2008 marked the 150th anniversary of haute couture (high fashion). "Haute couture is special. In ready-to-wear, designers must always be trying to predict the future. But in haute couture, it can be more relaxed, and more about the present."
Charles Frederick Worth founded haute couture in 1858 when he opened his fashion house in Rue de la Paix in Paris. One hundred and fifty years later, "In generalistic terms: Milan has always been about tailoring; London the eclectic, avant-garde; New York about sleek sportswear; and Paris the epitome of couture."
Charles Frederick Worth's first customer was Princess Pauline de Metternich who recommended his designs to Empress Eugenie of France. Just as Jacqueline Kennedy made Oleg Cassini into a household name some 100 years later when she wore his dresses, Empress Eugenie brought Charles Frederick Worth sudden fame when she wore his creations. Of the inaugural gowns, one connoisseur made the comment, "Every first lady wants to have it right. It sets a tone for herself and for the country and for what the country can expect." Another added, "Like the wedding gown, it's a rite-of-passage dress. It's the one thing everybody gets to see and focus on. It always seems slightly archaic. Like a wedding dress, fashion-wise, it's fixed in amber." "Fashion," it was said, "is a creative outlet of self-expression."
"Paris," it was explained, "has always been the laboratory of fashion. I think that's what it always will be. New York is the production center." One designer recalled, "I can't say that Paris was not ready for my clothes. I just found New York to be more captivating, more embracing, filled with a kind of enthusiasm and speed that I had never known before. I just followed the rhythm." One fashion specialist suggested, "If you buy simple pieces that are fashionable, they're timeless, and it's important to adapt to the trend, but not in an obvious way." Another offered, "(Fashion) is like viewing art. You try to see what the artist is trying to say instead of analysing a particular flower in the corner." One historian noted, "Fashion inspired by art has been around for more than 100 years. The traditional way of doing it, in the 19th century, someone like Worth would design dresses inspired by dresses in paintings by artists like Titian." In the end, "Times are hard, but we mustn't let darkness rule. We need flowers."
