Haute couture

Haute couture
Elegant evening and cocktail dresses

Haute couture is a French phrase for high fashion and refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. The name is used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards.
Each year multi-million pound fashion shows are held with couture houses selling a limited percentage of Haute Couture model garments to a small number of customers. A model haute couture garment is made specifically for the wearer’s measurements and body stance. The creation of the garments occurs in the maisons particulières of the house, thus under the daily surveillance of the designer as well as in intimate connection with the vendeuses. A couture house like Chanel will have about 150 regular clients who buy couture and a house like Dior for example will make about 20 couture bridal gowns a year.
The golden age of haute couture dates back to the fifties, but today there are only 10 houses of haute couture in France:
Adeline Andre Adeline Andre became an invited-member of the Syndicate Chamber of Parisian Couture in 1997. She presented for the first time, as officially part of the Haute Couture her Fall-Winter 97/98 Couture collection
Emanuel Ungaro: opened his own fashion house in Paris in 1965. He quickly imposed his sense of color, structure, and fashion on the international fashion scene
Chanel revolutionized haute couture fashion by replacing the traditional corset with the comfort and casual elegance of simple suits and dresses.
Christian Dior Throughout the 1950s Christian Dior was the biggest and best-run haute couture house in Paris.
Givenchy John Galliano, a graduate from St. Martin’s School of Art in London took Givenchys place as head of design. His first collection for Givenchy combined extravagance with the elegant restraint of Givenchy and injected a new competition and creativity into the French haute couture.
Christian Lacroix In 1994, Christian Lacroix created his “Bazar” line, in addition to both his Ready-to wear and Haute Couture lines, a collection based more than any other on folklore and historical time periods.
Dominique Sirop joins the House of Yves Saint Laurent at the age of 17. He then assists Hubert de Givenchy for 12 years. In September 1996, Dominique Sirop decides that time has come for him to open his own Couture house; self financed DS. Dominique Sirop. As recognition of his talent, not even 1 year after the creation of his house, the prestigious “Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture parisienne” decides in July 1997 to give him full membership.
Jean Louis Scherrer In 1991 he is only 25 years old, and feeling ready to branch out on his own, he creates his own firm. In 1997, he was named JEAN-LOUIS SCHERRER Art Director. He designs Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear and Accessory lines.
Jean Paul Gaultier : Has his first Haute Couture collection “Gaultier Paris” in 1997
It is however the less costly designer labels known as Prêt-a-Porter and their associated lower level sales of perfume and accessories that make the huge profits for couture design houses.

Fashion is a language which tells a story about the person who wears it.