It would be easy for us common folk to dismiss the haute couture fashion weeks as simply the fashion industry's chance to go absolutely crazy and create whatever mad thing it wants. Although that is partially true, there is more to it than that.
Haute couture is French for "highsewing" or high fashion. These days it refers to those exclusive garments by high-end designers that are made to order, with custom measurements.
Haute couture originally referred to the dresses of Charles Frederick Worth, an English designer who worked in Paris in the mid-19th century. His garments were so sought-after that women travelled from across Europe to have dresses made by him. The client selected the fabric and colour, and Worth would recreate his pieces specifically for his client's measurements.
Haute couture garments are usually made with painstaking detail - hand-beading and embroidery is not unusual, and each garment can take countless hours for highly skilled workers to make. This is why what is shown down the runway at haute couture fashion weeks is not readily available.
But that doesn't mean these garments are irrelevant to those of us who can't afford to spend millions of dollars on black tie-only dresses. The haute couture collections inform the pret-a-porter, or ready-to-wear, collections for the coming year. Keeping an eye on what happens in haute couture is a great way to trend-spot ahead of time.
All of that aside, haute couture garments are what dreams are made of. These pieces are so exquisite and detailed, so flamboyant and over-the-top, I think they become a cross-section of fashion and art.
The texture, colour, imagination and creativity that goes into these pieces is breathtaking and, quite frankly, inspiring.
And for those of us who can't go to Paris each year, thankfully the internet gives us all the access we need. Even Chanel put together a stunning official behind-the-scenes video of their collection this year. Who could ask for more than that?
