When we talk about couture, than a dress will be made exclusively for you (often, but not necessarily, a bespoke design) and to you exact measurements. Usually a test garment (called a toile) is made from muslin first to ensure a precise fit, and upon which any modifications and adjustments to the size and design are made.
The fabric of your gown (which from a couturier you should expect to be of the highest quality) will be cut by an experienced pattern cutter, it will be sewn together by an experienced seamstress, and the detail added by expert embroiderers and beaders. The designer will see this process through and liaise with you at up to six fittings which are likely to last an hour or more. It's a time consuming process, but it's also a highly skilled craft for everyone involved in making the garment. Thus it comes at a price. But if you can afford it, if only this one time, it will not only be the experience of a lifetime, but the end result will be a perfect and unique wedding gown that fits like a glove.
Definetely, if money is no object, then don't even consider anything else. Off-the-peg and made-to-measure is never going to fit perfecty in just the right places. But if you have a couture toile made it is going to be accurate in the right places and to exact measurements.
Another popular misconception is that couture means one-off garment exclusively designed for you. This is not the case. A bride can have that, but she has got to pay for a lot of processes. The beauty of coming to a couture designer and seeing a dress that you like is that is that it has gone through those processes and is tried and tested. It is finished, it is perfect and the design is faultless. But if you have something in your head it has to go through a number of prototypes to get it right, and that costs a fortune. We generally don't recommend it!
It is possible a desgner will make changes to the original design, such as a neckline or a sleeve, swapping some detail, adding beading or embroidery, but only if the design still works. After all, they're the designer, that's what they do. If it was a better way of designing a particular dress they probably would have spotted it themselves during the design process.
If you are being offered what is described as a couture service ensure there will be a toile. If there won't be it is not couture, even if it's a one-off. Ask who will be present at the fittings. You would usually expect it to be the designer, but if he won't be, who will it be and will it allways be the same person? If you want to alter some of the detail from the original design in the sample garment, check that the designer is happy to do this. A few won't, and if they will, it might depend on what you want to change. Will there be an additional charge for any changes? Watch out for the additional costs involved with alternations as you go along. They can result in a lot of extra work and add significantly to the final bill, especially if you are simply changing your mind about a detail. This also applies to extra embroidery and beading which is time-consuming and therefore costly.
The fabric of your gown (which from a couturier you should expect to be of the highest quality) will be cut by an experienced pattern cutter, it will be sewn together by an experienced seamstress, and the detail added by expert embroiderers and beaders. The designer will see this process through and liaise with you at up to six fittings which are likely to last an hour or more. It's a time consuming process, but it's also a highly skilled craft for everyone involved in making the garment. Thus it comes at a price. But if you can afford it, if only this one time, it will not only be the experience of a lifetime, but the end result will be a perfect and unique wedding gown that fits like a glove.
Definetely, if money is no object, then don't even consider anything else. Off-the-peg and made-to-measure is never going to fit perfecty in just the right places. But if you have a couture toile made it is going to be accurate in the right places and to exact measurements.
Another popular misconception is that couture means one-off garment exclusively designed for you. This is not the case. A bride can have that, but she has got to pay for a lot of processes. The beauty of coming to a couture designer and seeing a dress that you like is that is that it has gone through those processes and is tried and tested. It is finished, it is perfect and the design is faultless. But if you have something in your head it has to go through a number of prototypes to get it right, and that costs a fortune. We generally don't recommend it!
It is possible a desgner will make changes to the original design, such as a neckline or a sleeve, swapping some detail, adding beading or embroidery, but only if the design still works. After all, they're the designer, that's what they do. If it was a better way of designing a particular dress they probably would have spotted it themselves during the design process.
If you are being offered what is described as a couture service ensure there will be a toile. If there won't be it is not couture, even if it's a one-off. Ask who will be present at the fittings. You would usually expect it to be the designer, but if he won't be, who will it be and will it allways be the same person? If you want to alter some of the detail from the original design in the sample garment, check that the designer is happy to do this. A few won't, and if they will, it might depend on what you want to change. Will there be an additional charge for any changes? Watch out for the additional costs involved with alternations as you go along. They can result in a lot of extra work and add significantly to the final bill, especially if you are simply changing your mind about a detail. This also applies to extra embroidery and beading which is time-consuming and therefore costly.
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