|
|
|
Choosing the Right Swimsuit or Bikini for Every Occasion
Most women own at least a couple of swimsuits or bikinis. Some of these swimsuits may be old, comfortable favorites, while some may be trendy and new for the summer season. Doubtlessly, some of the swimsuits are more modest; others are sexier and...
Designer Handbags Reach Record High Average $2,000 Fall 2005
CopyRight © September 2005 http://eFashionHouse.com
Shopping in Beverly Hills last week I strolled Wilshire
Boulevard popping in and out of fancy stores sizing up all the
new designer handbags. There are a number of new looks for
Fall 2005,...
How To Find Love In An Instant
“You can’t hurry love. No, you’ll just have to wait…”
The old song by the Supremes sure is catchy. But something else catching on is just the opposite of what the song preaches: Speed dating.
Speed dating is on the rise among young...
Selecting the Perfect Evening Attire
Women have an array of choices when selecting evening wear. This
is a clothing category that allows women to express themselves
in many fanciful ways. There are few rules as to what is
appropriate, so each woman can choose whatever suits her...
Trends in Modern Bra Wear
Learn Where the Brassier Got It's Start and Why It's So Popular Even Today History of the Bra The history of the bra is extensive. Almost since the dawn of time women have worn bra's either to enhance or minimize their figure. Bust-lines...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Couture Versus Ready-To-Wear
"What's the difference between couture and ready-to-wear?"
It's a question that's been hitting my inbox a lot of late from women all over the world. They may have been reading high fashion magazines like "W" or "Vogue" or are thinking about upgrading their wardrobes, and are wondering what, exactly, the difference is between these designer
categories.
Basically, it boils down to fit - and money.
* COUTOUR (koo TOOR) is the French word for "sewing." Couture clothes are those that are fitted and sewn specifically for a client, often requiring several fittings for an exacting fit. The clothes may be specifically designed for the client, such as a one-of-a-kind wedding dress or a one-of-a-kind red carpet ensemble, or they may be part of a designer's couture collection, which are the pieces the designer shows that are available for custom fit.
Typically, couture pieces are made of fine fabrics or feature extensive hand work (like beading or embroidery) that drive up the price to thousands or even tens of thousands PER PIECE. Because of the cost, couture clothing, which once had 35,000 regular customers during its heyday after World War II, has an ever-shrinking regular buying base of about 1,200 people worldwide today.
Couture is also known as made-to-measure or bespoke (British).
* HAUTE COUTURE (oht koo TOOR) means "high sewing," and is the term reserved exclusively by those European fashion houses that offer made-to-measure apparel in or around Paris and belong to the Fédération Française de la Couture (which began as the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 1868 by Charles Frederick Worth). Following strict guidelines regarding number of pieces shown per collection and number of collections shown per year, current members include venerable fashion houses like Balenciaga, Chanel, Hermès, and Valentino.
You can learn more about the Fédération Française de la Couture at:
http://www.modeaparis.com
* READY-TO-WEAR, or prêt-à-porter (prêt a poor TAY) is designer apparel that's made ready-to-wear in standard sizes and sold through boutiques, better department stores, mail order, and online. While consumers can have pieces tailored to fit after purchase, customization is not included in the cost of ready-to-wear apparel. Many brand-name designers, like Vera Wang and Carolina Herrera, only show ready-to-wear collections, but still create a handful of couture pieces upon request for influential
clients.
So when you read in a fashion magazine or hear on television that designers are showing their ready-to-wear collections, you know that those are the pieces that you'll find in their boutiques or in department stores come the new fashion season. Couture collections are those shown to high-paying clients who either go to the fashion house directly to be fitted, or who order from the designer's "look book" and have pieces made up from the measurements the designer has on file from the client's previous fittings.
If you like to read the society pages to see who's wearing what, you'll notice that socialites who can afford to buy couture often say so. The caption under a photo might read, "Jane Doe in Versace, Susan
Smith in Donna Karan, and Tiffany Jones in Givenchy couture." Translation? Jane and Susan bought their gowns ready-to-wear, while Tiffany had hers custom made.
So should YOU indulge in designer labels as your income allows?
It depends.
Yes, designer labels have a certain cachet and are associated with an elevated income, and yes, you can look like you have a lot more money than you do by buying your favorite labels at discount designer websites or at overstock retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshall's.
But you have to be careful of the message you're sending.
If you're a receptionist dressing like a jet setter, it will raise eyebrows - particularly your employer's. Your boss may wonder how you're funding your clothing obsession. Are you living in a dive and driving a junk heap? Maxing out your credit cards? Skimming a little off the company coffers (which is how one fashionable thief was caught, showing up to work every day in designer apparel)? Whatever the reason, unless you're very vocal about how you cleverly come by your high-end finds, your luxury image may have your higher-ups questioning your ability to handle money - and stall your career in its tracks.
Similarly, if you have a job with a typically high income (doctor, lawyer, stock broker) but are running around in discount apparel, you'll have people wondering just how bad you are at your job that you're not able to afford nicer things. True, illness, school loans, job losses, and other financial hardships happen, even to people with high incomes. But if you're dressing discount in a designer environment, people will begin to question your ability - and your income will suffer. Call it human nature.
So how can you dress appropriately for your income WITHOUT raising eyebrows? By keeping the number of labels you wear in line with the amount of your paycheck.
If you have a lower income, one or two pieces by your favorite designer (like a jacket or pair of jeans) would not be out of line - provided you buy them second hand (like on eBay) or at an overstock outlet like Loehmann's or TJ Maxx.
Have a higher income? A status handbag, watch, or pair of shoes will instantly telegraph your position. Even if you don't care about such things, your status-y clients will, and since people talk, you may be surprised by how your business grows by adding a few of these pieces to your wardrobe.
And who knows? If you play the game right and meet your goals, you may someday find yourself seriously contemplating whether you should buy a special piece ready-to-wear, or have your favorite designer whip it up just for you from his couture collection...
About the Author: Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and author of "Wardrobe Magic," an ebook that shows women how to transform their unruly closets into workable, wearable wardrobes. Visit her online at http://www.fashionforrealwomen.com
Source: www.isnare.com
|
|
|
|
|
| fashion net - the guide to all things chic |
| Directory of selected chic fashion, art, luxury, shopping, and work sites. [English and Japanese] |
| www.fashion.net |
|
| Fashion TV - HOME |
| International TV channel dedicated to fashion, broadcasts 24 hours a day on satellites and cable systems. Site features programs and lots of info on fashion ... |
| www.ftv.com |
|
| Style.com: the online home of Vogue and W; Fashion, Fashion Shows ... |
| Portal of Vogue and W magazines. Detailed coverage of designer runway collections and style news with a list of job opportunities and links to other Condé ... |
| www.style.com |
|
| Vogue Articles, Features, and More on Style.com |
| Magazine features and articles, fashion show coverage, celebrity style, fashion trend reports, party and award show coverage, shopping guides, and more. ... |
| www.style.com |
|
| Fashion for women -- fashion designers, latest trends, fashion tips |
| Fashion for women: a comprehensive guide to everything about women's fashion including current fashion trends, information about fashion designers, ... |
| fashion.about.com |
|
| Fashion & Style - New York Times |
| Fashion & Style · Dining & Wine · Home & Garden · Weddings & Celebrations · Travel · Jobs · Real Estate · Autos · Comedy on the Hot Seat. By ALLEN SALKIN ... |
| www.nytimes.com |
|
| Fashion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The term "fashion" is frequently used in a positive sense, as a synonym for ... In this sense, fashions are a sort of communal art, through which a culture ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| fashionoffice.org : trends in fashion - Europe . America . Asia |
| fashion magazine - international trends in fashion, style, design, photo, film, art, beauty. catwalk TV, shows, photo stories from New York, Paris, London, ... |
| www.fashion.at |
|
| Fashion, from the concrete to the catwalk | fuk.co.uk |
| London designer interviews and runway archive, photo shoots, street style, weekly updated news and a fashion clinic. |
| www.fuk.co.uk |
|
| FASHION Magazine |
| The web component of Canada's general fashion title, with fashion, beauty, gift ideas and online competitions. |
| www.fashionmagazine.ca |
|
| Telegraph | Fashion |
| Fashion Director Hilary Alexander looks at an expanding market. ... Fashion 'Oscar' winner Giles Deacon is to join luxury label Daks, reveals Hilary ... |
| www.telegraph.co.uk |
|
| Telegraph | Fashion |
| Fashion 'Oscar' winner Giles Deacon is to join luxury label Daks, ... Buying vintage is more than a fashion trend, it's a good investment says Maria ... |
| www.telegraph.co.uk |
|
| Fashion Jobs | Fashion Jobs at 24 Seven Inc. |
| We're 24 Seven Inc., the number one source of fashion jobs and talent for the ... Our success at connecting the right people with the right fashion jobs has ... |
| www.fashion-jobs.biz |
|
| Fashion History Costume Trends and Eras, Trends Victorians - Haute ... |
| Pauline Weston Thomas and Guy Thomas place costume alongside the social history of an era, focusing on fashion from 1800. Includes undergarments, haute ... |
| www.fashion-era.com |
|
| Fashion Planet: Summer |
| New York-based site looks at collections, trends, personalities and global lifestyles with monthly updates. |
| www.fashion-planet.com |
|
| New York Fashion -- New York Magazine - Designers, Fashion ... |
| Fall Fashion. rachel weisz The Sexes Get Dressed. For her? ... Spring 2007 Fashion. philosophy and versace European Shows. The best of the big collections. ... |
| nymag.com |
|
| New York Fashion -- New York Magazine - Designers, Fashion ... |
| The recently maligned country struts its stuff at a fashion show in Manhattan. ... Fall Fashion. rachel weisz The Sexes Get Dressed. For her? ... |
| nymag.com |
|
| Fashion Icon |
| Features latest trends, dressing tips, an ask the fashion experts column, and fun craft projects. |
| www.fashion-icon.com |
|
| Fashion News on Yahoo! News |
| Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet Shine at "The Holiday" Premiere Fashion Wire Daily ... JAKARTA (Reuters) - Mention the words Islamic and fashion and most people ... |
| news.yahoo.com |
|
| Hint Fashion Magazine |
| Hint Fashion Magazine, featuring fashion news, model pages, photo shoots, designer interviews, beauty reports, party pictures and message boards. |
| www.hintmag.com |
|
|