Haute couture is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted Luxury goods fashion design. The term haute couture generally refers to a specific type of upper Clothing common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from the skirt and Sleeve. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became the centre of a growing industry that focused on making outfits from high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable of sewers—often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
Terminology
Etymology
The English term
haute couture was
Loanword from
French language, where it literally means or .
Its first recorded use in English was in 1908, in the
Arnold Bennett novel
The Old Wives' Tale.
History
In France, the term
haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the
Paris Chamber of Commerce based in
Paris. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode is defined as "the regulating commission that determines which fashion houses are eligible to be true haute couture houses". Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label
haute couture.
The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne is an association of Parisian couturiers founded in 1868 as an outgrowth of
Middle Ages that regulate its members in regard to counterfeiting of styles, dates of openings for collections, number of models presented, relations with press, questions of law and taxes, and promotional activities. Formation of the organisation was brought about by Charles Frederick Worth. An affiliated school was organized in 1930 called L'Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. The school helps bring new designers to help the "couture" houses that are still present today. Since 1975, this organization has worked within the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.
In response to the Nazi occupation of Paris, more rigorous criteria for the term
haute couture were established in 1945.
To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term
haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture must follow specific rules:
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design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings;
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have a workshop ( atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen staff members full-time;
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have at least 20 full-time technical people, in at least one workshop ( atelier); and
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present a collection of at least 50 original designs to the public every fashion season (twice, in January and July of each year), of both day and evening garments.
Current use
The term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion, custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in the fashion capitals of London, New York City, Paris, and Milan. In either case, the term can refer to the fashion houses or
that create exclusive and often trend-setting
or to the fashions created. The term
haute couture has also taken on further popular meanings referring to non-dressmaking activities, such as production of fine art and music.
History in France
Haute couture can be referenced back as early as the 17th century.
Industry and consumption were legally protected through
guild statutes that required strict adherence to quality, quantity, etc. Women dressmakers, known as
couturières, attained guild privileges in 1675. Their guild statutes made it so these women acquired the rights to make clothing for women and children, while male tailors retained the right to make clothing for men and boys over the age of 8. Within this empire, the
couturières' work ranged from simple mending, to
modes (fashions). They performed darning and alterations, and also made fine dresses of luxurious fabric for members of the royal family and aristocracy. Seamstresses were only one part of this complex network and process, and included domestic manufacture, imported products, and work alongside guilds such as the lacemakers, ribbonmakers, fashion merchants, embroiderers, pin and needle peddlers, etc.
Seamstresses did not operate public shops, unlike tailors, but instead relied on word of mouth and connections to procure high-end clientele.
[Crowston, Clare. Fabricating women: the seamstresses of Old Regime France, 1675-1791. pp. 138-143]
18th century France witnessed a dramatic rise in clothing consumption, and scholars have documented a "clothing revolution" that occurred between 1700 and 1789. This was characterised by the increased size and value of wardrobes across the country, even among the middling and working classes. The fashion industry sprang to life to meet increasing demand.
Rose Bertin, the French fashion designer to Marie Antoinette, can be credited for bringing fashion and haute couture to French culture.
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 were commonly thought to be the best in Europe, and real Parisian garments were considered better than local imitations.
A couturier () is an establishment or person involved in the clothing fashion industry who makes original garments to order for private clients. A couturier may make what is known as haute couture.
The couturier Charles Frederick Worth is widely considered the father of haute couture as it is known today.
Following in Worth's footsteps were Callot Soeurs, Patou, Paul Poiret, Madeleine Vionnet, Mariano Fortuny, Jeanne Lanvin, Coco Chanel, Mainbocher, Schiaparelli, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and Christian Dior. Some of these fashion houses still exist today, under the leadership of modern designers.
In the 1960s, a group of young protégés who had trained under more senior and established fashion designers including Dior and Balenciaga left these established couture houses and opened their own establishments. The most successful of these young designers were Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, Ted Lapidus, and Emanuel Ungaro. Japanese native and Paris-based Hanae Mori was also successful in establishing her own line.
Lacroix is one of the fashion houses to have been started in the late 20th century. Other new houses have included Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler. Due to the high expenses of producing haute couture collections, Lacroix and Mugler have since ceased their haute couture activities.[ End of a fairytale: Christian Lacroix fashion house to strip down. The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2014]
For all these fashion houses, custom clothing is no longer the main source of income, often costing much more than it earns through direct sales; it only adds the aura of fashion to their ventures in ready-to-wear clothing and related Luxury goods such as and , and License ventures that earn greater returns for the company. It is their ready-to-wear collections that are available to a wider audience, adding a splash of glamour and the feel of haute couture to more wardrobes.
Members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture
Official members
Correspondent members (foreign)
Guest members
Recent guest members have included the fashion houses of Cathy Pill, ,
Former members
Fabrics
Silk
refer to the fabric or medium being used by designers to create an article of clothing.
Silk originated in Neolithic China within the Yangshao culture (4th millennium BC), where the "
Bombyx mori" was discovered. The Asian elite began using silk in high fashion. As time went on, silk began to be traded leading to the creation of the "Silk Road", which was a boost to China's economy.
The value of silk is distinguished by the form of its use, such as it being used as currency.
Silk fabric is composed of fibers that are produced by the
Bombyx mori mainly found in China.
There are various kinds of silks, used by designers in the textile world, such as
dupioni, China,
brocade, Jacquard, and satin silk.
These various kinds of silks are often used to produce certain styles of clothing. For example, Chiffon silk is used to create draping because this silk is a thinner silk than others; it allows for easier movement and flow of the fabric, thus creating an easier process for draping.
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from animals such as
sheep,
Camel,
Camelidae,
Goat, or other hairy
Mammal.
Wool was first discovered and used mainly for protection against cold weather.
Not all types are acceptable or considered "fine" wool. For instance, fine wool is found only within four breeds of sheep, the other fifteen are not considered to be "fine".
Dying wool is a delicate procedure because wool easily absorbs colour, so it is important to be cautious in order not to ruin the wool.
Some of the higher-end wools are
alpaca,
angora wool,
mohair,
cashmere wool,
camel hair, and vicuña wool; each of these wools has a different texture and softness.
See also
Notes
Bibliography
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Lynam, Ruth (ed.) Couture: An Illustrated History of the Great Paris Designers and their Creations (Doubleday & Co., 1972)
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External links
