Overview

Christian Dior once wrote "Fashion is one of the last repositories of the marvelous. The maintenance of the tradition of fashion is in the nature of an act of faith; the outward sign of an ancient civilization that intends to survive."

Man, woman and child, the need to cover our bodies is as old as the Garden of Eden. We clothe ourselves for protection from the elements. We clothe ourselves out of modesty. We clothe ourselves to show membership in a group or a social set. We clothe ourselves to express our individuality.

In 1900, the Exposition Universelle brought a million visitors to Paris to see the newest of everything, including, for the first time, Paris haute couture. The Palais de Fils, Tissus et Vetements included a display, Toilettes de la Collectivetee de la Couture, wax mannequins displaying wardrobes of the elite. For the first time, millions could know what couture meant and it was revelation.

Paris couture became the source of inspiration for generations to come, and the other cities follow the French style. It was not until the twentieth century that London, New York and Milan could stand on equal footing with Paris.

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Scope of Project

The goal of this project is to chronicle the lives of those men and women of fashion who brought the act of clothing our bodies to the level of fine art. The profiles included in the project are the greatest names in haute couture, the creators of style, the artists of silk and wool and ribbon.

General Note

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Discussion

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Resources

In genealogy, Sources are our most important tool. Many of these are available online. Please add links to resources that will enable all project members to . . . [lost my train of thought - come back to this]

• Fashion Designers
• Grand Couturiers
• Haute Couture
• Haute Couture Designers
• Fashion Designers by Country

Suggested Reading Please insert in alphabetical order by last name of author, and provide URL link if available online.

• Lynam, Ruth, Couture: An Illustrated History of the Great Paris Designers and Their Creators; published by Doubleday and Co., 1972.

Profiles Included in the Project: This list is by no means complete! Use it as a launch pad to explore fashion. The list is divided by "fashion centers," the cities where the designer was principally located or reached fame.

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Preeminent Houses of Haute Couture

Paris

• Chanel
• Dior
• House of Worth: Gaston Worth
• House of Paquin:
• Lacroix, Christian

Milan

New York

London

Fashion Designers

• Alexander McQueen
• Alexander Wang
• Anna Sui
• Azzedine Alia
• Balenciaga
• Bill Blass
• Bottega Veneta
• Calvin Klein
• Carolina Herrera
• Carven
• Charles Federick Worth
• Christian Dior
• Christian Lacroix
• Christian Louboutin
• Christina Yu
• Coco Chanel
• Collette Dinnigan
• Daniel Hechter
• David Holah
• Diana von Furstenberg
• Dirk Bikkembergs
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Donatella Versace
• Donna Karan / DKNY
• Elie Saab
• Elie Tahari
• Elsa Peretti
• Elsa Schiaparelli
• Emanuel Ungaro
• Emilio Pucci
• Ermenegildo Zegna
• Estee Lauder
• Franco Moschino
• Felipe Oliveira Baptista
• Geoffrey Beene
• Giambattista Valli
• Gianni Versace / Versace
• Gianfranco Ferré
• Giorgio Armani
• Givenchy
• Gloria Vanderbilt
• Guy Laroche
• Hattie Carnegie
• Hedi Slimane
• Helmut Lang
• Hubert de Givenchy / Givenchy
• Isaac Mizrahi
• Issey Miyake
• Jeane Lanvin
• Jean-Louis Scherrer
• Jean Patou
• Jean-Paul Gaultier
• Jil Sander
• John Galliano
• Judith Leiber
• Karl Lagerfeld
• Kate Spade
• Kenneth Cole
• Kenzo Takada
• Lanvin
• Lilly Pulitzer
• Liz Claiborne
• Louis Féraud
• Louis Vuitton
• Marc Jacobs
• Marcel Rochas
• Martin Ludvik
• Mary Quant
• Matthew Williamson
• Mauizio Galante
• Michael Kors
• Miuccia Prada / Prada SpA
• Narciso Rodriguez
• Nico Didonna
• Nina Ricci
• Nino Cerruti
• Oleg Cassini
• Oscar de la Renta
• Paul Poiret
• Pauline Trigere
• Perry Ellis
• Pierre Balmain
• Pierre Cardin
• Prada
• Raf Simons
• Ralph Lauren
• Rei Kawakubo
• Renzo Rosso / Diesel
• Roberto Cavalli
• Salvatore Ferragamo
• Sergio Valente
• Sonia Rykiel
• Stefan Gabbana
• Stella McCartney
• Ted Lapidus
• Thierry Mugler
• Thomas Burberry
• Tom Ford
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Ungaro
• Valentino
• Vera Wang
• Versace
• Vivienne Westwood
• Yves Saint Laurent
• Zac Posen

Fashion Photographers

• Richard Avedon
• Steven Meisel

International Supermodels

• Jean Shrimpton
• Verushka
• Twiggy
• Margaux Hemingway
• Christie Brinkley
• Cheryl Tiegs,
• Cindy Crawford
• Naomi Sims,
• Naomi Campbell
• Gisele Bundchen
• Carla Bruni

Links

• Couture Fashion Week
• Haute Couture
• "The Golden Age of Couture" 1947 1957 Timeline
• World of Couture Blog