Well, in the Fashion
Industry in general Haute Couture is meant to be a concept of
what’s to come, specifically from a designer. In much the way that the
auto industry makes concept cars and the housing market makes model homes.
In general the end product is very different and low key in comparison
the concept. Haute Couture generally involves the best designers and
creators in the industry and to create a single piece takes several persons
working together at long extended periods of time from design to completion,
and they are generally made by hand to boot! These items are crafted to
show case the vision for the season from the designer and to express themes and
colors.
Haute Couture in
concerns to runway shows is generally very flamboyant and extravagant, and
generally would not be possible to wear for normal folks. I mean could
you imagine someone actually walking through time square with real chain mail
as leggings and peacock feathers sticking from their over sized hat?
Wait, don’t answer that right now! Now don’t get us wrong, that
doesn’t mean people don’t wear Haute Couture aside from just on the runway.
There are plenty of celebrities and persons of interest that do wear
Haute Couture, but general for Red Capet events. As well, if
someone has a piece especially designed and crafted for them, in general it may
be considered Haute Couture.
In reference to Haute
Couture made to suit so to speak, the designer may work for months on a single
piece, it is made to fit the specific wearer and may take up to 5 or more
seamstress and sewers to create. Think lots of glitz and glamour and hand
adjustments. An gown can cost more than 50,000 dollars and a tailored
suit not less than 20,000 dollars (yes USD). In general most of the
clients are celebrities or royal family members. Most celebrities and
royalty negotiate with designers to ‘barter’ brand recognition for these
pieces. It is estimated that at any given time on the planet there are
less than 500 people alive that actually do or can pay for select Haute Couture
individual pieces.
So, if you have a hand
sewn wedding dress made and it takes six months, has Swarovski stones and
elements on it and there were ten seamstresses working around the clock on to
make it specifically to your body, does that mean you have a Haute Couture
piece? Sorry, NO it doesn’t!
Not every fashion
designer can produce a couture collection. Designers must receive a
special permission from the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture based in
Paris. According to the agreement, designers have to show their collections two
times a year with no less than 35 outfits in one collection. Being a
member of this elite group of designers of course has it’s benefits, such as
being the most desirable on the planet!
Pret a Porter consists of what is actually going onto
the shelves at retail locations in general. There are several shows that
consist of Pret a Porter designs as well, but to be honest, who wants to watch
that. I mean do you want to watch the show with the cotton stockings and
denim shirts or the flamings hairbands and 10 inch stilettos? Of course
for the buyers and retailers of the world, the more particle are the Pret a
Porter shows, so they know what they want to buy and put in their stores.
In general, but of
course not always, the Haute Couture sets the tone for what the Pret a Porter
shows will reflect and the wearable designs will be. Most Houte Couture
Designers also produce Pret a Porter lines as well.
(P.S. just a side
note, Juicy Couture and other Pret a Porter designers that throw Couture into
their names are not really Couture Designers! But the word Couture makes
it sound so cool!)
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