The Paris Fashion Week 2016 has got us dreaming of Haute Couture! From the Atelier Versace “Athletic Couture” collection to romantic lilac gowns seen at Giorgio Armani, Elie Saab, and Zuhair Murad, we can’t wait to see what our favorite celebrities will pick to wear on the red carpet this year. Meanwhile, we have compiled a list of interesting facts about Haute Couture:

* Haute Couture is a French expression for “high dressmaking”

* In order to be considered haute couture, the garment needs to be made by a fashion house approved by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, Parisian regulation commission

* It has to be constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques

* According to Wikipedia, these are the must-follow rules to earn the right to call itself a couture house:

– design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings
– have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen staff members full-time
– have at least twenty full-time technical people, in at least one workshop (atelier)
– present a collection of at least fifty original designs to the public every fashion season (twice, in January and July of each     year), of both day and evening garments

* It can take anywhere from 100 to 700 hours to create one couture dress

* Haute couture pieces can start at $10,000 and can cost upwards of $100,000

* It is reported that about 2,000 women worldwide purchase haute couture and of those 2,000, only 200 are regular buyers.

Check out our guide to learn how to properly care for your garments. If you would like expert care with your exquisite wardrobe, Garde Robe would be a great resource.