couture
couture — noun
1. the craft and business of creating expensive, custom-fitted clothes that are mad
the craft and business of creating expensive, custom-fitted clothes that are made by hand for individual clients rather than produced in large quantities for shops.
Harper studied couture in Milan before opening her own boutique.
Couture dresses can take hundreds of hours of hand-stitching to complete.
uncountable noun with verb: takes
The fashion house has been creating couture for European royalty since 1920.
Many young designers dream of working in couture rather than mass production.
Sumin's grandmother worked as a seamstress in Parisian couture for forty years.
- haute couture
the full French term, legally protected; more formal than 'couture' alone
- high fashion
broader term; can include luxury ready-to-wear, not just handmade custom pieces
- fashion design
general term for the creative process; lacks the exclusivity and handcrafting emphasis of couture
- ready-to-wear
mass-produced clothing sold in standard sizes, opposite of custom-made couture
- prêt-à-porter
the French term for ready-to-wear, directly opposed to haute couture
用法筆記
Uncountable noun — do not say 'a couture' or 'coutures'. Frequently appears in the phrase 'haute couture', a French term legally protected in the EU for fashion houses that meet specific standards of handmade work.
常見錯誤
2. the companies, designers, and workshops that together form the high-end custom-f
the companies, designers, and workshops that together form the high-end custom-fashion industry, considered as a group.
The world's finest couture gathers in Paris twice a year for Fashion Week.
couture as collective: gathers
Several Italian couture houses now produce ready-to-wear lines alongside their custom pieces.
Salma interned at a famous Parisian couture right after graduating from design school.
Jenna wrote her thesis on how Japanese designers influenced European couture in the 1980s.
- fashion houses
more concrete; refers specifically to the companies, not the entire industry
- design houses
broader; includes non-couture fashion labels
- ateliers
specifically the workshops where couture garments are made; narrower than sense 2
用法筆記
Used as a collective noun referring to the industry as a whole or an individual fashion house ('a famous Parisian couture'). Distinguish from sense 1, where 'couture' means the craft itself, not the business entities.
couture — adjective
1. made or sold as exclusive, custom-fitted fashion that involves careful handwork
made or sold as exclusive, custom-fitted fashion that involves careful handwork and individual tailoring rather than factory production.
The bride wore a stunning couture gown made from hand-embroidered Italian silk.
couture + garment noun (gown, dress, suit)
Adisa's collection blends couture pieces with everyday basics for a fresh look.
That small boutique specialises in couture accessories made by local artisans.
Eli paired a simple T-shirt with a couture jacket for the awards ceremony.
A couture suit can cost more than a small car because of the handwork involved.
- designer
much broader; any piece by a recognised designer, not necessarily handmade or custom-fitted
- high-fashion
overlaps but includes luxury ready-to-wear; less emphasis on individual tailoring
- bespoke
tailor-made for an individual; used mainly for suits and menswear, while couture leans toward womenswear and fashion
- ready-to-wear
mass-produced in standard sizes; the commercial opposite of couture
- off-the-rack
bought from a store without custom fitting; informal term
用法筆記
Attributive only — always appears before a noun ('a couture dress'), never after a linking verb ('the dress is couture' is considered informal). Cannot be graded (*more couture, *very couture).