Fashion Blog

DALLAS, Mar 10, 2008 / FW/ — The recently concluded Paris Prêt-a-porter season (Paris Fashion Week) surprised many with the ready-to-wear collections that almost approximate haute couture in terms of fabric and cuts, including the embroidery and tailoring techniques.

Last January, this fashionista asked “Is Luxury Ready-To-Wear The New Trendsetter?” and it seems that Paris answered with a resounding ‘oui’, as collections after collections surpassed the normal specs for luxury ready-to-wear to the point that it is nearer haute couture.

This show of force by the designers actually had the fashion writers, including the French journalists say that with the strong showing at prêt-a-porter, “haute couture will be forced to move forward” during the July season.

This statement does not mean to minimize the influence of haute couture, but luxury ready-to-wear has gotten ahead of haute couture as the trendsetter. And, quite frankly, it really saddens me to say that because I truly believe in haute couture and want it to continue as it always has for the past hundred years.

But like the vinyl records that were replaced by the CD, or the VHS video player/recorder that has been replaced by DVD today, haute couture will find itself as a white elephant if it does not change or to use today’s lingo – upgrade.

Per se, there is nothing wrong with haute couture. The techniques that had been handed down from generation to generation are still being used. Yet, that is the paradox – the knowledge of haute couture, how it is created and done (except for some minute items) has not changed for the past 100 years is proving to be its undoing in a world environment that is used to internet speed.

The time it takes to create the dress itself is long because it is handmade; and then it take several fittings for the dress to be ready for the client. For the current crop of fashionistas and those who are growing up, this is too slow. It’s not about instant gratification.

It’s about being used to ‘faster download, faster upload, faster everything’ like what an ad for broadband internet connection says. In short, the whole world is now used to a ‘faster way of life’ than it was just about 40 years ago, the 1960s, which is considered the height of haute couture’s popularity in recent history.

So, is haute couture doomed to oblivion? I hope not, but it seems it is going that way, unless drastic changes happen. Perhaps, John Galliano is right at Christian Dior wherein haute couture clothes are actually museum pieces. These clothes are not meant to be worn by everyday women, but by mannequins in a museum because they are already works of art.

On the other hand, there is Adeline Andre who uses haute couture as a true fashion laboratory, i.e., inventing something new like the third sleeve. In short, the current crop of couturiers has to create more than just beautiful dresses to be noticed. They have to be inventive like Adeline Andre, create works of art like John Galliano or actually try out something new like a new fashion genre to breathe new life to haute couture.

To use a metaphor, without a blood transfusion at haute couture, luxury ready-to-wear (which includes demi-couture) will be the wave of the future for exquisite dressing.