Why do we pay loads for Haute Couture?

Haute Couture is French for very high fashion. The word “couture” means hand working, needlework, dress making and "haute" means high.

Haute Couture is the opposite of mass production, where it's intended for mass distribution and consumption. Couture is perfection, artistry, fine crafting and high style all joined to create a garment of fine art.

The majority can't afford haute couture for it costs a fortune. Dresses can run up to hundreds of thousands! it's crazy I know.

We live in times where nothing is personalized anymore. Mass production and copying is the norm. And if you want personalized, it's comes with a "haute" price tag. 30 years ago, all the big brands were so exclusive and all about bespoke tailoring. Each piece possessed so much thought and passion which shows in every single detail.

People are now hungry for exclusivity, thus the vintage clothing industry has been blooming ever since mass production took it's toll on the fashion industry.

nowadays girls became more brand conscience and aware of every new trend, and the accessibility to designers through magazines and the internet has made it easier.

Whenever you walk into weddings/events, you just hope that no one is wearing what you're wearing, for people start playing the game of "who wore it best?"

It's always fun to watch 2 or 3 women wearing the same article of clothing, but when it comes to me, although I try to ignore it and I know I have my own personal style and touches that aren't comparable, it still feels icky being conscience about it the whole time. I might sound vain, but it's the truth.

It's always best to invest in key pieces of each season that are timeless. shift your ideals to start thinking about quality rather than quantity. let's say you have a budget of KD 5'000 annually for handbags, try distributing it wisely. Instead of buying 6 bags, you might end up buying 1 or 2 beautiful bags that aren't so mainstream to last you the whole season and beyond.

If you want to stand out and be different, here's my tip to avoid such situations. Basically you have five choices:

1. Look for new upcoming, freshly graduated, designers that you admire and no one has heard of

2. design your own clothes

3. buy one-off Haute Couture pieces. (costly and time consuming, worth it if it's an immediate relative's wedding)

4. buy Vintage

5. never wear the same designer from top to bottom, always mix and match to create your own style.

et Voila!! :)