Who in the world will wear clothes like that? Nobody does wear them anyway; because they are not clothes. These are a designer’s fantasy which expresses his vision of the world artistically. In other words, haute couture. We hear this word many a time to communicate high fashion. Its other connotations include the houses of fashion which are authorized to call them couturiers. These houses form the ‘Chambre Syndicate De La Haute Couture Pariesienne.’ A coutre line is an opportunity to show off the designer’s genius rather than an attempt to sell too many clothes. For all fashion houses, the big money lies in accessories and fragrances.

How clothes of normal wear emerge from all this? Twice a year, each House of Fashion presents Haute Courure collection for spring/summer and Autmn/Winter at the Louvre. With Haute Couture line, the designer has already done a lot of ground work. He has developed the concept, the mood, the feel, the fabrics and so on. Now all he has to do is to turn fantasies into realities — give them a practical form.

Boutique and Pret-A-Preter come into the picture to offer these controlled fantasies, which one can wear. At exclusive boutiques, we might be fitted by the designer himself/herself. The Pret-A-Preter, the ready-to-wear ones are available all over the world. Ready-to-wear lines draw inspiration from the couture. They, however, have their own identity.