| Fashion is an art reflecting life. From time to time we hear the names of Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Versace etc. There fashion designers influence our hair styles, how we dress up, the way we put on makeup and even behave in this or that situation. Designers determine our choice of clothing every season.
A fashion calendar includes several very crucial events known as fashion weeks. Fashion weeks are organized each season for fashion designers to show their latest collections in runway shows and for buyers to view the latest fashions. Most importantly, they show the fashion industry what is in fashion and what is out of fashion for the season. The most significant fashion weeks are arranged in the fashion capitals, such as Milan, London, New York and Paris where luxury clothes (also known as haute couture) are demonstrated.
Haute Couture is a French phrase for expensive and fashionable clothes. Couture denotes dressmaking, sewing, or needlework and haute stands for sophisticated. Haute couture garments are made for a specific client from high-quality, expensive fabrics and sewn by hand usually using time-consuming techniques. So, couture garments are luxurious and exclusive.
Depending on the haute couturier and the garment, the price of a couture item ranges from $10, 000 for a blouse to $40, 000 and often beyond that amount. The price is so high due to service, work, an exclusive design and splendid fabrics of the highest quality.
Besides, every client will receive a garment to fit them ideally. It takes about 100-150 hours to produce a handmade luxuty suit and up to 1000 hours for an embroidered evening dress with thousands of beads sewed by hand. A couture house like Chanel, for instance, will have about 150 regular clients ordering luxury clothes, and a couture house like Dior will make around twenty luxury wedding gowns per year
Couture houses use only expensive luxurious fabrics, including expensive silks, fine wools, cashmeres, cottons, linens, leather, suede and furs.
Along with clothes, well-renowned fashion houses make luxury accessories, such as hats, buttons, belts, jewellery, footwear, handbags. Those who can afford couture items, pay for exclusivity and the privacy offered by the system. |
