Nowadays higher fashionable cosmopolitan society moves between New York, London, Milan and Paris. Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Vivienne Westwood, Valentino, Versace, Chanel, Dior and others have created a veritable temple of fashion and luxury. Where extreme luxury, a limit to what a woman can afford, not constrained in the media - a movie star, a princess, a supermodel, a top manager or the wife of a very rich man? The answer is obvious - high fashion.

Haute couture, or the «Haute Couture» in French, is the most exclusive creations of fashion houses. However, not every fashion house creates high fashion. Usually such clothes make the most eminent designers - and often create it for specific customers. Most of the houses "high fashion" to produce annually a total of about a thousand dresses.

Each item from the collections of high fashion hand sewn by the standards of the customer. Therefore, clothing "haute couture" always sits perfectly, and such great couturiers, such as the legendary Balenciaga (1895-1972), can transform even the proportions of the figure due to a cut.

Customers houses of haute couture can be sure not to meet anyone in the same dress. Haute Couture - the highest form of international fashion, like art. Creators of high fashion can adapt their ideas to the requirements of a particular customer. By the way, the customers of high fashion houses often have the chance to personally meet with the star designer, and also receive invitations to attend as spectators Fashion Week in Paris, which take place twice a year - in January and July.

Paris - the center of high fashion

Since the days of extravagant court of King Louis XIV, the French fashion trends were the subject of attention of the rest of Europe. Later, in the 18th century it became known Rose Bertin, "Minister of Fashion" at the court of Marie Antoinette, the Queen's milliner, which is considered the first of the famous French fashion designer. It was since then dress from Paris began to appear in London, Venice, Vienna, St. Petersburg, and Constantinople. Uniquely Parisian elegance of French fashion has created a reputation around the world. High Fashion, as we know it, emerged in the 19th century. Father of "haute couture" was Charles Frederick Worth, who can be considered the first modern designer. He opened his fashion house in 1858 and introduced a number of innovations - for example, a demonstration of dresses on live models. His clients were the Empress Eugenie (the wife of the last French Emperor Napoleon III) and princess Metternich (the wife of the Austrian diplomat Metternich).

However, Worth came up with not only the first fashion shows. He, along with his sons founded the syndicate of the Paris haute couture in 1868 - association houses of haute couture, which determines how the criteria should meet the fashion designers to wear the proud title of the couturier. Nowadays, the term haute couture is determined by the French authorities and has a number of precise criteria. Therefore, only a narrow range of fashion houses can be called haute couture houses. Each year, the list specifies the Paris haute couture syndicate.

To be considered haute couture, the fashion house has to have a staff of at least twenty people. He shall press collection of at least thirty-five assemblies twice a year in Paris. Moreover, in the collection should be both day and evening garments. Obviously, implementation and maintenance of all of these criteria makes the creation of haute couture is very prestigious, but it is very difficult.

What is unique about high fashion

Who are the customers of houses "high fashion"? House of haute couture rarely talk about their customers, that is only fair. However, we know that in the past their clients were the stars of the great era of the movie: Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Romy Schneider, Greta Garbo, Brigitte Bardot, and Elizabeth Taylor. As well as members of royal families - Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, Queen of Belgium, Denmark, Spain and Thailand, Arab princess - the list is very long. Nowadays, the clientele of fashion houses is replenished by pop stars such as Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, as well as women from the industrial and financial empires, such as Onassis, the Getty, the Thyssen, the Rothschilds.

There is also a feedback - clothing "haute couture" woman feels really important person. Top managers, women politicians and other serious lady, it is important to look elegant and presentable, and feel good and confident. And what could be better for confidence than perfect figure-sewn clothes, work some of the top designers?

High Fashion in practice

To create each piece of high fashion takes a lot of work. For example, the fact that the daily sew suit, required a hundred-hundred and fifty hours, and evening dress Evening dresses: how to emphasize their individuality   with embroidery may be needed, and a thousand hours. The process of creating clothes becomes an art form. For example, Karl Lagerfeld, designer house Chanel, first draw a sketch, and then made a pattern on it, which at first from simple cloth sewn draft clothes (Twal) and only after that to make real clothes, and carried out at least two fitting. For regular customers Chanel holds a special personal mannequins made by the standards of the client.

For a successful modern woman has a lot of reasons to turn to the most luxurious fashion. After all, in the life of many special occasions for which suitable clothing "haute couture": wedding, anniversary, getting awards, premiere theater, dance, visit the official events and so on.

Modern French the great fashion houses

Mrs. Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson in 1937, she married King Edward VIII in a dress from the French fashion house Mainbocher. Spanish Princess Alcantara at the wedding was in a dress by Lanvin. Wedding Dress Belgian Queen Fabiola was sewn Balenciaga in 1960. Many of the great fashion designers such as Menboker, Paul Poiret, Madeleine Vonne, Robber Pizhe, Elsa Schiaparelli and others have already left this world. Others, such as Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, and Ted Lapidus Thierry Mugler, left the haute couture. But the other great houses such as Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Jean Paul Gaultier continues to exist and develop.

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