From haute couture is ... The history of haute couture

Couture is something special and magical. High fashion beckons to itself, captivates not only with the abundance of expensive decorative elements and delicate fabrics, but also with its inaccessibility. Couture clothing is an expensive pleasure that is created for a single person in one copy. What caused such noise around the described phenomenon, read on.

History of occurrence

The concepts "haute couture" and "high fashion" appeared in the mid-nineteenth century, when the first fashion salons began to work. Then the fashion designers gained power over the world and dictated their own requirements to society. The created toilets from satin and silk fabrics, decorated with pearls and precious stones, turned the heads of the beautiful half of humanity, especially representatives of the nobility.

The ancestor of haute couture is Charles Frederick Worth, an Englishman who opened his own fashion house in Paris, which combined a secular salon and a luxury store. The wonderful work on the dress for Madame Metternich brought Worth unprecedented popularity and excellent appreciation of Empress Eugenia Montijo.

We can say that Charles formed the principles of "high" sewing: the attitude to clothing as a separate art form and exclusively manual work. His creations have been preserved and today adorn honorary places in museums.

In 1868, the Paris Committee of the Trade Union of the Clothing Industry (High Fashion Syndicate) was opened, which unites the famous fashion salons and companies in Paris to this day. Here the fate of fashion trends is made, legal issues in this industry are solved.

General requirements

Haute couture is not clothing from famous brands to order or things that are easy to find on store shelves. This is primarily uniqueness in a literal sense. In order for a fashion house to create haute couture clothing, the following requirements must be met:

1. Production necessarily falls under the jurisdiction of the French Department of Industry. So, the main studio, all workshops and company stores should be in the capital of France - Paris. This guarantees legal security.
2. The staff has at least twenty employees.
3. The collection will be shown twice a year (two seasonal lines). Moreover, the fashion show shows more than thirty dresses for the day and evening. Haute Couture Week has nothing to do with ready-to-wear shows and takes place in January and July (usually at the Croiselle du Louvre complex).

There is also the concept of “corresponding members” - foreign houses with headquarters in other states. They are invited to the shows, but due to the fact that the companies do not meet all the criteria, they are simply called "couture".

The main feature of haute couture clothing:

• tailoring according to the parameters of the client (minimum number of fittings - 3);
• unique design;
• the use of exclusively exclusive fabrics;
• decoration with precious stones (often family jewels).

Basic Rules

A haute couture outfit is not just a purchase. It is also a great responsibility, knowledge of certain rules and responsibilities:

1. A couture dress is bought only for a specific occasion (red carpet, royal ball, etc.).
2. Dressing is allowed once. Re-entry in the outfit is permissible after ten, or even fifteen years, when the thing can be called also vintage.
3. To buy a lady must be at least sixteen years old (etiquette is already involved here).
4. Patiently waiting for the result.

It is worth noting the fact that many stars (singers, actresses, models) rent a dress. This move helps the home find more influential buyers.

Founders of haute couture houses

Famous fashion designers who can create haute couture creations:

1. Giorgio Armani is an Italian couturier who founded Armani. In 2005, he first launched his own haute couture collection called Armani Prive.
2. Cristobal Balenciaga is a Spanish fashion designer who created the haute couture house Balenciaga. He is considered the only creator who is able to independently model, cut, cut and sew.
3. Pierre Balmen is a French fashion designer, whose outfits conquered not only fashion catwalks, but also scenes of beautiful movies.
4. Gianni Versace is a man who combined two beautiful phenomena: music and fashion.
5. Christian Dior is a French couturier about whom various directors created legendary films.
6. Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy is again a fashion designer from France, whose fashionable understanding and worldview were embodied by two stars and youth idols: Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy.
7. Coco Chanel, the founder of the Chanel fashion house, had an unrealistic impact on the development of European culture. Demonstrated "luxurious simplicity" in her own creations.

It turns out that it is not in vain that there is so much noise and attention around haute couture clothes. Haute couture is magic and originality.