For a time, many industry insiders thought the haute couture shows were in death’s grasp. As fast fashion continued to dominate, and the recession saw the foreclosure of many couture houses, made-to-measure gowns that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece seemed out of touch. But, having just attended eight days of couture shows in three European cities, I think I can finally put that notion to rest. Haute couture may not resemble its former self—and the front row denizens and clients are certainly not who they used to be—but these plus size prom dresses are selling, and some of these fashion houses are thriving. The day after my last show of the week, a Dolce & Gabbana couture menswear show that took place atop the castle in the port of Naples, Italy, I encountered four Chinese women who together had dropped over $1 million on dresses.
But let’s start at the beginning: for the past several years, Donatella Versace has been the first show of haute-couture week, which is fine with me because I’ve been a lifelong fan of the house. (In my childhood bedroom in Missouri, I had collages devoted to Gianni Versace.) For me, the highlights were the gowns with draping over the bodice and down the leg, like the one Jamie Bochert wore in the finale.
