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Couture vs high street: Which is better?

Sheetal Mafatlal roots for couture and Archana Walavalkar, Co-Founder, StyleCracker makes a case for high street

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Haute Couture

An haute couture connoiseur will only buy bespoke and a high street buyer will always aspire to buy atelier offerings. It’s not just occasional clothing that you wear twice and then forget about it. 

Bespoke means it’s made especially for you and not for a formal event necessarily. It’s a misconception that couture is worn for black-tie event or weddings.

The sheer beauty of it lies in the detailing — be it the fabric or the lining. For example, a Chanel jacket has a chain attached to the lining inside. It’s not just about the look, it’s about cherishing the piece of clothing and then passing it on. It’s like investing in an heirloom piece. Purchasing couture can be compared to buying a piece of jewellery. The Chanel haute couture jackets can be styled in versatile ways — depending on whether you want to dress up or dress down. It can be worn to a supermarket with a pair of denims or also to a charity ball over a cocktail dress. Besides Chanel, there are other haute couture brands — which bring out pieces, that are timeless and special. It’s hard not to be transfixed by the beautiful long dresses from labels like Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab. 

There are certain luxury conglomerates, which have very deep pockets — LVMH and Kering. By far, couture is an extravaganza and it’s not just about having a runway showcase with models. It’s creating an environment and making the couture client and the press part of the story. A lot goes behind the extravagant shows and there’s a lot of financials involved. The clients are given a VVIP treatment, the shows are usually accompanied by celebrity performances and an after-party. In fact, most brands can’t afford that extravagance. 

Also, I’d like to add that the couture clients are never affected with the economic downturn. 

High street to me is basically the knock-offs from couture and luxury ready-to-wear labels. They copy them and make it affordable to a lot of fashion enthusiasts. I like to buy products of impeccable quality even if it’s a simple white T-shirt. 

(As told to Manish D Mishra)

High Street

The concept that rapidly trickled down on a global scale, was deemed everything that is stylish, affordable and conforming to latest trends. In a nutshell, it is a modern and practical shoppers’ paradise! High street fashion is mass-produced and changes every few weeks, to help one stay abreast with all the exciting new things in the fashion industry.

This ready-to-wear channel gives today’s customer a ‘new look’ and in accordance with seasonal and economical changes. Since the products are available pre-seasonally and are produced in standard sizes, they can be easily picked off the rack. It is accessible, readily available and the perfect way to revamp your wardrobe to satiate any lifestyle changes. Street style icons like Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Zayn Malik and Varun Dhawan include a lot of high street brands in their everyday wardrobe.

Over the years, many luxury brands have started collaborating with high street labels to create limited edition capsule collections, like Kenzo x H&M or Louis Vuitton with Supreme. Investing in a few statement pieces is a good way to stand out, and such collaborations enable today’s shopper to own those statement pieces without breaking the bank.

Pairing a high street brand with a luxury label is also a great way of putting together an outfit, and Selena Gomez aces this like no other. I incorporate tons of high street brands when styling my stars, like Alia Bhatt for Kapoor and Sons, Shahid Kapoor for Shaandaar. High street fashion is setting the stage for the trends to come — it is the way forward and by all means, the future of fashion.

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