Last Updated on December 15, 2021
John Galliano & Dior haute couture dress
Haute couture is one of the most misused terms in fashion. Some of the uninitiated toss it around relentlessly in an ungainly belief that peppering your language with "exotic" French expressions will make you sound smarter while others (ab)use it because haute couture collections are way fancier than ready-to-wear, so everything that's at least a bit fancy in the eye of the beholder automatically becomes "couture":
My boyfriend bought me a Hysteric Glamour shirt
They're hard to find in the States, got me feeling coutureGwen Stefani, Harajuku Girls
The main misconception people have about the term haute couture is that it applies to all handmade and/or made-to-order garments, whether manufactured by seamstresses at Dior or aspiring fashion design students. This isn't entirely incorrect, but it is a very loose interpretation of the term. Some fashion houses add to the confusion by falsely describing their special collections as "haute couture"; you'd think they should be the first ones making sure the term is used properly, but fashion industry probably fuels the mystery behind these two words on purpose as to create more buzz.
So, then, what is haute couture in its narrowest sense?
According to Wikipedia, the term haute couture is protected by law in France and is defined by the Paris Chamber of Commerce (Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris). To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, a fashion house 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/exits with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.
Fashion houses meeting these rather challenging criteria (the second is particularly fantastic, I have an unflagging desire to visit an haute couture atelier and observe the dressmakers' meticulous work because I often feel like it is more interesting than the preceding design process) are selected each year by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and then become members of the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture (Chambre syndicale de la haute couture). However, even this most elite selection has its hierarchy - members are divided into "official" (French houses such as Chanel and Dior), "correspondent" (foreigners, most notably Armani and Valentino), "guest" (new talents), "jewelry" and "accessories".
The official ongoing list of fashion houses who make the cut is published here.
good call.
i hope you will write about "vintage" too.
I LOVE this post and somebody explaining this ;) Good job! ?
That's really interesting. I knew it's quite hard to become a member but I didn't know the rules
Dear Ms. Domijan,
Thank you for the fantastic post. I teach sewing to kids and, if you don't mind, I'm going to re-format the information so I can frame it, credit you and hang it on the wall in my studio. I think most people don't even know that the Federation exists.
I got the list of the members of the Federation from its home page. I'm planning to put together some kind of book/binder of all of the designers in the Federation so they can associate the designers with some of their signature looks. There is so much to fashion, fashion construction and even machinery that is used to create clothing. The more people know the more they and, even more importantly, their parents can appreciate and be respectful of it.
I just subscribed to your blog and look forward to more interesting articles.
Best,
Beth Greenblatt
The Sewing Studio
Sudbury, MA 01776
Wonderfully written and important to know. Thank you for this information and I will be back to receive more. Blessings!
YES!! thank you for reporting that... I live in the U.S. and lot of citizens have no clue about true Haute Couture .. I would love to study this dying art form...I detest some of these designers fashion houses using the word in their label and charging outrageous prices for "mass produced " wares and even more horrid ,people buy it.proudly at that..
Thank you for the info! Interesting!
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Hi,
I just discovered this web side, and I am very glad I did. It is very nice presented, but what's more important, it is very well and clearly written. Thank you. I am a first year fashion student who is hungry for the whole fashion knowledge. I just opened a fashion blog, mostly for myself, because in order to write something I need first to look for the information, and that is how I learn. Today I was looking at all the houte couture shows, and some of them did not impress me at all, so I started wondering what exactly are the requirements for fashion houses to be in those shows. You answered me perfectly, and If I need more information, I will know how to look for it.
Hi.
Thanks for the simple article.
One more thing:
1. Could you please differentiate between 'couture', and 'haute couture'? Or, is 'couture', not 'couture', without the 'haute'?
2. Your article points towards 'haute couture'. Does that mean that plain-simple 'couture' is either, short for, or separate from the 'haute' part?
It's the same thing.
I love short but thorough articles like this that provide standards I can use to govern myself. Such standards are a tremendous blessing towards togetherness and unity. Thank you so much for your hard work and time to help people like me understand the fashion and textile industry.
So surprised to see that two of my favorite fashion houses didn't make the cut to be on the list: Burberry and Gucci.
Thanks for the information.
In school I got in trouble for calling out one of the instructors for calling EVERYTHING we made "(insert title) - couture" because I felt like it cheapened the work of actual couture ateliers and the people who produce it. I should have just shown her this article.