While many readily accept that haute couture is the pinnacle of fashion’s creativity, the pret-a-porter runways every fashion week tell a different story. With intricate and painstaking feats of design seen in both ready-to-wear and couture, and more accepted street styles making their way into couture (remember Chanel setting the fashion trainer craze in motion at couture week?), the lines are blurred perhaps more than ever. How great is the difference?
It’s exactly this question that is debated in Haute-a-Porter, a new exhibition curated by Filep Motwary opening tomorrow that examines the changing face of fashion and researches the changing relationship and cross-fertilisation between haute couture and ready to wear, featuring such iconic brands as Dior, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Rick Owens.
Along with the exhibition an accompanying book will be published featuring contributions from some of the fashion industry’s most esteemed names including Alexander Fury, Colin McDowell, Tim Blanks, Rick Owens, Stephen Jones and Vivienne Westwood.
Let the debate commence.
Haute-à-Porter runs from the 2nd April until 11th September at Modemuseum Hasselt, Belgium.
