couture

English translation: the leading fashion designers

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:couture
Selected answer:the leading fashion designers
Entered by: Bill Greendyk

17:46 Aug 15, 2002
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Textiles / Clothing / Fashion / fashion
English term or phrase: couture
haute couture
jennifer
the leading fashion designers
Explanation:
It literally means "high fashion," but its use is to describe the leading fashion designers, the "vanguardia." It is usually left as "haute couture", just as "haute cuisine," for fine dining, is usually left as is.

Cheers!
Selected response from:

Bill Greendyk
United States
Local time: 03:55
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +7the leading fashion designers
Bill Greendyk
5 +6fashion
Marian Greenfield
5Designer fashion
Monica Colangelo
5dress making
R.J.Chadwick (X)
4haute couture
jerrie
4tailoring
leff
4haute, elegant + couture, sewing.
sergey (X)


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
fashion


Explanation:
haute couture is high fashion (if that's what you're asking)

Marian Greenfield
Local time: 03:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bill Greendyk: Hi Marian! Great to meet you on Saturday!! :-))
0 min
  -> Hi BIll!!!! I was really happy to meet you too.

agree  Cristina Moldovan do Amaral
4 mins

agree  Piotr Kurek
7 mins

agree  Chinoise
18 mins

disagree  alx: how can u treat couture & fashion as synonymous? Haute couture is to be taken as the opposite for pret-a-porter.
3 hrs

agree  Kanta Rawat (X)
11 hrs

agree  Sue Crocker
18 hrs

agree  AhmedAMS
13 days
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
the leading fashion designers


Explanation:
It literally means "high fashion," but its use is to describe the leading fashion designers, the "vanguardia." It is usually left as "haute couture", just as "haute cuisine," for fine dining, is usually left as is.

Cheers!

Bill Greendyk
United States
Local time: 03:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Barbara Østergaard
15 mins

agree  Antonio Camangi
30 mins

agree  Yelena.
1 hr

agree  RHELLER: leave as is
6 hrs

agree  Maria-Jose Pastor: agree w/Rita, leave as is - it is understood
19 hrs

agree  Libero_Lang_Lab
22 hrs

agree  AhmedAMS
13 days
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
haute couture


Explanation:
is the very top end of the fashion/designer label industry. These are the collections that appear at the fashion shows and can only be ordered direct from fashion house, followed by a fitting, individually made for clients needs.

You then have pret-a-porter or ready couture, which is still your top designers, but labelled items that are on sale (off the peg).

You then have mass-produced fashion (Top Shop/New Look/ M& S etc...High Street Fashion)

So, yes, haute couture is 'high' fashion as in cutting-edge, current fashion, but very highly priced top-end of the market fashion!

hth

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 19
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Designer fashion


Explanation:
HTH

Monica Colangelo
Argentina
Local time: 04:55
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
tailoring


Explanation:
'couture' is a French word that literally means 'tailoring' or 'sewing', but 'houte couture' has a special meaning:

haute couture =
the leading designers and creators of new fashions in clothing for women, or their creations; high fashion

Etymology
[Fr, lit., high sewing]

[Webster's]



leff
Local time: 08:55
Native speaker of: Native in PolishPolish
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
dress making


Explanation:
DRESS-MAKING

"Dressmaking" is "Couture" ("tailoring" is something else).

"Haute couture" is "exdusive, top of the market, trend-setting fashion" ("fashion" by itself is something else).

Just to prove that I am right (and Peace and more Peace, anyway) here are the dictionary definitions in evidence:-

dressmaker
(n) couturière f.

dressmaking
(n) couture f;
travaux mpl de couture.
(The Collins Paperback French Dictionary)

tailor
(n) tailleur m (artisan);
(vt) to ~ sth (to) adapter qch exactement (à);
~'s (shop) (boutique f: de) tailleur m
.
tailor-made
(adj) fait(e) sur mesure;
(fig) conçu(e) spécialement.
tailoring

tailoring
(n) (cut) coupe f.
(The Collins Paperback French Dictionary)

fashion
(n) mode f;
(manner) façon f, manière f;
(vt) façonner;
in ~ à la mode;
out of ~ démodé(e);
in the Greek ~ à la grecque;
after a ~ (finish, manage etc) tant bien que mal.

fashion designer
(n) (grand(e)) couturier/ière.
fashion show
(The Collins Paperback French Dictionary)

haute couture
n.
1. The leading establishments or designers for the creation of exclusive fashions.
a. The creation of exclusive fashions.
b. The fashions created.

[French : haute, feminine of haut, high, elegant + couture, sewing.]
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

haute couture
n : trend-setting fashions [syn: high fashion]
(WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University)

P.S. Recently the connotations of "haute couture" may have shifted to include men's fashions, but I am not sure of that -- see if someone else can confirm or disconfirm it.

R.J.Chadwick (X)
Local time: 15:55
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
haute, elegant + couture, sewing.


Explanation:
haute couture
n.
1. The leading establishments or designers for the creation of exclusive fashions.
2.
a. The creation of exclusive fashions.
b. The fashions created.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
[French  : haute, feminine of haut, high, elegant + couture, sewing.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000



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Note added at 2002-08-16 10:39:18 (GMT)
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also liked jerrie\'s explanation

sergey (X)
Local time: 07:55
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