Haute Couture - Hardcover

Koda, Harold; Martin, Richard; Metropolitan Museum Of Art (New York, N. Y.)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0870997610 ISBN 13: 9780870997617

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995

Synopsis

This is a survey of the history of haute couture, from the formation of the House of Worth in mid-19th-century Paris to the major designers of the present day. The book focuses on the highly skilled crafts that are essential to the production of haute couture. Separate chapters examine tailoring techniques and finishes, weaving, draping, and the intricate decoration produced by embroiderers, feather-makers, and other craftspeople on whom couturiers rely for the execution of their ideas.

About this title

Reviews

Published to accompany an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute, this lavishly illustrated volume provides a survey of the history of haute couture (fashion driven by the artistic expression of the designer rather than the dictates of clients) from its beginnings with the formation of the House of Worth in mid-19th-century Paris to the present-day creations of fashion's major designers. From its inception, haute couture has been closely aligned with modern art, "a fulfillment of mutually agreeing ideas that are contingent upon and wrought on the human body." This synergism can be seen in garments such as Poiret's "sorbet" lampshade gown, influenced by the Orientalism of the 1910s, and Chanel's "little black dress," the archetype of clothing's penchant for social reversal and political change, as well as in contemporary couturiers such as Gianni Versace, whose 1995 evening gown merges old technique and new technology by manipulating industrial-weight vinyl onto a crystalline overskirt evocative of 19th-century silhouette. Authors Koda and Martin, curators at the Costume Institute, have given special prominence to technique, the workshop masteries distinguishing the couture from other visual arts. Highly recommended for all fashion collections.?Marcie S. Zwaik, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0870997610
• ISBN 13: 9780870997617
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 118