Who wears couture and why revive old fashion houses
Talk about expediency the existence of couture in the era of popular culture rise after each High Fashion Week in Paris. Moreover, the revival of one after another couture houses, once sunk into oblivion, only warms them. Following the reanimated Vionnet and Schiaparelli, another two honorary fashion houses gave a chance for a second life, which seemed to forever remain the pride of the museum expositions. This is about Charles James and Paul Poiret, who changed the history of the costume a century ago. Jean-Paul Gautier added reasons for the conversation, closing the prêt-à-porter line this fall and focusing only on couture. We understand why this happens and who needs all this.
It would seem that something else unexpected could happen to modern fashion with its democracy and a strong bias towards street culture than a return to basics, that is, to couture. Today, brands, especially sports, advocate for a reasonable consumption of materials, buyers in an era of difficult situation in the world and the crisis are prone to economy and Foxmere. Couture also involves tens of meters of indecently expensive fabrics, kilograms of decoration, impractical designs, thousands of hours of handmade work - all for the sake of a single outfit. However, only in the last six months it became known about the imminent return of two more couture houses. First in May, after the annual ball of the Institute of Costume at the Metropolitan Museum, this time dedicated to the main American couturier Charles James, plans for the revival of his brand became known. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein took the financial responsibility for the resurrection from the dead, and his wife Georgina Chapman (part-time designer Marchesa) and her brother Edward took the head of the design team. Just a week ago, news spread through the Internet: French businessman Arnaud de Lummen, the current owner of Paul Poiret, puts the company up for auction, which will end on November 28th. As a result, a house with more than a century of history should go into new hands and find, according to an optimistic scenario, a second life.
When Jennifer Lawrence appeared at the Golden Globes in January 2013, she was asked what dress she was wearing. Jennifer replied: "This is a couture Christian Dior. I have no idea what that means, but I had to answer this way." By the way, it was a dress from the Raf Simons debut collection for Dior. The bewilderment is clear: what is the point for companies to spend huge amounts of money on showing haute couture collections, the profit from which will be 10% at best? Who will buy dresses at a price of 20,000 euros or more? Nevertheless, a modern bridgehead has a springboard. Although small. There are a little more than 2,000 haute couture clients in the world today, mostly from the Middle East, from China and, who would doubt it, Russia.
Luxurious décor and embroidery in the spirit of Art Deco can at least diversify the overall picture with the dominance of minimalism, sport and the normore
It is clear that due to them not a single house will go far away financially. But couture today is for the most part an image story aimed at maintaining a glamorous historical context around the brand. All these democratization games in the form of couture sneakers and the Viktor & Rolf "bathhouse" collection are just ways to shake up the old fashionable fashion. The couture is “beaten off” by the prêt-à-porter collections, perfume and accessories, and here it is in the hands of entrepreneurs that they play the name that everyone knows, even if the latest collection under the brand started half a century ago - for example, Paul Poiret or Charles James.
This scheme was adopted by Schiaparelli, and now, just a year after the first collection of Marco Zanini, the brand is going to produce perfume, and then, you see, a prêt-à-porter will appear. Entrepreneurs, in whose hands there are companies with a long history, rightly expect that a well-known name will attract not only the attention of the public, but also money. First, of course, you have to work on the image, that is, to release a couple of haute couture collections, even if it will be worth the high costs. But then the recreated image of the house will more than work in the opposite direction.
The question arises: how relevant are these brands today, at least from a visual point of view? It is unlikely that Charles James’s waist-clad corsets and immense crinolines will look adequate. But the new-found brand could work with absolute femininity and become a singer of classical beauty, taking a place that was released in the fashion hierarchy with the death of Oscar de la Renta.
“Poiret belongs to the category of designers whose creations never look outdated. Especially considering how intertwined art and fashion are today, I can say with confidence that now is the time for Paul Poiret to return to the house,” Arnaud de Lummen commented on his decision. Paul Poiret in his time offered a lot of revolutionary ideas: from more free direct silhouettes to things inspired by the aesthetics of the East, which set the fashion for Orientalism and the passion for the “cucumber” print (paisley). Of course, today such a revolutionary will cause a condescending smile. However, the luxurious decor and embroidery in the spirit of Art Deco Paul Poiret can at least diversify the overall picture with its domination of minimalism, sports and norcor.
Other couture houses of the beginning of the 20th century also cannot boast of an easy fate, but before our eyes they returned, and very successfully, being in the hands of talented entrepreneurs and designers. Vionnet was put on the feet of Gogh Ashkenazi and Hussein Chalayan, Schiaparelli - talented designer Marco Zanini (hopefully, the reports of his leaving home are only rumors) and Diego Della Valle, head of Tod's group, which owns the house today. The return and the new collections of Schiaparelli and Vionnet are accompanied by intense enthusiasm. For example, Schiaparelli collections today look like a breath of fresh air, and there is not a hint of anachronism in them. “The goal of Schiaparelli’s revival is to offer a modern brand that would personify dreams, art and refinement in one bottle,” said Diego Della Valle on the eve of restarting the house in 2012. “He shouldn’t be involved in an endless race of profits and sales, it’s enough just have an image. "
Obviously, “just an image” is now enough for Jean-Paul Gautier, who showed his farewell collection prêt-à-porter during the Paris Spring-Summer 2015 fashion week. From now on, he will be engaged only in couture, and as a financial airbag he has a perfume line. “I love working on haute couture collections because I can create and express taste in them. Besides, I have the freedom to experiment,” said Gauthier in a recent interview. “Thoughts on how to make things commercially successful , they suppressed me and did not leave creative freedom. I simply had no time and strength to really create. "
The history of Loewe is an excellent example of how a failure according to all laws of logic ultimately allows you to hit the jackpot
However, the revival of some houses, such as Carven, Balmain or Rochas, generally does without haute couture. Young and advanced creative directors helped them to return to the mainstream of the industry, and although these brands do not have much to do with their founders and couture today, their commercial success is obvious. One of the most striking such examples is the promising collaboration of the venerable Loewe house with the British genius Jonathan Anderson. In general, the Loewe story is very curious, in some way even exceptional.
The clothing brand has grown from a cooperative of leather artisans, founded in Madrid in 1846. After 26 years, he became the head of the German leather affairs master Enrique Loeve Rossberg - he gave his company name. Until the second half of the 20th century, Loewe was engaged in the production of exclusively leather goods, until in 1965 the first prêt-à-porter collection was presented. Loewe was waiting for serious changes in 1996 - the brand bought one of the largest fashion conglomerates LVMH and began to sculpt a new trendsetter brand. True, not entirely successful: the young creative director Narciso Rodriguez, having worked at Loewe for several years, went to work on his own collections. Under the leadership of Jose Enrique Onya, Loewe began to suffer losses, and the next leader of the house - a talented but not very modern Stuart Weavers - eventually moved to Coach.
Here LVMH made an unexpected attack - they appointed one of the most non-commercial British designers Jonathan Anderson (whose own brand LVMH purchased into its package shortly before), was appointed to head the creative team of the superconservative house Loewe, from which they had already been shaken off the dust. The first two collections, released from his hand (male and female), in the new season were, if not the most interesting, then definitely hit the top-5. Yes, Loewe is an excellent example of how, at first glance, the failure by all laws of logic, the decision ultimately allows you to hit the jackpot.
Another good example of a restart is Pringle of Scotland. The brand, founded back in 1815 by Robert Pringle, specialized exclusively in the manufacture of socks and underwear made of wool. Over the past twenty years, it has changed radically and has suddenly become fashionable. At the same time, until the beginning of the 2000s, the company was almost a century-old oblivion and was considered the brand “for pensioners”. The new leadership has changed the concept and strategy, and the resuscitation mission was entrusted to the designer Alistair Carr. Recently, Carr continued the new art director Massimo Nicosia, who made his debut in the spring-summer 2014 season. In the 19th century, the achievement of Pringle of Scotland was the creation of an argyll diamond pattern and the invention of a twin set, today these are experiments with 3D printing, work with a scientist and engineer Richard Beckett, the development of technological knitwear (textured, corrugated, ribbed), perforated merino wool, soft as cashmere, nylon.
Nostalgia is a state in which the fashion world is subject to no small degree. Any opportunity to personally see the epoch half a century or more ago causes excitement. No matter how much talk there is about the unprofitability of couture, there is something to thank those who undertake to revive the houses of the past. Each of the houses is a page in the history of fashion, which is irrevocably turned over and forgotten over time as soon as the brand stops working. The heritage of museums and private archives is great for a narrow circle of interested and professional people. For most, fashion is something that functions here and now. However, through the history and masterful work with archives, it is easier to see the present and read the trends. If the design of the updated brands becomes cleaner - obviously, minimalism is in fashion, if it is simpler - comfort, if it is avant-garde - bell - time to discharge. Right now we are witnessing an amazing and rare period of rebirth of a dozen forgotten marks; the moment when the story becomes tangible, and it is definitely worth remembering.
Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Loewe, Schiaparelli