PQs haute COUTURE
hauteCouture
PHOTOGRAPHY
Christoph Marti
MODELS
(left) Angela Hasler
(middle) Żaneta Stelmach
Model (right) Justine Kübler
MUA
Jasmin Fahrni
ASSISTANTS
Jessica Thomed
Luca Rickli
WORDS
Rozwell
The Haute Couture makes stylish statements between the model and the clothing. Haute Couture is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute Couture is high-end fashion that is constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
Couture translates literally from French as "dressmaking" but may also refer to fashion, sewing, or needlework and is also used as a common abbreviation of Haute Couture and refers to the same thing in spirit. Haute translates literally to "high". A Haute Couture garment is often made for a client, tailored specifically for the wearer's measurements and body stance. Considering the amount of time, money, and skill allotted to each completed piece, Haute Couture garments are also described as having no price tag: budget is not relevant.
The term Haute Couture originally was named to refer to the works of Englishman Charles Frederick Worth. The Haute Couture name described his work, produced in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century. The Dapifer noted that the brillant mind of the masterful Worth would allow his clients to select colors, fabrics and other specific details before ever beginning his design process which was unheard of at the time.
In modern France, Haute Couture is a protected name that may not be used except by firms that meet certain defined standards. However, the term is also used to describe all high-fashion clothing whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals such as London, Milan, New York City or Tokyo. In either case, the term can refer to the fashion houses or fashion designers that create exclusive and often trend-setting fashions or to the fashions created. -PQ