Haute Couture Essay

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Fashion

High fashion today is the fusion of business and art, and the role that couture plays is that it is the artistic side of high fashion. The phrase haute couture is literally French for 'high fashion', which illustrates how strongly the two concepts are linked. A simplistic understanding of haute couture is that it is the apex of the industry, clothing made to the highest level of artistry, entirely by hand. Couture items are made specifically for the wearer, and thus are perfectly fitted (Thomas, 2014). Haute couture's role in fashion as the pinnacle of the field is undisputed, but the understanding does leave room for nuance. Couture is a protected term, and as such it can only be produced by an haute couture house. The production of couture is specifically delineated by rules established by the Parisian Chamber of Commerce, and only certain ateliers are allowed to work on couture garments (Wang, 2013). Thus, there is an element of exclusivity in haute couture that cannot be found even in other high fashion garments. That said, high fashion garments can be of equal quality to couture -- they simply will not have the designation of haute couture if they do not meet all of the strict criteria. It is important to examine the role of haute couture in fashion today, in particular with respect to its relationship with contemporary high fashion.

The Role of Fashion and of Couture within Fashion

The fashion industry markets luxury on a sliding scale. Everybody buys clothes, and those clothes come to form one of the most significant outward expressions of personality. Even if someone only purchases clothes for pragmatic reasons, that is an expression of the dominant pragmatic traits of their personality. People who purchase fashion do so deliberately as an expression of their own personality elements. The fashion industry is structured in this way, to encourage people to visualize a version of themselves that is themselves at their best. In that sense, the fashion industry is inherently aspirational in nature. The customer wants to look his or her best if possible, within their budget, because ultimately when one's fashion aligns with one's personality, this will have a positive impact on self-perception.

People in modern society aspire to upward mobility, and this aspiration reflects in their fashion choices. High fashion in general and haute couture in particular reflect the pinnacle of this aspiration, but it is essentially the top of the industry pyramid. The higher up the fashion pyramid, the more differentiated the product becomes. At the lowest levels are generic, barely-designed products made en masse with cost as their defining attribute. Brands often appear at different stages of the pyramid, a reflection of a branding strategy to leverage aspirational buying. Some designers that operate mainly in high fashion will place products in lower categories as an enticement to consumers, to start those consumers thinking about "trading up." Haute couture, however, plays a different role because it is at the top of the pyramid.

In the mid-19th century, the modern class of luxury goods arose from the increasing middle class, and the desire to express social stratification. The more layers in society, the more the clothing industry needed to reflect this. Frederick Worth was a major contributor to the development of haute couture. Previously, couturiers worked for royalty in their employ, where Worth began a process of democratization with couture, allowing couturiers to express themselves more fully as artists, provided there was a market for such luxurious clothing, which of course there was. Thus, in the mid-19th century, society was becoming increasingly stratified. The clothing industry was also becoming stratified, with the advent of mass production at the low end, and haute couture at the high end. The major shift at work was that the customer went to the couturier, giving the couturier more power and prestige (Rosa, 2013). Worth's work essentially defined couture -- formal, elegant, of high art and exquisite craftsmanship.

Consider the image in Appendix A, from the Chanel Spring 2015 couture show. Lagerfeld's work is a good frame for the role that haute couture plays in modern high fashion. His work has been described as more democratic in nature, closing the gap between social class in fashion (Rosa, 2013). While this approach has been applied to his ready-to-wear look, it makes sense in the context of the Chanel spring couture as well. The works are approachable and youthful in their style, yet they maintain adherence to the principles of couture.

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First and foremost, the collection is the visionary work of an artist. This is the highest pinnacle for fashion. At the bottom of the pyramid, fashion is strictly a business, without even a hint of artistry in mass-produced T-shirts and other generic staples. At the top of the pyramid, fashion is entirely an art. In the middle there are varying levels of each, but the higher up the pyramid, the more the art becomes the focus. Lagerfeld described his spring Chanel show as deriving from a vision the concept from which the set and clothes derive. These are still sumptuous clothes, requiring heroic investment in labour-hours and made from the finest materials (Blanks, 2015). They also reflect the luxury of today, which is less reflective of old money and status, and more reflective of youthful freedom, and the expression that comes with that. The work below has an element of fun, quite appropriate for spring, but also unique detailing, and it fits with a coherent theme and vision of playfulness that runs throughout the collection.

It should be remembered that couture arose as an exploration of the artist, and the relationship that the artist could form with the clientele when they were nearly as equals, the artist an entrepreneur rather than hired help. Today's couture has shifted in its tone from that of yesteryear, where the wealthy and glamourous favoured sumptuousness as a means of expression of their status. Formality is less a virtue among today's couture buyers, and among the world's leading fashion personalities. The role that haute couture plays in fashion should never have been interpreted as clinging to the past at all costs, but to be the leading edge of the industry. Haute couture was never about the buyer, which is ironic given that the works are designed for each specific customer, but the truth is that haute couture is entirely about being the pinnacle of design, the one part of the fashion industry that exists without commercial intent. Couture is of course very expensive, but the point is to transcend price and focus strictly on the highest art in fashion, and on that point it is easy to look at the Chanel spring collection and understand the role of couture in high fashion.

The Approach

Lagerfeld gained his inspiration for the collection and the work from a vision that he had, incorporating the spring theme with a variety of design elements. He is known for the muses that serve as inspiration, the most fashionable models and clients. Their desires inspire the designs seen in this collection, highlighting the modernity of the work. This is an entirely reasonable approach, because each successful collection should represent progress in fashion, and exploration, rather than simply looking to the past. Haute couture is often thought of is being inherently formal, but it need not be. The guidelines that define haute couture are clear with respect to quality but there is no mandate to affect a particular vision or style. Indeed, looking at the origins of haute couture it is evident that it never should affect any one vision or conceptualization. Haute couture was born of the artist taking his own work into his hands, and this implies that couture should always be a reflection of the artist. The work should showcase not only beauty and vision, but exceptional technical skill as well. If those conditions are met, then the couture is doing its job -- it is a showcase for the best designers in the world to exhibit their boldest, most innovative visions. This is the way that all artistry works -- pure, unbridled artistry is the height of exclusivity and of style.

Haute couture's role in relation to other high fashion is to be the leading edge. Fashion is this pyramid of aspirational products, and even other high fashion aspires to haute couture. High fashion designers seek to prove themselves worthy of contributing to a couture show, of having the opportunity to design at the highest level. That haute couture is exclusive by law is precisely why it is at this highest level. High fashion can be done by anybody with the skill and determination, but that alone is not enough for something to be haute couture. In that, haute couture all but demands the highest level of artistry, of performing every function within the fashion industry to its highest level, and that can only happen when the designers are given leeway in interpreting couture for themselves......

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