givenchy fall couture collection via jak and jil blog
"haute couture" which literally means "high sewing/dressmaking"
is a very powerful term that packs a ton of cultural cache.
and yet, for some reason, it is often over.used and thrown around
so casually in our everyday language that
people everywhere are saying it, "couture this, couture that"
.... but do they know what it truly means?
haute couture is custom.made clothing,
fitted and tailored for a specific wearer to his or her exact measurements.
it is one of a kind and all details, finishes, needlework & sewing are done by hand.
the piece is usually made in muslin first, and then replicated in more
gorgeous and luxurious fabrics for the client purchasing it.
despite the ubiquitousness of the term,
there are only a small handful of haute couture houses,
chosen each year by the chambre de commerce et d'industrie de paris.
you can find the 2009 list here.
it is a well known fact that while haute couture is
exclusive, exquisite and elegant in it's design–
it is by no means profitable for today's design houses
and is often criticized for costing more money than it brings in
{less than 10 % of gross profits.}
so why do go through all the trouble then?
why put hours upon hours of back.breaking work,
working fingers to the bone with noses to the grindstone?
why?
because haute couture is about "selling the dream."
just as samantha jones aptly poses it to her
soon.to.be.famous boy toy, smith jarrod in the sex and the city episode
where he appears on mtv's total request live,
"if you're not wearing something the kids can't afford,
how will they know to look up to you?"
the haute couture houses are sending looks down the runway
that are so decadent, so out of this world, so utterly and intangibly chic
that most of us could not possibly dream of wearing– or ever owning them in real life.
it is that exact dream,
that memory of unreachable glamour
that we unknowingly reach for when we head to department stores
and pay top dollar for the brands we look up to with such blind idolatry.
we buy designer perfumes, makeup, ready.to.wear pieces that are more accessible
and for a moment we feel we have made the impossible dream:
possible.
one of my favorite haute couture collections for this fall was
ricardo tisci's work for givenchy {pictured above as well}
because it really just takes fashion to another world
but still maintains elements that fashionistas everywhere
will take back to their own planet and try for out themselves.
in particular, the studded and spiked look.
images via style.com
while i may not be so bold as to completely cover my face entirely in
gold spangles, or white out my eyebrows, or paint my hair black,
i have been known to wear a studded accessory here or there.
and after perusing ready.to.wear runway shows
like balmain's punk rock princess spring collection
and the gladiator.inspireed spiky shoes for prada's fall collection,
i feel like a little bit of tough luxe is
exactly what i need right now.
balmain spring 2009 ready to wear
via style.com
prada fall 2009 shoe details
via style.com
my absolute favorite way to wear studs is exemplified
on no other person than sjp,
who paired this vintage belt,
which she lovingly nicknamed, "roger"
with unexpectedly feminine ensembles,
to give her look a hard edge.
love it!!
image via fashionising.com
get the belt at patricia field.
gucci, louboutin, and balmain...
oh my!
via jak and jil
this fall,
make sure that you take your look to the next level
by adding a little hardware to your everyday wear.
here are some of my faves:
abby buckle stud peep boot via topshop.
that studded blazer...to die for!!! and love that white studded belt too.
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