The Haute Couture As Experimental Field

The Haute Couture has continued to shrunk. But, Maisons’ like Dior and Chanel proceeds their work in the ateliers under the roof, because, the Haute Couture as experimental field for marketing-tools is unpayable. New designers are coming through and new markets were accessible.

Sidney Toledano, Dior’s chief executive – “This is not a question of marketing. It’s the spirit of our Maison de Couture.”

John Galliano, since 15 years creative director at Christian Dior and the true haute couture sovereign, kicked off the Paris haute couture season with romanticism, dramatic and noblesse, featuring fancy gowns in somptuous baroque richness with such unbelievable proportions that the word ‘basque’ becomes a ridicules diminutive. The show must walk through the motto “One model, one look”, because the models were incapable to extricate theirselves out of those glamorous marvels as fast enough and to drop into news.

The designer was inspired by René Gruau, the fashion illustrator for whom the line of a spine, the tilt of a hat and the flow of fabric was enough to create in a fes strokes an indelible image of Dior. For spring/summer show, Galliano was back to Dior’s New Look of the 1950s, “That effortless grace”, sighed Mr. Galliano, “and those curious lines that inspired me to create new volumes and movements.”

“So beautiful! But, I don’t know where to wear it”, groaned the photographer Ellen von Unwerth after the show. Nevertheless, hundreds seems to know. – Immediatly the next day the Ladies went to the Dior atelier ordering the Moulage-variations, only view of clients didn’t appear in Paris, but rather choosing their Dior favourite ‘klandestin’ at home in Dubai or Dallas.

The fact that Sidney Toledano, Dior’s chief executive, was hopping on a plane to China right after the show somehow sums up the distance of today’s couture from the Christian Dior days.

Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2011

The Haute Couture is more than an Incentive-Event viewed at Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld showcased effortless futurism: he created an luxuriant embroidered but, amazingly portable haute couture collection. The proportions and modern sense of ease were based on the not-so-dumb idea of being able to wear most everything with skinny jeans, which were sometimes covered with sequins.

Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2011

 

Editorial by ANDREA JANKE

Follow Andrea by Twitter @andreajanke

 

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