What royals & nobles are in the ever discreet Haute Couture Club?

[sgl]

Originally Posted by zembla

LOL @ braid lady...it's so funny this crazy cat woman has such a integral part in making these $100,000 garments for the world's elite. She's so sweet though...and adorably rough around the edges.

I enjoyed watching her! She is quite a character. Not what you would expect in the world of haute couture, but kind of refreshing and entertaining.

[GlitteringTiaras]

Prada is not regarded as a haute couture house ?

Nope, not even close. The house is prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear).

[CasiraghiTrio]

Originally Posted by JulieS

Prada is not regarded as a haute couture house ?

No, like GT said, it's *just* RTW.

Maybe Prada will have HC collection someday, though. Because like Givenchy, Prada is an LVMH company, right?

I know HC is a dying art, so maybe that doesn't bode well for anymore houses taking it on. But.... things can turn around. I hope so. All of you guys with your fashion youtube clips have converted me onto the HC appreciation club.

GT, I think it would be so nice to see Marie Cavallier (sp?) wearing HC, borrowed or bought. She is so cute and has a great body for it. Has Mary ever worn HC, even just borrowed? (I can't see Mary & Fred affording HC, but maybe I am wrong?) I know Mary loves Prada, right? I have seen her in Prada a few times I can remember. What about Countess Alexandra? Do the Danish royals mostly prefer to promote Danish designers? I know the senior members of the British royal family tries to only wear British.... Diana used to like Dior & Chanel though, but always borrowed of course. Well, maybe Diana bought some RTW sometimes, but never could buy HC, or I would be very surprised if she could afford that.

[Coquine]

Thanks for posting the videos of Signé Chanel. I loved the scene where Karl Lagerfeld arrives and all the phones start ringing and everybody is warning eachother : Karl is here ! Karl is here ! Almost like a royal highness is arriving !

I am slightly confused by the BBC documentary though. Are you only allowed to buy haute couture when you’re in this HC club ? That is hard to believe. How does the HC business survive when they have to refuse clients because they’re not in the club ? I know that people on these boards are probably not experts in HC but I hope someone can enlighten me on this subject. I’m really curious.

[CasiraghiTrio]

^ The BBC documentary explains that question at one point. They say that the HC design houses all rely on their Ready-to-wear lines (RTW) to make profits. The HC is not good for profit anymore because the expenses outweigh the earnings. This is part of the decline of this art form. It is a dying art. Unless something dramatic happens, eventually the houses won't afford to make HC anymore.

Now to answer the question of "who" can buy HC: Yes, only HC club members can buy it from the designers. Can others obtain it? Sure, by indirect means, i.e. vintage shops. Also, celebrities can wear it to red carpet events -- wear only, not buy, as they must return it. Only club members can buy it from the designers. Now there are just about 200 members of the club. There used to be more, many more, in the glory days of the early-to-mid 20th century, with the "club saint" Coco Chanel and the Duchess of Windsor and many more. Now the production costs have gone so high, and the # of specialists who have the know-how continues in decline. High prices, low demand = very bad future for Haute Couture. It is incredibly sad for the state of this true art form.

[Coquine]

Thanks for the answer. Now I understand why everyone is so fascinated by this club. Businesswise, however, I don't think the club is a smart move. If HC houses allowed everyone to buy HC, maybe it wouldn't be a dying art. Sad !

[CasiraghiTrio]

Coquine, I know exactly what you mean. I agree that the club should be less exclusive. I think the HC houses will have to make a choice: open it up to more people who want to buy, or stop the whole thing. Otherwise, they would have to stop doing it anyway. It was interesting to watch in the Signe Chanel documentary how Oprah Winfrey was apparently attending her first Chanel HC show and asking lots of questions about how it works. Oprah seems not to be in the club, yet she can afford to buy a dress, because she is solidly in the billionaire club for many years now. There are a handful of people who like Oprah can afford to buy HC, but cannot, because they aren't in the club.
If only the houses would open it up just a bit to people like her, even though she is "nouveau riche" and a celebrity.... It's her celebrity presence that allowed her to be front row at the show in the first place, yet she can't buy. Quite ridiculous. Sometimes the gates have to be opened to the "nouveau riche" in order to save something's survival. I would rather see less exclusivity if the art can live on.

[zembla]

I think it's better to keep it exclusive...fashion houses do couture with the knowledge that it's not the most profitable.

I don't think just anyone should wear it...and it should be hard to acquire because it wasn't, every tacky wealthy woman could wear it. I mean Paris Hilton in Chanel Couture...could you imagine?

[GlitteringTiaras]

For those who are interested in watching the shows, 24 hours a day, click here, then click on France, scroll down until you see Fashion TV. Click that link and there you go.

Enjoy

[zembla]

Are there anymore youtube eps from that Chanel documentary? I saw 3 posted...

[GlitteringTiaras]

Zembla, click here to Fashion 989's page to see the entire series.

[acid_rain3075]

Here are the last two episodes of Signé Chanel

Episode 4 - Sleepless Nights

Sleepless Nights part 1

Sleepless Nights part 2

Sleepless Nights part 3

Sleepless Nights part 4

Episode 5 - The Collection

The Collection part 1

The Collection part 2

The Collection part 3

The Collection part 4

[ashelen]

Originally Posted by dazzling

Princess Haya is often seen in Valentino couture; suits to gala dresses.
Sheikha Mozah wife of Qatar emir is a very well known couture client. She is seen in Chanel, Carven & JPGaultier couture.

I think many of teh royals head to couture for evening dresses. The designers might not be well known outside their home country but there are a few.

The Haute couture club has about 200 members because its about way over peoples budget. A chanel ready to wear dress ranges anywhere between $7,000+ & that being a plain chiffon dress. So, imagine a Haute couture dress which would be made custom fit for you. I guess you pay for you get/order.

yes, but today if you can get a good dressmaker, you can have something very similiar fora fraaction of what it cost, custom made too!

[CasiraghiTrio]

Originally Posted by zembla

I think it's better to keep it exclusive...fashion houses do couture with the knowledge that it's not the most profitable.

I don't think just anyone should wear it...and it should be hard to acquire because it wasn't, every tacky wealthy woman could wear it. I mean Paris Hilton in Chanel Couture...could you imagine?

Yeah, I just worry that the inflation costs will go up so much that the houses will have to stop making it. But I understand about the exclusivity keeping it special.

About Paris Hilton in HC.... Remember when that one HC client (in the BBC doc) said the couture dress "transforms you"? Maybe it would make a chic woman of PH? I am half-joking, but all the same, part of PH's problem is how she dresses. If she wore better things, who knows?

[zembla]

Thanks for uploading the rest...the part with publicist is hilarious. I love Anna Mouglalis too...