Haute couture is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, including fashion garments and accessories. It is customarily the work of a single creative mind, who with consideration and ingenuity transforms fabric, which has already been designed, into designs capable of making the finest distinctions in shape and cut, as well as of emphasizing the folds and particular textures inherent in natural materials.
Why do you need haute couture
1.It is fashion with quality
The traditional definition of couture gowns is that they are made-to-order for an individual client, thus custom designed and hand-made. Only contemporary haute couture salons are capable of making the finest distinctions in shape and cut, as well as of emphasizing the folds and particular textures inherent in natural materials. Therefore, even though the word “couture” may be used to describe ready-to-wear collections by fashion houses (Lagerfeld, Versace), such a use is misleading. Haute Couture isn’t about time periods; it’s about timelessness and perfectionism.
2.It creates elegance
A haute couture gown created by a trained artisan is an example of true craftsmanship. The finest couture dressmakers are part artists and part engineers. Their years of training and their knowledge of anatomy, movement and fabric, allow them to design clothes that fit the body perfectly. Skillful draping on a dress form takes hours and hours of painstaking work to achieve the proper shape. The finished product then is made by hand with silk thread and either hand-sewn or machine-sewn, which requires great skill, patience and attention to detail.
3.A symbol of wealth & status
Haute couture is an elite fashion industry, out of reach to all but the most wealthy and privileged, which requires years of talent and training. Therefore, couture collections are expensive. A handmade couture gown can cost more than $1 million. A single couture gown can take as long as three months to create. The time, skill and materials needed to produce a haute couture outfit means that they are only available to the ultra-wealthy.
4.A symbol of luxury & prestige
The word “couture” comes from the French word “cuire”, which means to cook: the work done by a couturier is indeed very similar to cooking. The term was invented in 1858 when Charles Frederick Worth, a famous Englishman, opened his haute couture house in Paris, Rue de la Paix. The term was not used again until 1906 when the trade union confederation Couvreurs-Paristenes de Haute Couture was founded by 32 tailors and dressmakers.
