According to fashion terms, theres no such thing as Male Couture, but is mostly defined as Ready-To-Wear. Produced by top names such as, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and sometimes Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel, they have taken the typical male attire and reformed it into something larger and more fascinating. From skinny-short cut jeans to over sized trench coats, we need to look at whats the purpose of the collection if we cant wear it. To answer that question, mens couture is to look beyond the large unwearable garment, and to look at the craftsmanship, the fabrics, and the trimmings which took hours to prepare by a whole team of people. Yes, sometimes a pants, coat, or a shirt can be altered to become wearable, but sometimes 'Couture Buyers' often leave the garment as is to make a statement to the fashion world, and also accepting the garment as is!
John Galliano Fall 2007
Society would define this as weird but if you understand what Haute Couture is all about and where it originated you could understand the dynamics of how this came into place. In France and Italy, the sales of Mens couture apparel is high in sales because those are 2 of large fashion capitals of the world where couture products of men and women are sold to in boutiques and by private clients which often earn a very large profit.
John Galliano for Dior Homme has taken Mens apparel to a modern level by reforming the rules of couture and applying it to mens fashion. By adding his own personal touch Galliano has added a more exaggerated touch to his collections, taking most of his inspirations from theatrical/dramatic exposures, "Sherlock Holmes (well-cut trenches) meets Edwardian dandy (slick, elegant, eight-button double-breasted suits) meets...Hong Kong Phooey? (Silk boxer briefs)", according to GQ magazine.
Arnaud Vanbleus in John Galliano Fall 2005.
On a continuing note, mens apparel by fashion designers such as Galliano, McQueen, and Lagerfeld have been noticed as a very couture-unwearable collection. According to a poll made in 2005, the typical male would not purchase or even set eyes on such ravishing unique clothing. The typical male in Europe (Paris, London) would often experiment and follow the trend often to try something new and be different because thats what most Europeans believe fashion is all about!
More information on male couture coming soon!
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