Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel once described haute couture as “the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure.” Like many of her aphorisms, it summed up the fantasies and aspirations that fashion can provoke. Couture represents the height of craftsmanship, and there are believed to be just 4,000 clients in the world. Heiresses, entrepreneurs and members of royalty are among those lucky enough to collect and enjoy couture pieces, each of which requires hundreds of hours to make under specific conditions enforced by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode in Paris (meaning the price tag is understandably hefty).
Chanel dominated Parisian couture throughout her reign at her eponymous Maison, and after Karl Lagerfeld took the helm in 1983 – a role he upheld for over 35 years – the house maintained its status as one of the most noteworthy couture houses in the world.