Haute Couture – A Dream That Never Dies

Representing luxury and class, haute couture becomes the pinnacle of creativity and tailor-made technology that every fashion house wants to reach.

By 1850, the public had no clear concept of haute couture. Most women’s costumes are made by themselves at home in a socially acceptable pattern. However, the elite were accustomed to elaborate tailor-made designs.

If tailor-made fashion originated from King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century, Queen Marie Antoinette, in the 18th century, was the originator of the lavish tailor-made fashion trend (the precursor of haute couture). Rose Bertin, dressmaker; she is also the Queen’s personal advisor. She helped the queen to change her style to become a fashion model for French aristocracy as well as Europe at that time.

Queen Marie Antoinette

Queen Marie Antoinette wore dresses made by Rose Bertin.

Portrait of Rose Bertin

Official “father” of haute couture

When it comes to haute couture, most people think of France. The capital of light in Paris has always been the focus of the vanity world. Yet Charles Frederick Worth, who is considered the “father of haute couture”, is from Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. In 1852, Napoleon III ascended to the throne. He reformed France and turned Paris into Europe’s most powerful capital economically. The demand for luxury goods, especially textiles and fashion, has reached an unprecedented level since the French Revolution (1789 – 1799).

Charles Frederick Worth (1825 – 1895)

Charles Frederick Worth has moved to Paris since 1845. Charles founded the first fashion salon named House of Worth in 1858 in Paris. He created the concept of “fashion designer”, instead of the usual “tailor”. His shop was immediately visited by nobility and royal figures. They consider this a prestigious place to access luxury fashion. Charles is also a pioneer in presenting his designs with models right at the salon. He created lookbooks with drawings and labeled them on clothes. All these initiatives set the stage for the high-end tailor-made fashion trend we call today haute couture.

House of Worth’s satin evening dress design

When Napoleon III married Queen Eugénie, her fashion style created a trend at the court. The patronage of the queen has ensured Worth’s success since the 1860s. Worth’s designs are noted for their use of rich materials, precise cuts and a combination of unique elements. Parallel to the costumes for models so that customers can easily choose. He still creates dresses designed for each lady only. By the 1870s, Charles Frederick Worth’s reputation transcended the borders of France, spread throughout the world. The fashion village began to honor him as “the father of haute couture”.

What is Haute Couture?

In 1868, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (Premium Sewing Union) was founded. They act as guard houses for high fashion. In 1908, the phrase “Haute Couture” was first used officially.

The word “haute” in French is equivalent to “high” in English, meaning advanced. The word “couture” is equivalent to “dressmaking”, referring to the sewing work, designing a costume, a fashion product. Therefore, “haute couture” can be understood as “high dressmaking” or “high fashion”.

Haute couture is the art of designing an outfit entirely by hand; with sophisticated techniques of the most skilled workers, using the most expensive and rare materials. Each design must be accurately tailored to the size of the customers. At the same time, it is also decorated and meticulously detailed by hand.

A haute couture design takes a lot of time and effort to complete. Therefore, these designs do not have a fixed price like ready-to-wear costume. Each dress is usually unique, designed and tailor-made according to your own measurements. Price is not what these characters care about.

Today, there are haute couture collections that are not made for sale but only for show at fashion weeks twice a year. They are seen as works of art, showing the designers unlimited creativity.

If Rose Bertin was credited with laying the foundation for the haute couture manufacturing industry, Charles F. Worth would be the official father of this luxury outfit.

Strict rules of haute couture

Designers who want to be recognized as haute couture houses must meet certain standards. These standards were introduced in 1945.

A high-end fashion house must create tailor-made designs according to customers’ orders. Customers have to try out the costume several times until they like it. Costumes must be original designs created by the company’s main designer. Designs must be made in a fashion house (workshop) of a fashion house in Paris with at least 20 skilled workers working daily full-time. Each season, a fashion house has to launch a collection with at least 35 original designs, including day and night costumes.

Two haute couture seasons are held in January and July according to a schedule set by the Chambre Syndicate de la Haute Couture council.

Haute couture is how fashion houses maintain their sophisticated craftsmanship traditions, focusing on the meticulousness in every detail to create a unique work. Among the official haute couture houses, Chanel is the oldest active fashion house, with couture designs beginning in 1913. Major haute couture houses include Christian Dior, Givenchy, Alexis Mabille, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexandre Vauthier, Atelier Gustavolins … There are other fashion houses outside of France who are honored to attend such as Elie Saab, Valentino, Atelier Versace, or Armani Prive.

The future of haute couture

The golden era of French fashion was the period from World War I to the 1960s. Haute couture became a popular trend, especially among movie stars and American tycoons. At that time, about 15,000 women pursued this trend, then reduced to only about 2,000. Haute couture has changed dramatically since the beginning of the 21st century.

Many fashion houses must make vital decisions to meet the needs of modern customers. The question is: “Who can afford to run haute couture in the current economic context?” The global economic crisis makes ready-to-wear fashion gradually replace high-end tailoring fashion. Therefore, couturiers must have more ready-to-wear collections hitting the public’s tastes to maintain sales. Many fashion houses are forced to close their haute couture workshops and focus only on the ready-to-wear line. However, the remaining names still retain loyal customers, even small groups.

Elie Saab announced that their customer base increased, mainly from Russia, Turkey, Greece and Ukraine for wedding dress designs. Chanel’s Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld believes that haute couture will stand up: “Now there is another form of couture that fits the situation better. High-class ready-to-wear is no different from the previous couture. New couture customers are all young and beautiful. They are from Russia, India, China, South America. Ladies in the Bay Area do not even need to go to Paris to buy things. The fashion house will bring the collection to their place”.

In the current trend of personalization, haute couture does not lose its inherent value but seems to be coming back strongly. And Karl Lagerfeld is confident: “As long as the Chanel family, couture will remain.”

Close-up of intricate sequin applique design of Chanel Haute Couture Collection Fall-Winter 2018/19

Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2018

Two of Dior’s Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2018 designs

HAUTE COUTURE DESIGN PROCESS

• Each Haute couture fashion product is handcrafted by highly skilled artisans.
• With specific measurements, the process of creating a haute couture outfit can be up to 700 hours.
• There are two seasons of Haute couture in January and July each year according to the schedule set by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

Writer: YENNIE TRAN.