Chic and Holland HF110500 Black

Chic and Holland HF110500 Dress

Sale Price$2,100.00
Chic and Holland HF110499 Dusty Lavender

Chic and Holland HF110499 Dress

Sale Price$2,125.00
Chic and Holland HF110498 Dusty Rose

Chic and Holland HF110498 Dress

Sale Price$2,386.00
Chic and Holland HF110497 Dusty Lavender

Chic and Holland HF110497 Dress

Sale Price$2,388.00
Chic and Holland HF110496 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110496 Dress

Sale Price$2,100.00
Chic and Holland HF110495 Fawn

Chic and Holland HF110495 Dress

Sale Price$2,200.00
Chic and Holland HF110493 Pastel Rose

Chic and Holland HF110493 Dress

Sale Price$2,150.00
Chic and Holland HF110492 Pastel Rose

Chic and Holland HF110492 Dress

Sale Price$1,988.00
Chic and Holland HF110491 Pastel Lilac

Chic and Holland HF110491 Dress

Sale Price$2,225.00
Chic and Holland HF110484 Pastel Lilac

Chic and Holland HF110484 Dress

Sale Price$2,113.00
Chic and Holland HF110483 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110483 Dress

Sale Price$2,675.00
Chic and Holland HF110480 Fawn

Chic and Holland HF110480 Dress

Sale Price$2,200.00
Chic and Holland HF110479 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110479 Dress

Sale Price$2,300.00
Chic and Holland HF110478 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110478 Dress

Sale Price$2,025.00
Chic and Holland HF110477 Dusty Rose

Chic and Holland HF110477 Dress

Sale Price$2,100.00
Chic and Holland HF110476 Dusty Lavender

Chic and Holland HF110476 Dress

Sale Price$2,300.00
Chic and Holland HF110475 Dusty Rose

Chic and Holland HF110475 Dress

Sale Price$2,225.00
Chic and Holland HF110474 Dusty Rose

Chic and Holland HF110474 Dress

Sale Price$2,300.00
Chic and Holland HF110473 Pastel Lilac

Chic and Holland HF110473 Dress

Sale Price$1,950.00
Chic and Holland HF110472 Pastel-RoseChic and Holland HF110472 Pastel-Rose

Chic and Holland HF110472 Dress

Sale Price$2,998.00
Chic and Holland HF110471 Smoke Nude

Chic and Holland HF110471 Dress

Sale Price$2,386.00
Chic and Holland HF110470 Dusty Rose

Chic and Holland HF110470 Dress

Sale Price$2,100.00
Chic and Holland HF110467 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110467 Dress

Sale Price$2,225.00
Chic and Holland HF110465 Dusty Rose

Chic and Holland HF110465 Dress

Sale Price$2,225.00
Chic and Holland HF110464 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110464 Dress

Sale Price$2,386.00
Chic and Holland HF110463 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110463 Dress

Sale Price$2,300.00
Chic and Holland HF110462 Black

Chic and Holland HF110462 Dress

Sale Price$2,200.00
Chic and Holland HF110461 Pastel Rose

Chic and Holland HF110461 Dress

Sale Price$2,450.00
Chic and Holland HF110460 Ultra Silver

Chic and Holland HF110460 Dress

Sale Price$2,225.00
Chic and Holland HF110459 Nude

Chic and Holland HF110459 Dress

Sale Price$2,313.00
Chic and Holland HF110458 Ultra Silver

Chic and Holland HF110458 Dress

Sale Price$2,386.00
Chic and Holland HF110457 Baby Pink

Chic and Holland HF110457 Dress

Sale Price$2,225.00

Couture Dresses & Gowns

Haute couture is a level of high fashion known for being exquisite in all aspects, from material selection to crafting to final presentation. Every year, as design gets bolder and bigger, headlines swoon over the latest couture fashion lines. Yet, many people may not know the real reason why couture is so special and coveted.
To help those who love couture fashion and want to know more about it, below is a guide to the exclusive world of haute couture fashion as well as when to wear it and where to buy it.

Defining Couture

Couture translates literally from French as “dressmaking.” However, couture may also refer to clothes making including fashion, sewing or other needlework. Couture is also often the common abbreviation for haute couture, which means “high dressmaking” or “high sewing.” The term haute couture has generally come to mean anything “high fashion.”

What Makes Haute Couture Special

Haute couture is special because it is a specific “made-to-measure breed of French fashion,” as noted in an article by The New York Times Style Magazine. Haute couture gowns and clothes are made in the bespoke fashion – entirely by hand. Each garment is made for a single, dedicated client. Sometimes this involves hundreds of hours of work for a single garment. A recent Chanel press release, published in Fashionista, noted that for their “Neon Baroque” collection, the hidden seams alone required upward of 35 hours of work in the atelier. The release also listed a wedding dress and cape (1300 hours), a couture evening dress (190 hours) and its embroidery (350 hours). Every single garment is a work of art, an intensive, time-consuming masterpiece of the fashion craft.

Haute couture is actually a legally protected term only granted to designers or houses by the French Ministry of Industry. According toThe New York Times Style Magazine, to get the true label of haute couture, a label must “maintain a Parisian workroom with a minimum of 20 employees, and it must produce at least 25 outfits per season.” The rules have changed over the years since their inception in 1945, with some rules being broken and allowed only when deemed appropriate by the Fédération Française de la Couture, the governing body of haute couture law. Haute couture is about attention to detail, using the highest quality materials and evoking a true sense of individuality.

When to Wear Couture

For most, buying and wearing true haute couture in real life is impossible, due to their astronomical price tags or extravagant designs. As seen in a Harper’s Bazaar, wearing true haute couture in real life is something of an improbable dream. In that example, the haute couture gown is a billowing, diaphanous confection, sweeping far wider than the wearer is tall. For daily life, it is as utterly impractical as it is stunningly beautiful.

Feeling Inspired

Luckily, many excellent designers have taken note of the key points of haute couture and have created their own lines of couture-inspired wear. These designers combine elements of couture such as attention to detail, high quality, and individuality and apply them to price points and designs which can reach a wider client base. Their designs may include extravagant haute couture-inspired gowns, dresses or other elaborate pieces.

Black-Tie & White-Tie

Designs inspired by couture evening dresses are usually perfectly suited for any formal event such as white-tie and black-tie occasions. White-tie is the most formal evening dress code in Western high fashion. Floor-length dresses are an absolute must for white-tie. As such, gowns and dresses from couture inspirations fit the dress code well. Black-tie occasions are not as strict as white-tie affairs, and tasteful shorter dresses or pantsuits may be worn as well, depending on the event. Here, a couture evening dress inspired look may range from intricately detailed cocktail-length dress to a bespoke pantsuit.

Couture Collections at NewYorkDress

NewYorkDress carries many high-end designers who create gorgeous gowns. Those designers with the highest quality, finest attention to detail and individuality are in our Couture Dresses & Gowns collection, which takes inspiration from haute couture. We carry the following high-end designers in our couture dresses online marketplace: Edward ArsouniSaiid Kobeisy and Beside Couture.  Each of these designers brings their own unique style to couture inspiration.

Couture Looks without Going to Paris

For many fashion-lovers with exquisite taste, couture evening dresses are the standout of many Parisian shows, runways or season highlights. Now, NewYorkDress carries couture-influenced designs to make glamour and high-fashion available to more women around the world. For those looking for designs which are truly inspired by the highest of fashion forms, our Couture Dresses & Gowns collection is waiting to be explored just one click away. Take all the time in the world to browse our couture dresses online and find the perfect piece of wearable art – each one as excellent as the taste of our clients.

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