier
and as i said some outfits are also available for exhibition... like Dior HC ss03 outfit worn by stella tenant was in sum museum as well as there was exhibition of dior hc ss07 collection, or couple years ago gala institute had many vintage outfits... also Balenciaga and he doesnt do haute couture although using haute couture techniques stores his collections at rue cassette and has an archive where even some original christobal balenciaga outfits are... also outfits do not take thousands of hours of manual sewing but usually about 200-1000 hours and due to Syndicate de la Haute Couture every couture house must employ at least 20 full-time workers in one atelier, so producing a garment of clothing doesnt take that long... i dont think hc client would be waiting that long...
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Street_a_Licious
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he was talking about embroidery, which, in total, could amount to a few hundred hours (if it's large and several people have to work on it)
models are not size double zero. most of the models who do Haute Couture are not even a size zero. from what i know most models who are famed enough to do Haute Couture wear sizes between 2-6, i believe a sample size is most often a size 4.
we talked about the option to buy the runway piece for a reduced price. what the customer wants to do with it, wear it, store it, is up to her. the money she saves is basically the ones for the fittings. i don't believe that all Haute Couture pieces get sold like that for reduced prices, but i do believe that it's a believable option.
models are not size double zero. most of the models who do Haute Couture are not even a size zero. from what i know most models who are famed enough to do Haute Couture wear sizes between 2-6, i believe a sample size is most often a size 4.
we talked about the option to buy the runway piece for a reduced price. what the customer wants to do with it, wear it, store it, is up to her. the money she saves is basically the ones for the fittings. i don't believe that all Haute Couture pieces get sold like that for reduced prices, but i do believe that it's a believable option.
i know he was talking about embroidery... i was implying that couture gowns and individual parts like embroidery usually take about 200-1000 hours not thousands... that was a bit severe imo...
sizing is a touchy issue... even europe is not united in sizing and one size is different in Paris, Milan, London... then there are different sizes in US and Asia... and moreover even model agencies do not unite in sizing and model who had size 2 in one agency is size four in other agency... moreover now when laws passed about proper BMI, i think agencies "adjust" their sizes, no agency is gonna put 0 or double 00, duh!. My sister is size 0 and i went with her to Paris fashion week and saw her next to models like Karlie and I seriously dont believe that girl is size 4... but that's just my opinion...
regardless, couture customers are regular women with regular bodies with fat wallets... body of a supermodel is not regular... i was implying that those couture clients buying HC doesnt necessarily mean they all into fashion and obssessed dieting having super slim bodies of a supermodel.... if a customer wants to buy a runway hc outfit, of course they can... (however, if house plans to use that hc outfit for photoshoot and museum, then will be forced to produce another one anyway).... but you have to understand this clientele is philphy rich and they do not care about money... they buy paintings for millions of dollars, one dress worth 50'000 does nothing in their budget.. there is aristocracy neighbourhood in Paris 16 that is loaded with money and they can afford anything and price does not play any role for them... i heard it is very impolite to ask about hc prices because that only shows you cannot afford it, so it happens customers are billed after purchase not knowing the price... and as i said before clothes get adjusted to certain's person's body so i think at least one fitting should be mandatory... when you come into the store, you try different sizes and see which one suits you best, not purchase without trying the article... my sister is a true shopaholic and she sometimes takes 5 identical pieces in even same size... and everyone of them looks completely different even though they are the same size...
so yeah, if clients wanna buy runway outfits, they can.... why not... i heard some exclusive stores in paris sell only couple items a week and at the end of the week a rich sheikh comes and buys an entire store and ships it home for his wife and family.. and that's how some parisian stores survive... but i think for what haute couture really should stand out is clothes made for individual customers fitting only their bodies with increases the exclusivity rather than producing clothes in sample sizes and selling them like at pret-a-porter or regular commercial stores....
sizing is a touchy issue... even europe is not united in sizing and one size is different in Paris, Milan, London... then there are different sizes in US and Asia... and moreover even model agencies do not unite in sizing and model who had size 2 in one agency is size four in other agency... moreover now when laws passed about proper BMI, i think agencies "adjust" their sizes, no agency is gonna put 0 or double 00, duh!. My sister is size 0 and i went with her to Paris fashion week and saw her next to models like Karlie and I seriously dont believe that girl is size 4... but that's just my opinion...
regardless, couture customers are regular women with regular bodies with fat wallets... body of a supermodel is not regular... i was implying that those couture clients buying HC doesnt necessarily mean they all into fashion and obssessed dieting having super slim bodies of a supermodel.... if a customer wants to buy a runway hc outfit, of course they can... (however, if house plans to use that hc outfit for photoshoot and museum, then will be forced to produce another one anyway).... but you have to understand this clientele is philphy rich and they do not care about money... they buy paintings for millions of dollars, one dress worth 50'000 does nothing in their budget.. there is aristocracy neighbourhood in Paris 16 that is loaded with money and they can afford anything and price does not play any role for them... i heard it is very impolite to ask about hc prices because that only shows you cannot afford it, so it happens customers are billed after purchase not knowing the price... and as i said before clothes get adjusted to certain's person's body so i think at least one fitting should be mandatory... when you come into the store, you try different sizes and see which one suits you best, not purchase without trying the article... my sister is a true shopaholic and she sometimes takes 5 identical pieces in even same size... and everyone of them looks completely different even though they are the same size...
so yeah, if clients wanna buy runway outfits, they can.... why not... i heard some exclusive stores in paris sell only couple items a week and at the end of the week a rich sheikh comes and buys an entire store and ships it home for his wife and family.. and that's how some parisian stores survive... but i think for what haute couture really should stand out is clothes made for individual customers fitting only their bodies with increases the exclusivity rather than producing clothes in sample sizes and selling them like at pret-a-porter or regular commercial stores....
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FlamingFox
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no, no. you heard correct, my dear.
FlamingFox
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This is exactly why I'm not a fan of Jones' Fashion Babylon. Muslim ladies from the richer Gulf nations do actually wear those clothes. They just have to wear outer garments over their clothing when in public/presence of non-related men
It's not that Fashion Babylon isn't interesting, it is. Air Babylon was better. However, there are a lot of factually incorrect statements presented as facts in this book.
