“Is it all just a big show to give the media something to talk about?”

Yes

PR PR

It’s French.

That sort of thing is more about art than practical fashion.

It’s art. No one’s making you look at it.

What is Haute Couture? Supposedly it’s art.

well I find it interesting in that there are concepts behind it that someone’s thought of…that is all…I know I don’t have to wear it…

So, if we say that this is art (and not clothing), what value does it have? In other words, how does it change the world or comment on society?

A good example might be the woman wearing the dress with beer bottles all over it. Is this art? Sure, that’s a loaded question. But if you do think it’s art, can you entertain my confusion and tell me what makes it art to you?

Something to wear while eating haute cuisine.

I think it is definitely more art than real fashion, but you could also think of it as a concept car. Most of them never get made, but ideas and technology in them usually does make it into production cars.

I love Haute Couture, I follow it avidly, I subscribe to Vogue, Bazaar and W, I attend shows when possible in New York, I tour Barney’s and Bergdorfs and I have no idea what you are talking about. I don’t see the stupidity you mention. Perhaps it is a matter of taste, perhaps it is a matter of understanding.

I did like this dress worn to the Oscars
No I wouldn’t wear it myself, but it is an example of Haute Couture actually worn out in public off a runway event.

@pdworkin I think it’s a case of art is subjective

De gustibus non est disputandem.

@pdworkin Gonna guess here, “I don’t dispute that it’s disgusting,” right? :)

“Matters of taste are not fit subjects for dispute”

@SpatzieLover: I think if they’d used that American Express Blue card, it would’ve looked way cooler. :)

I put them in the same category as a lot of the prototype “super cars;” something fun to design even if it isn’t all that functional and probably won’t be widely sold, if at all.

@poofandmook And, here I was thinking I’d like it better done in AmEx black cards ;D

@pdworkin Well, I had the “dispute” and the negatives “Don’t” v “Not,” right!

Pieces of haute couture can get worked into “ready-to-wear” lines, but they’re not meant to be wearable pieces the way they have them going down the runway. They are an art, but are also an intellectual exercise (from a design perspective). Taking design as far as you can into the realm craziness can give a designer inspiration for other pieces which are more wearable. Yes, the fact that there was a dress covered in beer bottles is slightly ridiculous and no one would wear it in public (I hope), but perhaps that designer might use a similar shape or a pattern that harkens back to it in their ready-to-wear work.

Am I the only one thinking about the Three Stooges as carpenters turned dress designers?

@pdworkin “I have no idea what you are talking about.” I posted a link to some pictures that I am specifically referring to. To me, these pictures are of outfits that are stupid. Not a matter of taste as much as nobody would ever wear this unless you paid them. Perhaps you disagree?

Okay, now do you actually have to walk around like this?

I agree with those who say that high fashion is more akin to art or sculpture than it is ready-to-wear. Very few high fashion outfits are ever worn. If they are, they are worn either by people paid to wear them (models), people in a very specific subset of society that want to be noticed and remembered, or by people who make folks notice them because of their jobs, such as actresses walking the Red Carpet. Overall, these are not real clothing.

What these pieces do, however, is serve as inspiration for designers of real clothing, giving a direction in which to go, such as adding crocheted highlights to this Fall’s line or using natural fibers in tans, creams and grays this year, instead of the bright reds and purples in other years. This, of course, is what drives the engine of fashion, the changing styles creating a “need” to buy new clothes, even when the old ones are still in great condition.

Please. This is Lisbon fashion week. Not one of the top attractions on the fashion calendar. I’m not surprised the outfits are un-wearable. If the designers were any good they’d be working in Paris or New York.
Check out what Paris had to offer on that same website. Now these designs are very wearable.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2009/jul/09/gaultier-valentino-haute-couture?picture=350033517

And from the same publication:
What’s the big deal about haute couture?

It is art – the concept behind some of these pieces are intriguing. Art is subjective. Perhaps you see it as ’weird/stupid’ but it’s creative expression, just like any other art form. Any creative expression is useful for the world

“It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.” – David St. Hubbins

@fireinthepriory you’re right. These lines are meant to push the limits of creativity. It’s the same in the art world- if you want to make a name for yourself, you have to be “relevant,” which is totally subjective, but it has to be something never seen before. This is why people make so many jokes about high art looking stupid, too. There’s a lot of pressure to be new and cutting-edge. Sometimes great risks lead to great rewards, but other times is just means creative missteps.

How many dresses can you design that haven’t been done before? Obviously, you can only push an envelope just so far before it becomes unrecognizable.

I consider it art and theatre and that’s why I love it. Of course I would never wear it but the designers don’t expect the general public to wear it. However, as someone else mentioned, these items of “clothing” are often used to inspire more realistic, every day clothing that people would wear. However, when I see a fashion show that’s exactly what I want a show and so if I want to see the wackiest clothing that I will never see on the street (on a normal day!) rather than a suit that I could see every business person wearing on a regular basis or the dress that all my girlfriends wear on nights out.

It’s all about catching peoples eyes, making them talk (for good or for bad) and giving the press something to print.

Haute Couture is meant to be an inspiration, and not always to fashion. On occasion (actually somewhat frequently) it falls short of what we would hope, but there are moments when a designer creates something brilliant, and those of us who are lucky enough to experience it feel our breath catch in our throats. That’s the reason that they do it and that we follow it.

It also gives fashion designers a chance to color outside the lines.

Yea it’s definitely art. There’s ready to wear fashion, that you see people wearing on the street. And, then there’s high fashion that is solely meant to be artistic and beautiful. And, it’s all handmade…so there’s a definitely a level of expertise that is involved.

@hiphiphopflipflapflop: lurve for your Spinal Tap reference!

To visually separate themselves from the poor peons who cannot afford such togs and will complain about them.