Haute couture (French for 'high sewing') is
a common term for high fashion as produced in Paris and
imitated in other fashion capitals such as New York, London,
and Milan. Sometimes it is used only to refer to French
fashion; at other times it refers to any unique stylish
design made to order for wealthy and high-status clients.
The term can refer to:
In France, the label "haute couture" is a protected
appellation. A certain number of formal criteria (number of
employees, participation in fashion shows...) must be met
for a fashion house to use the label; a list of eligible
houses is made official every year by the French Ministry of
Industry. The haute couture houses belong to the
professional union the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute
Couture. The French term for
ready-to-wear (not custom fitted) fashion is prêt-à-porter.
Every haute couture house also markets prêt-à-porter
collections, which typically deliver a higher
return on investment than their custom clothing. Failing
revenues have forced a few couture houses to abandon their
less profitable couture division and concentrate solely on
the less prestigious prêt-à-porter. These houses are no
longer haute couture. History
French leadership in European fashion may perhaps be
dated from the 18th century, when the art, architecture,
music, and fashions of the French court at
Versailles were imitated across Europe. Visitors to
Paris brought back clothing that was then copied by local
dressmakers. Stylish women also ordered fashion dolls from
Paris -- dolls dressed in the latest Parisian fashions, to
serve as
models.
As railroads and steamships made European travel easier,
it was increasingly common for wealthy women to travel to
Paris to shop for clothing and accessories. French fitters
and
seamstresses were commonly thought to be the best in
Europe, and real Parisian garments were considered better
than local imitations. The first
couturier to establish international dominance was
Charles Frederick Worth (1826-1895.)
Even New York socialites crossed the
Atlantic Ocean to order clothes from Worth.
Following in Worth's footsteps were:
Patou,
Poiret,
Vionnet,
Fortuny,
Lanvin,
Chanel,
Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, and
Dior. Some of these fashion houses still exist today,
under the leadership of modern designers.
In the 1960s a group of young designers who had trained
under men like Dior and Balenciaga left these established
couture houses and opened their own establishments. The most
successful of these young men were
Yves Saint Laurent,
Pierre Cardin, Andre Courreges, and
Emmanuel Ungaro.
Lacroix is perhaps the most successful of the fashion
houses to have been started in the last decade.
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