Guest Writer: Is couture Charles Worth intended it to be a thing of the past?

This article was submitted by Sasha Ellis. I think it is extremely interesting and really motivated me to think deeper about the history of fashion and couture... and where did haute couture and elegance go - or is it something for only the elite or extremely wealthy (not celebrity wealthy...Paris Hilton, etc. but the wealthy that we don't or rarely see)? Sasha illuminated Charles Frederick Worth the "Father of Haute Couture", Coco Chanel (a personal favorite of mine - see the wall of inspiration) and many more... please enjoy this article!

Is couture Charles Worth intended it to be a thing of the past?

By Olivia Ellis

Haute couture was founded by Charles Worth in the early 19th century.

Haute couture simply means that a garment is richly made from the best fabrics tailored for a specific customer. In order for a garment to be considered couture it has to meet the strict standards.

The question at hand is, does today’s couture meet the liking of Charles worth? Has couture become so mainstream that it has lost its rich value? Have we allowed Prêt-a-por (ready to wear) to take the place of real couture? There are names such as Balenciaga, Coco Chanel, and Elsa Schiaparelli that fought for their houses during the great wars of past time, and would do all that it took to maintain the wealth of their garments. These designers have paved the way for high fashion as we see it today.

When looking at Balenciaga and even CoCo Chanel they were very selective about their clientele, only designing for the few chosen ones (with every sense of the word), Balenciaga made sure that he left his mark with his understudies and paved a path for them to carry on great works, before leaving the design world to teach instead. And what about Elsa that brought the paintings of various artists one of them being the famous Salvador Dali to life through her many works. And not to forget Mainbocher who designed wedding dresses for the rich and oh so famous of the time. Many designers of that age did great things such as perfected what we know as the “bias cut”, and easy flowing but rich designs of the time, invented the tunic as we know it today and took the meaning of an evening gown to a whole other level of sophistication, but have we lost that classic touch that makes Haute Couture just that, HAUTE?

Let’s not confuse the likings of the ready to wear run way with that of rich and very unique garments worn, appreciated, and tailor made for its clientele. Let us get back to what Haute Couture really is, let’s take Balenciaga and not re-invent his silhouette, but pay much due respect to his big draping garments and artistic dress. Thank you Oscar, Andre Courreges, Emanuel Ungaro, Givency and many others for carrying out the vision that our great designers fought to accomplish.

Long Live Haute Couture!

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