Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Do Your Research Before You Permanently Label Something -_-

The Godfather.

Mr. Dior.

The First Lady of Fashion.

Yves Saint Laurent.

“Haute Couture”. “Haute” means high. “Couture” means sewing/dressmaking. These terms literally make no sense referring to anything else. So next time you see something like “Couture Cakes” or “Couture Nail Varnish” feel free to laugh a whole lot. Violently laugh even. You may laugh so much you might end up in hospital. People use these artisan terms to make simple things SOUND fancy… if only we all spoke French… and now here’s a little “couture” history (by this I don’t mean fancy history, I mean history about the fancy sewing… heh). One name: Charles Frederick Worth aka The Godfather of Haute Couture circa 19th century. He began draping in London, then moved to the city of romance, Paris and worked for some well known Parisienne drapers. There he married one of their models, Marie Vernet, and she would wear some of his creations around the store where customers began asking for copies and the rest is history. Made to measure in luxurious fabrics and trimmings by his own design, handmade and showcased four times a year in Paris. THAT is “Couture” in context. Cake? Not unless it’s part of the garment.

No comments:

Post a Comment