So, What Exactly Is Haute Couture?

Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer, Resort — these are all completely understandable categories for fashion shows. In other words, you know what you’re getting: some leather and fur at the F/W shows, the perfect maxi dress at the S/S shows, and a chic tunic at Resort.

This week, Styleite.com’s Ruthie Friedlander highlights all the happenings from from Paris Couture Week. “Karl Lagerfeld walked a model in a stuffed lion mask down the runway, Dita Von Teese strutted Gaultier’s in a dominatrix outfit to which only she could do justice, and the models that walked the Dior runway brought new meaning to botanics. It’s easy to look at these elaborate runway shows and ogle over their extraordinariness. But when you take away Karl’s eight-ton lion, what exactly are we looking at? What is Haute Couture? And why does it have its own week?

Our trusty reference book, The Fashion Book defines haute couture:

“An industry of established couturiers, or dressmakers, protected by the law and governed by the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne with rigid regulations and emphasis on craftsmanship. Haute Couture specifically refers to the manufacture of made-to-measure garments, an industry that employs a small group of highly skilled craftspeople. In terms of revenue, haute couture no longer pays its way but is still shown twice a year (in January and July).”

To be dubbed Couture, a design house must adhere to a set of strict rules set forth by governing group Chambre Syndicale. The house must employ 15 full time workers and create 35 new garments per show, all of which must be strictly made-to-measure items. Because of the Syndical’s rigidness, only a few brands hold the title of haute couture. Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Gaultier — these are some of the more famous collections shown.”