July, 2nd, 2012

Haute Couture is a matter of Pride FRANCESCA MAROTTA

With the first collection signée Raf Simons, earlier today chez DIOR , and amidst the twitter fashion congregation of fashion edi tors, bloggers, cognoscenti, one mot to has emerged: Haute Couture is not embroidery. We asked our Lon don Edi tor-a-in-Fashion, Designer Francesca Marotta to mull over the events of this morning by revisiting the meaning of Haute Couture. 

En vous souhaitant le loisir de la lecture,

L’Édi tor

 

 

Haute Couture is french for “high sewing” or “high dressmaking”; refers to the creation of exclusive cus tom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific cus tomer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, h and-executed techniques. Couture is a common abbreviation of Haute Couture and refers to the same thing in spirit.

 

 In 1939, there were 70 registered Couture Houses in Paris, including Chanel, Schiaparelli and Balenciaga. All was disrupted by the wartime occupation of Paris. Towards the end of the war, the Paris Couturiers created “Le Théâtre de la Mode”. It was an exhibition of around 200 dolls, dressed in the latest styles and arranged in theatre sets designed by artists such as Christian Bérard and Jean Cocteau. This project toured Britain, Sc andinavia and the USA and raised funds for war victims and promoted French fashion. The Golden Age of Couture was between 1947 and 1957 in Paris and in Lon don.

 

Christian Dior started it with the launch of his Couture House on February 12^th 1947 and the launch of his New Look which consisted of a fitted jacket with a nipped in waist and full calf length skirt. It was a dramatic change from wartime austerity styles. After the rationing of fabric during the Second World War, Dior’s lavish use of material was a bold and shocking stroke. His style used yards and yards of fabric.

Approximately 10 yards was used for early styles. Later Dior used up to 80 yards for newer refinements that eliminated bulk at the waist. The New Look and new approach to fashion was a major post war turning point in Fashion His tory. In his book the “Little Black Dress” and were often accessorized with gloves and small hats.

 

In Paris; Houses such as Balenciaga, Balmain and Fath were known for elegance and glamour. In Lon don; Hardy Amies was famous for his impeccable tailoring. By the late 1950s, the leading Couture Houses had become more global. The SS and AW Collections were the culmination of the Couture Houses activities. The showing followed fixed laws of precedence, beginning with the day wear and ending with the evening gowns. The most popular designs were referred to as “Fords”, certain others were called “Trafalgars”. The latter were to draw attention to the new line and often made the covers or main pages of the magazines.

 

This is when pho tographers such as The creation of Couture is a matter of Pride.

Dior said once : “My mannequins sail forth like a brilliant armada, all sails flying, going forth to conquer the world in the cause of the new fashion”.Dior’s death in 1957 brought this Golden Age to an end. Fashion moved from the fittings rooms and ateliers in to the streets and boutiques. Yet, its legacy of artistry and craftsmanship survives in the remaining Houses of Paris and bespoke workshops in Savile Row.

Francesca Marotta | Lon don | July 2, 2012.