Haute couture means accuracy in lines. “Haute couture consists of secrets whispered from generation to generation," says Yves Saint Laurent. The designer is careful to achieve a supreme balance in all his clothes, designs in the secrecy of the “studio". If, in ready-to-wear, a garment is contrived according to standard sizes, the haute couture garment adapts to any imperfection in order to get rid of it. Haute couture is an art which hides the imperfection with raising a collar, or adjusting the sleeve of a suit or a plunging neckline, so as to hide a sloping shoulder or admirably emphasize a bust line
At present there are eighteen houses of haute couture in France today – they are Balmain, Pierre Cardin, Carven, Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Féraud, Givenchy, Lecoanet Henant, Christian Lacroix, Lapidus, Guy Laroche, Hanae Mori, Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Louis Scherrer, Torrente, Emanuel Ungaro.
The golden age of haute couture goes back to the fifties. The star models of the day were Capucine, Sophie Litwak and Bettina, who gave her name to a light, flimsy blouse later copied thousands of times. Famous clients were American, such as Mrs Lopez, Rachel Lambert Mellon, Babe Paley and even the Duchess of Windsor.
At present only 2,000 women in the world buy couture clothes; 60% are American. Only 200 are regular customers. Generally, designers loan clothes to movie stars or other public figures for publicity. During fashion’s “golden age," after World War II, some 15,000 women wore couture. Even though the small market, designers maintain haute couture operations to some extent because the prestige helps sell other products, such as perfume, cosmetics, and their ready-to-wear lines accessible in stores.
In a world of relaxed dressing and obsolete dress codes present couture lacks feasibility for even few people who might afford it. Those who can and still choose to are the old clientele. The young rich prefer to wear jeans and top from an up and coming ‘young’ designer with a finger on the buzzer.
The enormous cash flow which is needed to create a 40 minute runway show that may or may not be a success, means that fashion houses cannot depend on Haute Couture for their main income. To make profits, couture houses have real need for the change of branding to produce ready to wear and fashion goods with more realistic price tags for the majority, rather than exclusive pricing for a minority. Haute Couture is likely to stay merely as a marketing tool since it’s the enhanced cachet of brand association with it, that really does capture the public's imagination and which will help the remaining few couture houses to survive in the 21st century.
Every neighborhood of Paris reflects a unique attitude and style - the designer extravagance and haute couture characterize avenue Montaigne and rue Faubourg St-Honoré; classic sophistication pervades St-Germain; avant-garde style dresses up the Marais; while a hip feel suffuses the area around the place des Victoires. This is PARIS.
While the general populace tries to figure ways to save money so that the family car can be filled up with nearly $100 worth of gasoline, the super rich are jetting to private showings and fittings in various countries or having their own private sales consultants flown in from Paris to assist with six figures worth of couture expenses.
There is little doubt that couture continues to flourish despite the economic hardship elsewhere. Double digit sales growth is showing up across most couture houses and, what's more, the client base is increasingly expanding towards the east and is coming from among the nouveau riche of the Middle East, Asia and Russia.
What is interesting is that executives of these high-end fashion houses are seeing no reduction of interest from their American clients, despite the economic problems in the United States. It appears that haute couture is the ultimate luxury and makes personal statements that are very important to the owners of these fashions.
It was not too many years ago that the experts were sounding the death knell for haute couture as a long list of fashion houses discontinued their couture activity. Yves Saint Laurent, Emanuel Ungaro, Balmain, Jean-Louis Scherrer and Hanae Mori are all examples of companies that closed their doors to the haute couture line.
Ah, but that was then. Now, sales of those that remained to serve this niche are roaring ahead and these houses are expanding and hiring temporary help to keep up with the demand. All this seems to underscore the belief that at this very high end of the market, clients appear to be impervious to economic downturns.
The clientele for haute couture is very demanding and requires much attention as is evidenced by the fact that couture sales teams are often required to fly halfway across the globe for a single days work. When all the extras are added up it is not at all unusual for a client to be handed a bill in excess of one million dollars for that seasons high end fashions.
The world of haute couture is certainly a different world and if you are to dress the part you must be ready to pay if you want to play. What is surprising is that there is no shortage of players; even in times of economic turmoil.
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