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- 2. Shrouded in mystery Exclusive Hush Hush Secretive Extravagant
- 3. What is Haute Couture?
- 8. World War II
- 9. Post War
- 10. Golden Age
- 11. Today
- 14. FIDM Library TITLES: 167 DVD/Video: 34 REFERENCE: 32 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: ~200 New York Public Library TITLES: 65 DVD: 7 REFERENCE: 128 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: 32
- 26. Future
- 28. Samsung Partners With Makeup Artist Charlotte Tilbury for VR Ad Starring Kate Moss Fragrance spot debuts at New York Fashion Week
- 31. WORK CITED Binkley, Christina. "On Style: The Rules of Haute Couture --- As more Americans shop fashion's top tier, they learn to navigate a tradition-bound world." Wall Street Journal, New York, N.Y., 2016. Blasberg, Derek. "Vive La Couture!" Harper's Bazaar 04 2009: 85,86, 88, 90. ProQuest. Web. 28 Sep. 2016. Chen, Brian X. "Sony PlayStation VR Review: The Best of an Early Crop." Nytimes.com. New York Times, 5 Oct. 2016. Web. 10 Oct. 2016. "Dior Creates Its Own Virtual Reality Headset - LVMH." LVMH. LVMH, 12 June 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2016. Ladonne, Jennifer. "Chanel's Métiers D'art." France Today 29.5 (2014): 70-75. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Oct. 2016 Palmer, Alexandra. "Haute Couture." The Berg Companion to Fashion. Ed. Valerie Steele. Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic, 2010. Bloomsbury Fashion Central. Web. 20 Sep. 2016. Passariello, Christina. "The Return of Haute Couture; with a New Global Clientele, Fashion's Highest Art is on the Rise." WSJ : the Magazine from the Wall Street Journal 05 2012ProQuest. Web. 20 Sep. 2016. Swant, Marty. "Samsung Partners With Makeup Artist Charlotte Tilbury for VR Ad Starring Kate Moss Fragrance Spot Debuts at New York Fashion Week." AdWeek. AdWeek.com, 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. "Cover: Vogue." Vogue Feb 05 1903. ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Editor's Notes
- The world of Haute Couture is a highly exclusive and private. There are only about 200 members in the entire world who buy haute couture on a regular bases. Haute Couture designers are highly protective of their collections and consider their creations as extraordinary pieces of art. But, to gain access to this exclusive world, one does not have to be a member or an editor of world renown magazine. Instead, individuals can gain access by simply going into a Library. A library such as the ones at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). Where our collections of books, media, textiles and costume can open this private world to anyone who walks through our doors.
- The French word “Haute” means very high and The French word “Couture” translate to sewing. So HC to the French means Very High Quality Sewing. From start to finish of a garment the couturiers use highly skilled workers to create exceptionally hand sewn, made to measure clothing from distinctive fashion houses that cater specifically to individual buyers. And why is Haute Couture so important? HC sets the direction for the upcoming Ready-to-wear collections. Elements of Haute Couture – whether it be the details, colors, fabrics or overall theme influences the next seasons and future seasons because it so forward.
- Where does Haute Couture begin? Englishman tailor & dressmaker Charles Fredrick Worth is credit as being the “father” of Haute Couture. In the Mid-1800’s Worth moved to Paris and quickly established himself becoming the first “Grand Courtlieer” after dressing Princess Pauline de Matternim of Austria for the Palace of the Tulieries. Worth’s Clientele included nobility of European courts and new bour·geoi·sie who came to his new luxury Paris Salon rather than the patron’s homes.
- What was radical in the mid-nineteenth century was that a male was creating women’s fashion, a situation that required intimacy between a dressmaker and client, which previously been a female-dominated profession. Worth’s designs commanded high prices that were a substantial investment in the garment itself and recognizable design style. He created artistic designs from which is clients could select fabrics and styles that were made to measure.
- At the turn of the 20th century leading courturiers came from Madeliene Vionnet, Lucile, and Paul Poiret who famously proclaimed in the name liberty “the fall of the corset and the adoption of brassiere which, since then, has won the day”
- The 1920’s saw an era of decadence, exuberance and celebration thanks to the designs of Coco Chanel, Jean Patou and Jeanne Lanvin. Followed by more simple/sophisticated designs of the 1930’s influenced by the global economic recession. Where flaunting one’s wealth was unacceptable. Madeleine Vionnet is credited with creating the bias cut taking away the bulk from a dress and allowing it fit accurately on the female body,
- In 1939 there were 70 Haute Couture houses, but during World War II (1939–1945) and particularly the German Occupation of Paris, created a crisis in the industry. Houses closed or considerably cut down operations. The Nazis even tried unsuccessfully to move the Haute Couture from Paris to Berlin or Vienna
- Post World War II – was known as the Golden age of Couture – because after years of austerity and rationing came a desire for wealth, lavishness and luxury. Profits soured thanks to Christian Dior, Cristabolal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain and Hubert Givenchy
- Post World War II – 1950’s saw rigorous regulations instituted to regulate the quality and prestige of HC These regulations include: At least 25 designs had to be made in house Garments Must be made on a live model Collections presented on live model Collections must be presented In an “appropriate” setting in Paris
- Today there are roughly about 2 dozen houses who still show Haute Couture. For fashion companies it is huge financial loss and haute couture as an industry produces less than 10% of the French clothing industry. BUT……the HC collections receive fantastic international press and prestige for the houses.
- HC Costumer Demands: Quality Elegance Perfect Fitting As long as these woman exist – HC will exisit Today, there are ~1,000 HC Clients in the world, and only a few 200 who place regular orders
- The FIDM Libraries are one of the largest specialized fashion libraries in the United States. FIDM consists of four campuses, LA, OC, SF and SD each with it’s own library. FIDM has acquired over 32,000 book volumes, including artist and designer biographies, industry directories, exhibit catalogs and academic journals. But we have much, much more than just books pertaining to HC. And the FIDM library is open to the scholars, researchers and lovers of fashion. So anyone who wants to dive into the world of HC can by coming to one of our four campuses.
- NYPL – Approx 80 branches ………PLUS 4 Research Libraries
- Besides the 34 video titles we hold specifically on Haute Couture. All four FIDM Libraries subscribe to VIDEOFASHION News. Every season, Videofashion shoots all the designer collections in New York, London, Milan, and Paris -- plus special events like Bridal Week, and the HAUTE COUTURE COLLECTIONS. Along with Videofashion, we subscribe to World Fashion Tour, Video Fashion Tour, Video Fashion Collections and my favorite The Designer Series – a series of 24 minute segments profiling many of the world top designers including those who create HC such as Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Karl Lagerfeld
- The FIDM Libraries subscribe to 36 online databases, all of which are available to currently enrolled students and some available to FIDM Almuni and researchers. Of the 36 – 14 of the databases have some sort of Reference to Haute Couture, whether it be historical, reviews, pictorials or financial. One of the most popular is WGSN – the trend forecasting, reporting and consumer analysis site. WGSN posts pictures of every garment from every HC show about 24 hours after the show runs User can search past collections by season and specific designer. There are videos, new stories, blog postings and calendars of upcoming events.
- Also after every season WGSN puts together analysis of the “Best of” looks and styles coming from the shows, not just for the clothing but for make-up and hair as well.
- The Vogue Archive allows users to search through every single edition of Vogue beginning with the inaugural 1892 issue. From 1915-2016 ~1,700 articles referencing “Haute Couture”
- Users can also browse the complete publication run of U.S. Harperâs Bazaar since its first issue in 1867 to the present. From 1873 to 2016 ~18,000 articles referencing “Haute Couture”
- There are ~3500 items in Special Collections. Special Collections is a collection of rare and unique materials, including books, magazines, photographs, and original sketches. The collection dates primarily from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Many of the materials in Special Collections are fashion and costume design oriented, but the collection includes resources on Interior Design as well.
- We have several printed issues of The Gazette du Bon Ton, a small but influential fashion magazine published in France from 1912 to 1925.
- Not only can our users access Vogue and Harpers Bazaar in digital format, but our Special Collection holds almost every issue in original Print. Our collection of Vogue magazines (first published in 1892) includes almost every issue since 1903 and our collection of Harper’s Bazaar (first published in 1867) includes almost every issue since the 1860s.
- FIDM is the only institution in the western United States to offer Material Connexion - a cutting edge textiles and materials collection to its students. The Textiles department has also curated an impressive permanent collection of sustainable and innovative materials and products, such as apparel made from coffee grounds or milk or coconut.
- The FIDM MUSEUM STUDY Collection is a Hands-on resource for education and inspiration that includes women’s, men’s, children’s garments, and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. Student and instructors can check out these garments from the Museum Department in LA or through the Libraries in OC, SF, and San Diego.
- Even on the same day in 2009 when an estimated 70,000 people lost their jobs world wide Dior open the Couture Season to great enthusiasm. That year John Galliano called it a “credit crisis not a creative crisis.” HC is Shrinking but surviving and even though the vast majority of us will never see a live HC runway show or purchase an outfit, the interest and what HC inspires has ever been greater.
- AND ONE WAY to keep the interest growing and to expand the access to HC is to showcase it in Virtual Reality. Image walking into your library and sitting down in a comfy chair and putting on a virtual reality headset to watch a live stream of the Spring/Summer 2017 Dior Couture Runway show. This is not as far off you may think! The technology is becoming cheaper and more widespread. This coming Christmas except to see Sony’s Playstation VR set to be the BIG HOT Item consumers will be purchasing. And what is Virtual Reality - Virtual reality is the creation of a virtual environment presented to our senses in such a way that we experience it as if we were really there.
- Virtual Reality is already incorporated into fashion. During the Fall/Winter 2017 New York Fashion Week Samsung partnered with Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury for a VR ad starring Kate Moss. In the Ad, Kate Moss is seen floating through space and then emerges on a dance floor. The viewer gets to experience the feeling of floating through space and dance with one of the world’s biggest supermodels. Samsung 827 partnered with Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s newest line and created a “see now, buy now” station. They livestreamed many shows to broaden the audience in a way that’s the unusual for the typically exclusive nature of high fashion.
- In 2016, DIOR Created DIOR EYES. Designed entirely by Dior, the Virtual Reality headset “offers the ultimate immersive experience with backstage access to its latest runway.” In some Dior stores around the world, costumers are able to put on the headset that let them feels as if they really are backstage with DIOR models, make-up artists and craftsmen during final preparations for the Spring/Summer 2016 ready to wear show.
- The future of haute couture should not be judged by its fragile economic structure or its exclusivity. Instead we should have a fresh appreciation for the time devoted to its creations. Bruno Pavlousky, Chanel’s President of Fashion, said “Haute Couture is for everyone. While this might sound absurd, think about HC as the same you would a Matisse or a Picasso painting . You may not own one or ever get a chance to see to one in a museum or exhibit. But you can still appreciate it’s beauty.” And just like a Matisse or Picasso, the world of Haute Couture is accessible in Libraries through books, media, online databases and, maybe, one day virtual reality.