Haute couture and fashion

Haute couture and fashion

Haute couture and fashion

Haute Couture is a phrase that means high fashion' in French, involving the creation of highly customized pieces. The term may only be used by a fashion house that has met set standards in France. To be called haute couture, a fashion house must: 1) design custom-made pieces for clients with at least one fitting; 2) have an atelier (a workshop) in France employing full-time a minimum of 15 people; and 3) present the press with a collection that is made of at least 35 runs and outfits for nighttime and daytime use twice a year. However, the term is being loosely used by many brands offering ready-to-wear outfits.

As a business

Since much work is involved in making haute couture, pieces can be very expensive. As such, it is expected that not everyone can afford them. Nonetheless, haute couture fashion houses do have regular clients. Maybe it's part of the charm of buying haute couture you never have to worry about bumping into someone at a party wearing the exact same dress.

To boost business, haute couture fashion houses also carry their own ready-to-wear lines to cater to the more general public. Designs worn in fashion shows are rarely seen in these lines though because they are reserved for certain clients. Besides, some of the works seen in fashion shows are way too outrageous for a common person to use. Therefore, their use are pegged for special events such as award shows.

If haute couture designs are so limited, then do fashion houses make money out of it? Actually, they rarely do so. Haute couture designs are really meant to promote the fashion house, not to rake in profits. This is not to say that haute couture is unprofitable, because it isn't. The luxury market is growing, and more and more people (especially women) are not able to afford one of a kind pieces.

Names to remember

Two of the most well-known names in haute couture would have to be Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Starting out in Spain, the Balenciaga line embodies the elegance that is Paris. Cristobal Balenciaga was praised as "the couturier of couturiers" by Christian Dior himself. Unfortunately in 1968, Balenciaga closed up shop. The business was revived since, and it is now focused on creating ready-to-wear lines, accessories and shoes.

Jean Paul Gaultier, on the other hand, was not able to produce his own line until 1978. Known as "fashion's bad boy", one of his most memorable creations was Madonna's cone bra for her Blonde Ambition tour. Constantly playing with stereotypes, his collections made use of erotic references and were politically incorrect occasionally. His couture skills however are so exceptional that others refer to him as well. While it would seem that Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier are polar opposites, their works together helped define what haute couture and fashion is today.

There's much you can learn just by observing fashion designs over the years. But at the same time, it's also important to stay updated on current style trends. To do this, you can check out web sites such as StyleFlair.Com. Knowing the past and staying current in the present might help you in determining what kind of future fashion holds.

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