“What is Haute Couture and what makes it different from normal fashion week?” my girlfriend asked yesterday, somewhere along a three-hour drive through the countryside, soundtracked by my running commentary on this week’s shows. My answer—that it’s the moment when ultra-luxury fashion houses get to showcase their design prowess, atelier expertise and boundless imagination, crafting one-of-a-kind pieces far removed from everyday wear and instead destined for red carpets and galas of the ultra-wealthy—didn’t exactly satisfy.
While Schiaparelli, Valentino, Robert Wun, Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta all delivered collections that dutifully aligned with my definition, a quizzical eyebrow was raised when we flicked through images from Chanel and Dior. The meaning of Haute Couture, it seems, is beginning to shift.
