John Galiano
Haute Couture does not just mean 'really expensive clothes that we could never wear'- in fact it is the name given to a very exclusive fashion club that designers strive to be a part of and actually has a massive influence on our wardrobes.
The term literally means "high sewing" or "high dressmaking" in French and refers to the very highest technical expertise of fashion design which has been practised in Paris for centuries.
Some of the extragant creations by the likes of John Galiano and Jean Paul Gaultier that hit the catwalk in Haute Couture Week may not be something you could wear on the street but their influence on the fashion world is huge.
The huge blooms of material at the hemlines of dramatic looking ballgowns and the over-the-top headwear of the haute couture collections are often just an embelished take on what we will see on the high street the following season.
Although haute couture is very much a French product today- it is in fact an Englishman who is mostly credited with founding the industry.
Take a look at this Christian Lacroix creation from Haute Couture Fashion Week Spring/Summer 08 in January. The hemline is an exaggerated take on this summer's big tulip skirt trend and flower coursages and hair clips are also set to be big this season.
The term haute couture is even protected by law in France and is governed by the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris based in Paris.
The rules of the Chambre state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture- which basically means if you're not on the list you can't call yourself haute couture.
The criteria for haute couture were established way back in 1945 but were updated in 1992 and still stand firm today. Anyone wanting to become a member of the exclusive Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture must follow these rules.....
Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.
Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.
Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear
The official members for last season's Haute Couture Fashion Week were as follows....
Adeline André
Anne Valérie Hash
Chanel
Christian Dior
Christian Lacroix
Dominique Sirop
Emanuel Ungaro
Franck Sorbier
Givenchy
Jean Paul Gaultier
Maurizio Galante
The Chambre also permits correspondent or foreign members from outside Paris. Last season they were....
Elie Saab
Giorgio Armani
Maison Martin Margiela
Valentino SpA
Guest members are also admitted to the Haute Couture club each season after consideration from official members.
Although haute couture is very much a French product today- it is in fact an Englishman who is mostly credited with founding the industry. Couturier Charles Frederick Worth was born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, but had a huge impact on the French fashion industry in the late 19th century by creating one-of-a-kind designs to please some of his most wealthy customers.
Although he was known for his haute couture creations he is also widely accepted as the first person to adapt a base range of designs to suit the size and shape of the individual customer- which resembles today's 'ready to wear' industry.
So although haute couture may seem like an over-indulgent waste of time which is a million miles from anything we can buy in the high street- the dramatic creations we see on the catwalks of Dior and Givenchy actually make up the base on which all our fashion is built.
Caz Moss- Female First