Couture – A Fashionista’s Guide

Haute couture, French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking" or "high fashion".

Haute couture is high-end fashion that is constructed by hand from start to finish, made from
high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and
finished by the most experienced and capable sewers - often using time-consuming, hand-
executed techniques.

It's come to our attention that couture's confusing. Clothes don't earn the label just because they
debut in Paris, or because they walk a runway on Lara Stone's back, or because they cost an
obscene amount of money. To design couture, to become a couturier, one must be certified by
the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the regulating commission that determines which
fashion houses are eligible to be true haute couture houses, and follow these rules:

 Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.

 Have an atelier in Paris that employs at least 15 people full-time.
 Each season present a collection comprised of at least 35 looks for both day and night.
Though the first couturier, Charles Frederick Worth, was a Brit, the following Parisians and
French houses are the only certified couturiers:

 Adeline André
 Alexandre Vauthier
 Alexis Mabille
 Atelier Gustavolins
 Bouchra Jarrar
 Chanel
 Christian Dior
 Frank Sorbier
 Givenchy
 Jean Paul Gaultier
 Maurizio Galante
 Stéphane Rolland
 Yiqing Yin
 Guo Pei
Beside official members, the Chambre syndicale officially "invites" each season some "guests."
They cannot use the term "haute couture" but only the term "couture" and can become grands
couturiers after 2 years. To list a few:
Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani, Maison Martin Margiela and Valentino.
A haute couture garment is always made for an individual client, tailored specifically for the
wearer's measurements and body stance. Considering the amount of time, money, and skill
allotted to each completed piece, haute couture garments are also described as having no price
tag: budget is not relevant.

Dependant on the Haute Couture design house and the garment, the cost of a couture item runs
from about £10,000 for a simple blouse to £40,000 and often beyond that figure. A Chanel
couture suit for example in 2002 might have cost £20,000. By mid 2004 an evening frock cost
£50,000. If you are not rich it's hard for an individual to understand why the price is so high, but
it's for service, workmanship, originality of a unique design and superb materials of the finest
quality.

Although, it is a time consuming process. In addition, the client would get a perfection of fit only
achieved by painstaking methods of cutting and fitting to the client's body. The manual labor
needed to produce a garment this way takes between 100-150 hours for a suit and up to 1000
hours for an embellished evening dress.
A couture house like Chanel for example has about 150 regular clients who buy couture and a
house like Dior makes about 20 couture bridal gowns a year.

Designers often create their initial designs either by using muslin, which drapes well for flowing
designs or by using linen canvas or calico for more structured garments such as tailored
garments. These sample models are called toiles and save using very expensive fabrics that can
cost a £100 or more a meter.

Categories fashion designers go for this fashion season:

Exclusive laces. This group is basically represented with laces embroidered with floral
appliqués, corded guipure and luxurious Chantilly laces that can also be infused with metal.

Feather fabrics. Tulle, silk georgette and fluffed lace fabrics can be a perfect pick for evening
dresses with an art deco vibe.

Luxury cashmere. Coming in various designs and blends, cashmere fabrics emanate the
splendour of “soft gold” for such luxury clothing as coats, suits, jackets, sweaters, cardigans and
ponchos.

Couture beaded fabrics. Enchanting with its marvellous glitter, beaded Chantilly and corded
laces, various tulle and silk fabrics make such elegant garments as dress overlays, intriguing
decolletes and lots of other beautiful details.

Exclusive silk fabrics. Silk has always been the fabric associated with luxury and high social
rank. Not surprisingly, it is often embellished with Swarovski crystals, sequins, stripes, floral
embroidery and laser-cut appliqués. These fabrics often feature the effects reflecting the latest
technological achievements in a textile industry, such as dévoré or lamé effects, silvery plates
and ribbon embroidery
Couture cotton and linen fabrics. Regardless of their popularity on the mass market, these two
are no less favoured in the world of haute couture, represented with such fancy décor as satin
stitch, eyelet or sequin embroidery, and hand-cut elements.

High fashion silver and golden fabrics. At all times, precious metals applied on the attires of the
powers-that-be demonstrated the wealth and social influence of the person. Even though the
majority of monarchies have gone by this day, it is still deep inside of the human nature to feel
the high respect for gold or silver applied on lace, tulle, silk chiffon and organza fabrics.

Couture bridal dress fabrics. Just as haute couture outfits, bridal dresses are worn only once.
Amazingly, this gives a true artistic freedom in a fabric design, as the only criteria such a flashy
outfit should meet, is the design splendour. 3D floral appliqués, laser cuts, beaded trims,
Swarovski crystals and even faux fur — couture bridal dresses are created to impress and take
everyone’s breath away.