FA S H I O N
HA U T E CO U T U R E
British Expatriate and couturier, Charles Frederick Worth, is widely considered the father of ‘haute couture’
and several of the haute couture houses that made the fashion industry what it is today are headed by
expatriates. Below is a brief history about the origins of the term ‘haute couture’ and a listing of the Grand
Haute Couture Houses of France.
he term haute couture is French for “high
T
dressmaking” and refers to the creation of
exclusive custom-fi tted clothing. Haute
couture is always made to order for a specifi c customer
and usually designed by an offi cial Grand Couturier,
a head designer of a haute couture house who holds
signifi cant infl uence in the fashion industry. Many of
the top fashion houses such as Chanel use the term for
some of their special collections, which are often not for
sale or very diffi cult to purchase..
British expatriate and couturier Charles Frederick
Worth (1825–1895) dominated Parisian fashion in the
latter half of the nineteenth century and is considered
the father of haute couture as it is known today.
Although born in Lincolnshire, England, Worth made
his mark in the French fashion industry. Revolutionizing
how dressmaking had been previously perceived,
Worth made it so the dressmaker became the artist
of garnishment – a fashion designer. While he created
one-of-a-kind designs to please some of his titled or
wealthy customers, he is best known for preparing a
portfolio of designs that were shown on live models
at the House of Worth. Clients selected one model,
specifi ed colors and fabrics, and then had a duplicate
garment tailor-made in Worth’s workshop. Worth also
combined individual tailoring with a standardization
that is more characteristic of the ready-to-wear clothing
industry today.
Although Worth was not the fi rst or only designer
to organize his business in this way, his aggressive
self-promotion earned him the titles “father of haute
couture” and “the fi rst couturier.” By the 1870s,
Worth’s name frequently appeared in ordinary fashion
magazines, spreading his fame to women beyond
courtly circles. Following in Worth’s footsteps were
Callot Soeurs, Patou, Poiret, Vionnet, Fortuny, Lanvin,
Chanel, Mainbocher, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga and Dior.
18 EX P A T R I A T E
Haute.indd 18 09/06/2009 16:28:40
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