-: Couture ... a dying art ?

Monday, January 31, 2011

Couture ... a dying art ?

It is true, only 200 of the richest people in the world are about the only people who can afford true couture. The 2 ~ 4000 man hours, the design, the engineering, the workmanship... impeccable. With Couture Fashion Week reduced to 3 days, people worry that this dying art is not accessible enough.

The nature of Couture and Haute Couture is that the pieces are high in cost, which is why the customers are very targeted. Are fashion shows the true way to admire couture, or are private showings the way to go where the best Couture in the world can be apreciated by those who can afford and wear it? In my opinion, our leaders in Couture should stop showing their pieces during fashion weeks. Private shows, will definitely optimize sales of the pieces, make the pieces that much more special and elite. This would be depriving many of the wondrous views of incredible work, myself included. However, private catwalks, mini-shows, one-on-one viewings, shall take couture into a new era of exclusivity.

While we ponder the future of Couture, here's a few of my faves from Couture Week S/S 2011, by two of my favorite artists:

Jean Paul Gautier boasted the runways with a punk couture look...