Haute Couture More Than Luxury

Text & photos by Cici Translation by Sonia

Haute Couture More Than Luxury

Text & photos by Cici Translation by Sonia

While most major fashion weeks have turned into events where it is deemed trendy to be seen by the mainstream, Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week remains exclusive, where only signifi cant celebrities and icons get invited.

高定的世界不止奢华

当今各大时装周无不沦为街拍打卡点，凑热闹炫关系的成分也许多于时装周的本质。只有分量极重的明星名人获邀的法国巴黎高定时装周，依然保持着一如既往的傲娇高冷。

2017Annya Ma Singapore Haute Couture Show2017Annya Ma高定系列新加坡秀场 刺绣

Unlike the fashion weeks of ready-made garments, Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week is of aristocratic heritage. lt has a strict standard on brands: there are merely two to three thousand people worldwide that can afford haute couture and they are generally of royal families, aristocratic, rich, famous, or A-list celebrities. As unaffected by the mass consumer market, Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week has become the creativity wonderland for fashion designers - there are wildest, unimaginable, and puzzling designs; there are also exquisite, outstanding, and extravagant ones; and there are always those transforming fashion week to action art and the quirky ones! Nothing is impossible here, may it be peculiarly hippie, immortally beautiful, behaviourally recalcitrant, or postmodern frigid.

To the general trend followers, the experimental action art is for admiration only and no ordinary people can harness it. We may not be able to afford the art-like apparel, but can still get a glimpse of the trend from the designs of each brand, preparing ourselves for the seasonal shopping spree.

不同于其他成衣时装周，巴黎高定时装周属于贵族血统。其对品牌要求极其严格，而全球能够消费得起高定的人也只有两三千人，身份一般是王室、贵族、名媛、贵妇，最低也是一线明星。因为不被大众消费市场影响，巴黎高定时装周俨然成为设计师们的创意乐园，有异想天开，匪夷所思，不明所以的设计，也有精美绝伦，极尽奢华的，当然也少不了把时装秀当成行为艺术，奇形怪状的设计！嬉皮趣怪，美如天仙，行为乖张，后现代性冷淡等等，在这里没有什么不可以。

当然，作为普通的时尚精，那些实验性的行为艺术看看就好，别放心上，不是正常人能够hold得住。虽然买不起这些金字塔如艺术品般的服装，但从各品牌的设计中，自然get到时尚风向，为换季买买买做好功课。

Ashi Studio

Embroideries, beading, and feathers刺绣钉珠羽毛

Many brands boast fervently of their heavy beading, gems, crystals, metallic embroideries, and feathers. A gown for a queen on the coronation, an outfit for a fairy falling on earth, or apparel for a princess on a pilgrimage - in any case, extravagant and opulent. And yes, these three factors dominate the gowns and dresses on the fashion events this year!

许多大品牌恨不得亮瞎大家的眼睛，重工钉珠、宝石、水晶、金属线刺绣、羽毛，这是女王登基的服装，精灵降临人间的服装，公主朝圣的服装，反正就是奢华大气。今年的礼服或者小礼服，这三大元素称霸时尚派对！

Elie Saab

Elie Saab

Elie Saab

High grey with fringe高级灰加流苏

The colour high grey is back and it is metallic, low-profiled and elegant. Fringes are back, and one that flows with the body movement has become a focal point again. If you still have the fringed bags, shoes, or skirts from several years ago, it is time to dig them out!高级灰回归，并且是带有金属感的灰色，低调优雅。流苏又回来了，随着身体的律动飘逸的流苏又成为热点，如果你还保留着几年前的流苏包包，鞋子，小裙子，可以翻出来了！

Jean Paul Gaultier

Dior

Sergeenko

Hat帽子

A fashion necessity. Many brands incorporate hats into their designs. Paring a hat with suits makes you look chic as well as elegant! Do get a hat this year!

不可或缺的时尚单品，多个品牌都在设计中加入帽子！套装加顶帽子，显得活泼调皮，也可以凸显优雅！今年记得买一顶帽子！

Fendi

Floral花朵

Creating flower fairies, wishing dearly to wrap the whole body with flowers, and paving flowers on every inch of skin - in short, a mass of blossom! All women love flowers and it is only reasonable to wear them.

打造花仙子，恨不得用花朵裹着全身，每一寸肌肤都铺满花朵，一句话，花团锦簇！每个女子都爱花，干脆把花穿身上。

Giambattista Valli

Antonio Grimaldi

Gauze with overcoat轻纱加大衣

gauze is looming and enchanting; long skirts made of transparent gauze continue to have a place on the runway. An overcoat on gauze makes the contrast of heaviness and lightness, an unexpectedly elegant look. Don't put your summer gauze skirts away when you get your coats ready for autumn and winter this year!

轻纱，若隐若现，妩媚迷人，透明轻纱长裙继续在T台上我行我素。外套大衣，厚重与轻盈的对比，意想不到的优雅。秋冬准备好长大衣，夏天的纱裙别收起来！

Christian Dior

Elie Saab

Velvet collage丝绒拼接

There are no women who don't love gorgeous and costly velvet! Collages of velvet and different types of fabric, such as gauze, produce many patterns. Keep on buying velvet skirts this year.

华丽的丝绒，好贵的丝绒，没有女人不爱！丝绒与轻纱等不同布料拼接，变化出更多花样。今年继续入手丝绒裙吧。

Elie Saab

Annya Ma

Haute Couture in China

There are more and more designers focusing on high-quality made-to-order prodcuts, whose design and fabric are nearly as outstanding as the big international brands. The aforementioned design elements of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week this year were seen in some local highend made-toorder brands six months ahead of Paris, surprisingly in sync with the international trend. Girls dreaming of owning haute couture may choose the local brands for cost effectiveness.

About Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week

1. Haute couture, originally French, is customised, hand-sewed clothing fitted and made by high-end fashion designers’ whose customers are royalty, aristocrats, A-list celebrities.

2. In France, the term haute couture is protected by law. The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture determines which fashion houses are eligible to be true haute couture houses.

ABOUT巴黎高定时装周

1.“高级定制”一词源自法语Haute Couture，是指以皇室贵族和上流社会妇女为顾客，由高级时装设计师主持的工作室为顾客个别量身，用手工定做的独创性时装作品。

2.在法国，Haute Couture是受法律保护的命名，只有得到法国高级时装公会的认可，才有资格被称为高级定制。

中国的高定

国内越来越多设计师专注于高定作品，设计与面料都直追国际大牌！以上提到的今年巴黎高定时装周的设计元素，国内某些高定品牌提早半年作品面世，惊奇地与国际无缝对接。想拥有高定的女孩，可以尝试选择国内品牌，起码性价比高！