As LCM draws to a close and Paris Couture Week begins, Fashion Bloggers and Editors alike feel a flurry of excitement at the prospect of what’s to come. Couture week usually brings with it a bombshell; some kind of shock announcement that leaves the fashion world reeling and this season is no different. Last year Jean-Paul Gaultier announced he would be halting his Ready To Wear line to concentrate on what he does best – Haute Couture; and this year is the turn of Brit Giles Deacon to announce the very same intention.
“We want to focus on what we do well, and maximise the success of the red carpet and private client work we’ve been doing over the past four years. We want to be the go-to business for super special daywear and eveningwear, to focus on what we are known for, and what our customers want from us,” – Giles Deacon
With Couture, the process harks back to the early days of Fashion Week when collections were shown months in advance of production allowing time for orders and bespoke creations however with the fast pace of fashion today, this is no longer the case. With many celebri-guests arriving at Fashion Week runway shows wearing the collection before it’s even been shown, there’s a demand that now outstrips supply. Case in point: the monogrammed Burberry poncho.
With Insta-fashion now dictating microtrends in between seasons, it’s hard for designers to create a collection shown only twice per year covering two seasons and so Couture is a natural choice for designers who want to get back to their roots, to the real reason they joined this business, for the fashion and the beautiful, beautiful couture.
Couture is where the big bucks are but it’s not quite as simple as knocking up a garment and banking the profits, there are a lot of hoops to jump through to become a certified couturier. If you fit the requirements, then it’s a hugely profitable place to be, with a lot of potential repeat business.
Couture is something Giles does well, with his signature dark gothic glamour, you can spot a Giles creation on a red carpet at 100 paces for it’s dramatic flair and shock value. Wearing Giles’ couture guarantees column inches in the worlds fashion press and as we know, in fashion, that’s never a bad thing. A favourite of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, it takes a certain calibre of client to wear Giles’ couture.
Giles’ couture collection will retail between £3,000 and £5,000 for a bespoke creation and £50,000 to £70,000 for red-carpet couture – not bad work if you can get it, right?
So dear Voyeurs, hang on to your Giles Deacon RTW creations, I have my favourite gothic victoriana blouse from FW15 which just got elevated to prized possession status.
Pixie x
