: the business of designing, making, and selling fashionable custom-made clothing
the world of Paris couture
2
: the designers and establishments engaged in couture
For more than a century, the couture was the undisputed fashion source for women in the Western world. Bernadine Morris
3
: the clothes created by couture
For them, buying French couture has become a status symbol, something to rack up along with their brand-new BMWs and their hacienda-style villas …Vogue
: of, relating to, or being high-end custom-made fashion
Neither are these designers unduly concerned about styles that lend themselves to being folded and packed—the couture clientele travels with trunks, not duffel bags, and, presumably, there is always someone on the other end to take care of the wrinkles. Bernadine Morris
However, Owens credits his success to the ease of what he calls his "T-shirt versions of couture dresses." David Colman
Example Sentences
Noun The book discusses the relationship between culture and couture. I can't afford to wear couture.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
When accepting her award for best video for good, Lizzo wore a second Jean Paul Gaultier haute-couture look, from Olivier Rousteing’s Fall 2022 collection for the house and paired with Roger Vivier’s Viv in the City slingbacks. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Aug. 2022 Today, the Passing actress stepped out on the red carpet for the 79th annual Venice International Film Festival, pulling from Armani Privé's 2009 spring/summer couture collection for her abstract gown. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 31 Aug. 2022 The whole Dior universe, from fragrance to couture, is now joined by a restaurant and pâtisserie helmed by chef du jour Jean Imbert, three gardens, and an exhibition space, the largest devoted to fashion in Paris. Leena Kim, Town & Country, 18 June 2022 Let your imagination inform your fashion, from DIY to high couture. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 June 2022 The earrings set the tone for the private-jet-and-haute-couture lifestyle the pair would enjoy as a married couple. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2022 Chanel’s July 5 haute-couture presentation at L’Étrier de Paris, the equestrian center on the outskirts of the city, proved to be a perfect venue for Henson to observe first-hand fashion’s ultimate handcraft. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 July 2022 But the two aren’t afraid to play with volume, something that is trending in Lebanese couture shows so far this season. Allyson Portee, Forbes, 4 July 2022 Because nothing captures the drama of couture more than opera gloves.Vogue, 12 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French, from Old French cousture sewing, from Vulgar Latin *consutura, from Latin consutus, past participle of consuere to sew together, from com- + suere to sew — more at sew