Haute Couture – The Pinnacle Of Dressmaking

Haute couture – the pinnacle of dressmaking – is a rarefied world of great expense and extravagance that is as necessary as it is indulgent, especially in these crazy times. Gordon Ng delves into the fantasy.

- Gordon Ng

It’s an understatement to say that haute couture isn’t meant for most of us. The inbuilt exclusivity of those hand-sewn garments, at costs starting upwards of five digits, naturally precludes participation by purchase. Instead, haute couture opens up the eyes to imagination, ideas and fantasy.

Because it isn’t – strictly speaking – necessary, it fulfils the important role of providing the ideological inspiration that keeps creative flames alive. If ready-to-wear provides the response to a pragmatic need to get dressed, then couture responds to the human need to dream. This is especially significant at a time when the notions of high fashion are being rewritten to include four-figure T-shirts and running shoes; the pedestrian being arbitrarily elevated to luxury.

Take for instance Valentino, which is heralding a couture renaissance under the masterfully modern eye and light touch of Pierpaolo Piccioli. The label’s Spring/Summer 2019 couture collection was an operatic peak of beauty, treating classical tropes of elegance – feathers, frills, flowers, generous volume – with complete contemporaneity.