(Haute) Couture

The 2023 Fall/Winter Couture Collections were recently presented in Paris. As always, the shows were a collection of the highest fashion and grandest spectacles.

I’ve always enjoyed the couture shows. They are budget-free extravagant exhibits of a designer’s creativity. Shows are often over the top with fanciful sets and celebrity guests. But, what for? Does anyone buy these lavish clothes? Who pays for these giant productions?

Haute Couture literally translates to “high dressmaking.” Garments are entirely handmaid and involve hours of work.

Haute Couture and Couture are not the same.

The word couture can be used for any garment that is handmade and one-of-a-kind. haute couture is a special designation created and controlled by the French government.

In 1858 English couturier, Charles Frederick Worth established the first haute couture house in Paris. He coined the term “fashion designer” in place of “dressmaker” and championed exclusive luxury fashion for the upper-class woman.

in1868 Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, a division of the french government, was founded as a safeguard of high-fashion. Designers were required to earn the right to label themselves a couture house according to certain specifications which were eventually outlined in 1945.

The outlines, as they stand today, are as follows:

Brands must own an atelier in Paris with at least 15 full-time employees
Brands must present at least 35 looks in a show, twice a year.
Designs must be made to order for private clients and include more than one fitting.

Why does couture matter?

Basically, couture serves as marketing mechanism for some of the world’s biggest houses. A 2 minute show seen around the world or Angelina Jolie on the runway for 30 seconds can create a desire felt around the globe. one bottle of chanel no 5 perfume is sold every 30 seconds and it’s no suprise that chanel is the biggest couture house in existence . the mere fantasy created by the spectacle of couture can influence a customer to purchase a handbag, a perfume or even an eyeshadow.

Arguably, couture is also fashion’s purest form. It is a return to the craftsmanship and tailoring that is part of every single hand-made piece. It is impossible to recreate on a mass level. It is a return to slow, deliberate, artisanal work.