Defining ‘Couture’
couture: French – pronounced koo-toor
Widely used throughout the fashion industry to describe original designer styles, the ultimate in fine sewing and tailoring, made of expensive fabrics. Couture collections are shown twice a year for spring/summer and fall/winter.
– As defined in Fairchild’s Dictionary of Fashion
haute couture: French – pronounced oht koo-toor
Refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. It originally referred to Englishman Charles Frederick Worth’s work, produced in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century. In modern France, haute couture is a “protected name” that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Rome, New York and Tokyo. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
– As defined in Fairchild’s Dictionary of Fashion & Wikipedia
Juicy Couture: um, not couture in any way, shape, or form.


July 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
What about cature- Unique fashions for pets living on the Upper East Side?
September 17th, 2010 at 3:10 am
[...] love and appreciate fashion at almost every level, but there is just nothing in the world like couture. No dessert, no hotel, no painting could ever rival a hand sewn Chanel, Lacroix, or Dior couture [...]