What is the difference between Haute Couture, Ready-To-Wear, and Prêt-à-Porter?

Firstly, Ready-to-wear and Prêt-à-Porter mean the same thing. The French translation for Prêt-à-Porter into English is Ready-to-wear. Basically Ready-to-wear, is garments that are truly "ready to wear". In other words, you view them in a store, purchase them, and you are then ready to wear them. They are off the rack, high quality, garments that are NOT made to measure. Note: Even though garments are "Ready-to-wear", they still often need tailoring before you actually wear them.

Haute Couture or Couture is fashion that is made to measure. In other words, custom made for a specific individual. Measurements are taken of the person, and then the garment is made to fit them specifically (the person buying the garment may be required to attend a few fitting sessions along the way). Haute couture is French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking". Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture is a common abbreviation of haute couture and refers to the same thing in spirit.

In the opinion of Apparel Search, if you commission a Haute Couture garment, it is wise to not gain or loss too much weight during the time you wait for the garment to be produced... It would be a shame to have a made-to-measure garment manufactured for you and then find that it does not fit as well as intended (no fault of the designer)...

In summary,

• Haute Couture (Couture) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing.
• Prêt-à-Porter (Ready-to-Wear) - is a high-end luxury garment, but can be purchase off the rack and ready to wear.