Birth of the Haute Couture

The rise of the haute couture was crucially important to the consolidation of Paris as a modern fashion capital. In 1858, when Charles Frederick Worth established his couture house on the Rue de la Paix, Paris was already home to many “little” dressmakers, but Worth created grande (big) couture, which was soon known as haute (high) couture. Elite American women were attracted by the prestige of Paris fashion, and Worth recognized their importance as clients, saying they had “the faces, the figures, and the francs.”