When was the word “couture” established

jaychou1

,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]When was the word “couture” established in the fashion world?
That goes back to the Chambre Syndicale in Paris,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], so it’s been around for more than a century. Couture really just means an article of clothing that was made for a specific client. The Chambre Syndicale audits the designer,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who is then designated as a couturier. A certain number of very specifically skilled seamstresses have to be on hand for a designer to qualify as a couturier. It’s an expensive and dying art form.
Couture and haute couture are used interchangeably. Our department is called vintage couture and accessories. We handle a lot of couture,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but we also handle a lot of prêt-à-porter. In the ’60s,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], prêt-à-porter,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which is French for ready to wear,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], was introduced and really became the mainstream.
Couture is a very hot topic in the fashion world right now. Chanel puts on couture extravaganzas as a kind of advertising for its ready-to-wear lines. These shows set the tone for Chanel’s season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but they have a very limited couture clientele because no one’s going to spend $200,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],000 on a gown for one event anymore.
Gucci is famous for its bamboo-handled miumiu Bags and logo print. This one,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], from the 1960s,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], is stamped Gucci. Private Collection,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], New York,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], New York.
Yes,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], because that’s its birthplace. Chado Ralph Rucci is an American designer,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but he also had to apply to the Chambre Syndicale before he could call himself a couturier. Lots of people call themselves couturiers,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but I think there are only around 10 of them working today. It’s an intensive screening process.
Certain designers are really committed to it,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and there are a lot of Middle Eastern clients right now. There will always be people who’ll commission a wedding gown or debutante ball gown,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but the overhead for the couture houses and their shows is incredibly expensive. So it’s seen more as marketing and advertising for the regular lines than an inducement to get people to actually hire Karl Lagerfeld to fit them for an unbelievable evening gown or suit.