French leadership in European fashion may perhaps be dated from the 18th century, when the art, architecture, music, and fashions of the French court at Versailles were imitated across Europe. Visitors to Paris brought back clothing that was then copied by local dressmakers. Stylish women also ordered fashion dolls dressed in the latest Parisian fashion to serve as models.
As railroads and steamships made European travel easier, it was increasingly common for wealthy women to travel to Paris to shop for clothing and accessories. French fitters and dressmakers were commonly thought to be the best in Europe, and real Parisian garments were considered better than local imitations.
HAUTE COUTURE
is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
The couturier Charles Frederick Worth is widely considered the father of haute couture as it is known today. Although born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, Worth made his mark in the French fashion industry. Revolutionizing how dressmaking had been previously perceived, Worth made it so the dressmaker became the artist of garnishment: a fashion designer. While he created one-of-a-kind designs to please some of his titled or wealthy customers, he is best known for preparing a portfolio of designs that were shown on live models at the House of Worth. Clients selected one model, specified colors and fabrics, and had a duplicate garment tailor-made in Worth's workshop. Worth combined individual tailoring with a standardization more characteristic of the ready-to-wear clothing industry, which was also developing during this period.
Following in Worth's footsteps were Callot Soeurs, Patou, Poiret, Vionnet, Fortuny, Lanvin, Chanel, Mainbocher, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, and Dior. Some of these fashion houses still exist today, under the leadership of modern designers.
In the 1960s a group of young designers who had trained under men like Dior and Balenciaga left these established couture houses and opened their own establishments. The most successful of these young designers were Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, and Emanuel Ungaro. Japanese native and Paris-based Hanae Mori was also successful in establishing her own line.
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Christian Lacroix was perhaps the most successful of the fashion "haute couture" houses opened in the late 20th century.
And here's a true story out of the UK Telegraph pages:
"What really hurts," says Christian Lacroix slowly, "is that my name, which I have now lost, is the name of my family. Whoever does take over the business can use it and abuse it as they like, but it's my father's name, and my grandfather's name – men who brought me up to have a very rigid moral backbone; men who taught me never to have any debts."
Were his father alive today, the 58-year-old designer admits, he would be agonised to learn that his son's celebrated couture house – currently owned by the US-based Falic Group – went into voluntary receivership last week as a consequence of 10 million euro losses. And with 125 jobs at stake (including Lacroix's) unless a new investor is found in the next fortnight, the future looks bleak for the many workers who have stayed loyal to Lacroix since the company started trading 22 years ago.
***HAUTE COUTURE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME***
