Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
This is The Sleepy History of Haute Couture, narrated by Elizabeth Grace, written by Leila Weir. Haute Couture. You may have heard this French term, which translates to high fashion, before. But what does it actually mean? Where did this elite fashion culture begin?
and what really qualifies as couture. Tonight, we'll venture into the fashion houses of London, Paris, and New York, and discover the origins and development of this pinnacle in the world of clothing design, and we'll learn how it has transformed into the multi-million dollar industry that it is today.
So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of haute couture. These days, couture is a household word, and people around the world see couture looks via pictures of models on the catwalk and celebrities on the red carpet.
The products of designer brands are highly sought after in countries all over, and high fashion boutiques like Louis Vuitton in Paris are major stops on the tourist circuit. But what qualifies certain fashion and specific designers as haute couture, while others are not? What exactly does the term mean?
And when and how did this multi-million dollar global phenomenon begin? The image of Haute Couture is closely intertwined with France and its much romanticized capital, Paris. And for good reason. That is where the term and the movement began. The name itself is French, of course.
meaning essentially high fashion although the word couture technically means sewing but despite the very French roots and history of haute couture it may be surprising to know that the man widely recognized as its father was actually English his name was Charles
Frederick Worth, and he was a very successful fashion designer in Paris during the 1800s. It was Worth who founded a very important fashion organization in 1868, Paris. That organization was a labor union for fashion design houses
But it wasn't a union for just any fashion designers. It was specifically for haute couture design houses. This union became the body that would define and regulate the very meaning of the haute couture designation all the way up until the present day. Nowadays, the union is part of the French Fashion Federation,
regulated under France's Ministry of Industry. From the start, the Union defined specific standards that prospective members must meet in order to be designated as Haute Couture. The rules have evolved and expanded over the years, but the core requirement remains the same:
Members must produce custom-made clothing specifically fitted to each client. Although Worth quite literally founded the modern haute couture movement and led it for many decades, he certainly drew on the work of many others, as any inventor does.
His legacy traces back through countless forebears of fashion, from nameless seamstresses and artisans who created things of beauty through the centuries, to renowned figures like Rose Bertone, who designed Marie Antoinette's decadent gowns. And although Worth was an Englishman, it was far from coincidental
that he founded the modern era of haute couture in Paris. By Worth's day in the 1800s, France had already long been recognized as a source of high quality and luxury fabrics and textiles. In fact, the French government had carefully cultivated this industry and reputation for centuries
In the late 1600s and early 1700s, Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, had ruled over an opulent French court. The Sun King's finance minister recognized the economic value of textiles for France and prioritized protecting and developing the industry.
Over the following centuries, kings and other forms of government came and went. But the view of textiles as important economic products of France remained constant. The country became recognized for producing high-quality and luxury materials with different regions specializing in silk, wool, leather,
and more. Given this background, it was only logical that in the mid-1800s, Charles Frederick Worth would pursue his fashion dreams in Paris, the heart of it all. At the time, Worth founded the Fashion Union in 1868,
He had already been operating his own Paris fashion studio for a decade. The House of Worth was located at No. 7, Rue de la Paille, in the heart of the City of Light, on the right bank of the Seine River. He created quality clothing for the ladies of high society.
using vast swathes of gorgeous cloth, gracefully draped and embellished with ornate decorations. For example, one of Worth's evening dresses, now preserved in the costume collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a vision of rose gold silk.
The rich fabric is artfully draped and twisted into fluid whorls, folds, and pleats. Dusty pink roses and foliage drift across one shoulder and down the side of the skirt. A wide, low neckline, cinched waist, and trailing train
complete the elegant and sumptuous ensemble. Worth's works of art attracted the notice of the women of Paris' high society, and soon, his impressive clientele included the wife of the Austrian ambassador to France, named Princess Metternich. The princess introduced Worth
to the French Empress Eugenie herself, wife of Napoleon III, not to be confused with the original Napoleon. The Empress became Worth's most celebrated patron. It had taken Worth time to reach such soaring social heights, however. As a youngster, Worth had worked for textile sellers
and a yard goods firm in London. His interest in art and design was already apparent, however. The teen reportedly spent his free time researching art history at museums. Then, at the age of 20, he left that work and his native land to move to France.
In Paris, Worth first got work in a dress accessories shop. He worked as a salesman and dressmaker over the coming years. It would be over a decade before he opened his own studio. Once he did, however, his designs and high-quality workmanship carried him to the forefront of ladies' fashion.
Soon, his designs were transforming fashion trends, just as the union he founded transformed the fashion industry. For example, the dress is recognized for popularizing the bustle, a gathering of fabric at the back of a skirt, which became a fashion standard in late 1800s Europe and the United States.
An old photograph shows a mustachioed Worth at work, some sort of artist's smock covering his stiff collared shirt, using a long pointer to indicate something on a garment in progress. In the photo, a live model perches on a high stool. She wears the top of an intricate gown,
Above a plain underskirt, two seamstresses lean in towards her, attentively working on the detail indicated by Wirth's pointer. Birth is generally credited as the originator of the term "fashion designer" as opposed to simply "dressmaker."
The phrase highlighted the artistic aspects of clothing creation and the standards that the Haute Couture Union set for design houses also emphasized the artistry of high fashion. According to the first union requirements, a fashion house had to produce custom-made or bespoke clothing
that was handmade of the finest materials by a team of specialized artisans. This team would include specialists in sewing, embroidering, beading, and a variety of other unique skills. The couture union and field were successful throughout the latter part of the 1800s, and by 1908
The term haute couture was officially recognized in France. Over the following decades, the field of luxury high fashion continued to grow and expand. That was the era where ladies of means would still change outfits for different moments of the day.
and modern industry hadn't yet ushered in the era of mass-produced clothing. By the early 1920s, there were hundreds of official haute couture establishments. The couture houses had long since been recognized as the pinnacle and leaders of Western fashion. So foreign and other clothing makers had begun sending spies
to take notes on the haute couture collections in order to copy them. As a result, a team of fashion workers created an association to protect designers from copycats. Under the new system, they would take photos of their designs on mannequins, capturing images from the front, from the back, and from the sides.
All these photos were then entered into the official record as evidence of the original design. As the 1900s wore on, the number of haute couture designers would eventually shrink as the era of fast fashion began sending quantities of mass-produced clothing to consumers around the world. But the allure of haute couture
with its emphasis on artistry, unique designs and high quality would endure nonetheless. Through it all, a series of innovators pushed boundaries and invented new directions that fast fashion followed. After Worth's era, the designer Coco Chanel dominated the fashion world's transition
away from the constrained and elaborate fashions of Worth's 1800s. Chanel was instrumental in ushering in the more modern styles of the 1900s. Chanel was a seamstress and a singer who rose out of poverty and had spent her adolescence in an orphanage run by nuns.
She came to prominence in France and throughout the fashion world as a designer pioneering simple, comfortable clothing for the new age. It was Chanel who introduced the little black dress, still a staple today. These days, black is the go-to color for elegant evening wear. But at the time, 1926,
It was novel, and rather risqué to wear black, which had previously been the color worn by people in mourning. The early 1900s, and especially the 1920s, often called the Roaring Twenties, were a time of upheaval in Western fashion. Chanel and other leading designers
swept aside long-standing conventions and limitations in women's clothing. Ladies on the cutting edge of fashion didn't only wear black when they weren't in mourning. They donned trousers as well, which had previously been off-limits for females, as well as skirts that were viewed by traditionalists as shockingly short.
sometimes revealing the leg almost to the knee. They also flaunted outfits that borrowed from and celebrated styles of non-Western cultures. A 1929 dress by Coco Chanel in the Metropolitan Museum's collection is a flapper's dream.
and it feels a world away from the copious rose-colored silk of Charles Weir. The 1929 Chanel dress is black and revealing, with slim lines and a skirt that stops mid-calf. It's made of transparent fabric, with delicate beading that curls like vines growing.
to cover just enough to keep the dress acceptable. Chanel was the iconic designer for the first half of the 20th century and even beyond. She created the simple, sleek lines that still stand as a hallmark of modern elegance.
Her style was a far cry from the corseted, hourglass shapes and extravagantly frilled version of elegance preferred in the previous century, when Charles Worth first founded the union of haute couture. But fashion, like all things and probably more than most, is cyclical.
and a new and modern iteration of an hourglass figure was due for resurgence by the middle of the 1900s. During World War II, wartime fabric limits and cost-cutting had driven an austere look in Western women's fashion. But within a few years after the Peace Accords had been signed,
Christian Dior brought in a more glamorous look. It was 1947, and Dior presented a fashion collection marked by tight waists and flared skirts that emphasized feminine curves and used more abundant fabric. It was nicknamed "The New Look," and it swept through the world of women's clothing.
One of the most iconic designs in Dior's collection was called the Bar Suit. It features a creamy silk jacket, form-fitting and buttoned tightly to the waist. Then the jacket flares out suddenly over padded hips, exaggerating the narrow waist in a manner reminiscent of much earlier fashions.
like those of Marie Antoinette and her designer, Rose Bertin. Below the jacket, a black skirt continues to flare out from the padded hips, falling in gentle waves to the mid-calf. The style is completed with a wide black hat, black high-heeled pumps, and black gloves. The new look
ushered in the post-war era in fashion. But other changes were afoot, too, which would alter the way clothes were produced and purchased. In 1946, there had been 106 bought couture houses registered. But in the coming years, mass-produced clothing came into its own, and the audience for couture shrank.
Meanwhile, the haute couture union had introduced new, stricter requirements for members. Not only must designs be custom-made for clients, but specifically, in-person fittings were required. Each house also had to employ at least 20 staff.
and the designers were required to present collections in Paris every season, with both day and evening wear. These factors combined to make it more difficult for haute couture houses to continue. By 1970, the number of official couture fashion houses fell to just 19. It has remained small ever since.
Although the Haute Couture Union is now part of a federation that also includes designers with ready-to-wear collections. However, the handful of officially designated haute couture designers over the last few decades has been supplemented by another category of designers designated simply couture.
These couture houses also present collections at the shows of Paris Fashion Week. The couture designation simply means that the designer's studios aren't located in Paris, which is a requirement for haute couture. Apart from that, they produce fashion that would otherwise qualify under the Union's strict design and production standards.
What's more, the fashion shows now also include guest members, a title created in 1998 to help new designers get started before they've qualified as members of the haute couture union. After guest members present collections for four years in a row, they can apply to become official haute couture houses.
a committee votes to approve or deny the prospective new members together these additional categories of designers who can participate in couture shows have allowed the shows to remain busy and vibrant despite the small number of official oat couture houses over the last decades
As the 1900s moved into the new millennium, the couture houses have continued to present new artistic creations and fashion innovations that have captured the public imagination. In 2013, Radhurani made headlines by debuting the first unisex couture collection.
a novel concept in an industry that long drew sharp distinctions between women's and men's fashion. Male and female models showed off narrow, black or white leggings, underpaneled, tunic-style tops, and slim shorts or skirts. Haute couture has also become a global phenomenon,
And in 2014, Christine Dior took the first haute couture show to Shanghai. And at times, it's the opulent and fantastical presentations of couture collections that have wowed audiences as much as the fashions within the shows.
That was the case with Karl Lagerfeld's 2016 Autumn/Winter show. For Fendi's 90th anniversary, he staged the show in a magnificent fountain in Rome called the Trevi Fountain. It's an 18th-century marvel that features grand pillars, a triumphal arch,
and classical style statues of mythic figures. And thanks to the transparent catwalks, the models in the Fendi show literally walked on water within the huge fountain. It was a flight of fancy that brought to life a world of imagination and fantasy that was well suited to the name of the fashion collection.
legends and fairy tales. Models seem to float over the water in trailing, ornate, dramatic gowns that brought to mind mythical princesses and epic heroines, ethereal fairies and warrior queens. It is this kind of artistry and pageantry, whimsy and luxury,
that have carried haute couture through the modern era, even as its weathered ups and downs. For example, during COVID times, the organizers of Paris Fashion Week found a way to carry on by taking the event digital, so it could happen remotely.
At the same time, the original focus of haute couture on personalized fit and exceptional quality has endured as well. An international collective of seamstresses preserves the craft of couture artisans who continue these time-honored traditions.
It reportedly takes some 150 hours to make one couture dress or suit, and 1,000 hours to complete fine embroidery and embellishments. A gown can take an astonishing 1,600 hours. What's more, this work is done in the actual fashion houses
under the eye of the designers themselves. This is quite something given the expensive Paris addresses of the main haute couture brands and the fashionable global locations of corresponding couture houses. The specific process can vary at different houses, however. Some designers prefer to sketch their clothes
and then watch as the craftspeople bring them to life. Others design their creations by cutting and draping fabric on a mannequin to approximate their vision. All of them, though, continue to prioritize artistry and innovation, seeking to capture attention in a world of fashion that's always looking for something new.
Even as designers walk a line between futuristic looks and nostalgic reinventions of past trends and old-time favorites. Today's designs are a long way from anything Charles Worth would have recognized as appropriate wear for ladies. But the flights of fancy and opulent detail of 21st century haute couture
would surely feel quite familiar to the father of the movement. All that remains is to wonder what looks will come next, which new boundaries will be pushed, and which past glories will be resurrected to take on new life on the catwalk, the red carpet, and ultimately on streets around the world.
as fast fashion takes the couture looks and tames them for wider consumption. Whatever the answers to those questions, it looks like haute couture is a phenomenon that will continue on in the coming years and continue to evolve in new directions in the future, just as it has done throughout the past.