THE HISTORY OF HAUTE COUTURE

From humble beginnings to present day

From humble beginnings to present day, we chart the history of haute couture.

1858: English couturier, Charles Frederick Worth established the first haute couture house in Paris, championing exclusive luxury fashion for the upper-class woman and coining the term 'fashion designer' - an artist in lieu of the basic dressmaker.

1868: Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture was first established as the safeguard of high-fashion. Designers were required to earn the right to label themselves a couture house according to certain specifications. These were later outlined in 1945.

1908: The phrase "haute couture" was used for the first time.

1921: The French press created PAIS (L'Association de Protection des Industries Artistiques Saisonnieres), in a bid to protect individual haute couture designs from piracy. Designs were photographed on a mannequin, front, back and side, and registered as evidence.

1945: New specifications of Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture were established:

- Designs must be made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings

- Each atelier must have at least 20 members of staff

- Each season, the couture house must present a collection of at least 35 runs with both daytime and evening wear to the Paris press.

1947: France's fashion industry was successfully revived from wartime austerity with Christian Dior's 'New Look' collection. Dubbed Corelle, after the botanical term for the frail petals in the centre of a flower, the collection featured a new-found glamour in the shape of tight waists, stiff petticoats and billowing skirts.

1966: Yves Saint Laurent launched Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, the first freestanding couture boutique. Pierre Cardin, Andre Courreges, Ted Lapidus and Emanuel Ungaro soon followed suit in opening their own stores.

1970: The number of couture houses dropped to just 19 (there were 106 in 1946). Many designers attributed blame to the strict rules from Le Chambre Syndicale de La Haute Couture, demanding conditions unsustainable after the war when mass-production was popular and couture clientele diminishing. Thierry Mugler and Christian Lacroix were just two of those defeated by couture's high expenses.