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haute couture

American  
[oht koo-toor, oht koo-tyr] / ˌoʊt kuˈtʊər, oʊt kuˈtür /

noun

  1. high fashion; the most fashionable and influential dressmaking and designing.

  2. the fashions so created.

  3. the leading dressmaking establishments in the world of fashion, considered collectively.


haute couture British  
/ ot kutyr /

noun

  1. high fashion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does haute couture mean? Haute couture refers to the world of high fashion and custom-made garments.The phrase comes from French and translates as “high sewing” or “high dressmaking.” It is synonymous with high fashion.Haute couture can refer to high fashion designers collectively, their profession, the clothes designed by them, or their businesses.The word couture can also be used by itself as a shortening of haute couture or to refer to or describe clothing that was designed by a fashion designer or has that level of quality.Example: She’s known for wearing haute couture looks that are straight from the runway.

Etymology

Origin of haute couture

From French

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

According to Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, experimenting with haute couture can serve as a confidence booster.

From Barron's

Her Highland gothic outfits match traditional Scottish heritage style with haute couture and a twist of the unexpected.

From BBC

Another eagerly-awaited show was from Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, in his first haute couture collection for Dior.

From BBC

The 41-year-old from Northern Ireland is the first creative director to oversee womenswear, menswear and haute couture since Christian Dior himself, having started the job last year with a stellar reputation.

From Barron's

The giant in the world of haute couture died at his home in Rome, just four months after the death of fellow Italian great Giorgio Armani.

From Barron's