Cristobal Balenciaga, the Spanish Couturier

He is credited for inventing the first polo style logo for women's suit that was designed around the men's classic style. This became a rage and he is one of the first fashion designers to formulate the short sleeve shirt with the polo emblem.

There have been and still are hundreds of fashion designers in the world. But only a few of them have had any major impact on fashion industry today. And even fewer have revolutionised the fashion industry completely. One of these revolutionaries is the renowned Christian Dior. He reestablished Paris as the centre of the fashion world, and created his name as a symbol of elegance, quality, and modernity. I will be looking into how Dior’s context informed his practice, by using three of his most iconic and popular designs; The Bar Suit, Venus Dress and the Cygne Noir dress. And how these were a direct representation of 1945-1950 France.

Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was a highly regarded first lady, fashion icon, and poised woman of her time. She was well known for being the wife of John F. Kennedy and for her grace following his shocking and untimely death. Her blood stained pink suit is arguably one of the most famous items of clothing in American history. Jackie’s effort to historically preserve aspects of the White House and many areas of New York. Although Jackie’s life was highly publicized because of her stature and her husband’s infamous philanderous activity, there was a deeper aspect to Jackie few had access to. Jackie’s troubling childhood may have led to her decision to live a

Jose Guadalupe Posada, “father of Mexican modern art”, was a lithographer, printer and illustrator for newspapers and much more in the 19th and 20th century. He was born on February 2, 1852 in Aguascalientes. His gifts as an artist was revealed at a young age. In 1868 at the age of 16, he began working at a printing house owned by Jose Trinidad Pedroza.

Coronado was born in Salamanca, Spain, as a son of wealthy Juan Vásquez de Coronado y Sosa de Ulloa and Isabel de Luján Juan Vásquez. After spending 25 years with his family, Coronado finally set to seas with the son of his father's patron, Antonio de Mendoza. After they reached Mexico, Coronado married Beatriz de Estrada, with whom he had eight children. During his early life he managed to conquer the area of

Kate Spade worked for Mademoiselle Magazine for five years. While Kate Spade was working there she became senior fashion editor and head of accessories (“Kate Spade Biography”, par. 2). Kate Spade launched her own brand in 1993. She opened a small boutique in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan soon after (“Kate Spade Biography”, par. 3). When Kate Spade first launched her line she sold primarily handbags (“The Real Kate Spade”, par. 1). Kate Spade New York started off with just a couple of items but has grown since then. Kate Spade is known for its pops of color. Now they sell glasses, purses, shoes, wallet, and much more. She recently launched a new fragrance line called Live Colorfully (“Company Snapshot”, par. 6). As one can see, Kate Spade New York has grown over the

Herrera’s designs embody the true meaning of a classically feminine design. Her collections on display give you great insight into the many different fashion trends over the years which can

Immediately after dropping out of Fashion School, Kors began working at Lothar’s, and later started to design clothing for that company. Lothar’s was where Kors first introduced his talent and passion for designing clothing.They greatly praised his work. After this insane success he later joined Celine, a fashion house of France. His clothing line was also a major success for Celine, giving their company even more popularity from such designs. He had also designed clothing for famous actresses. He later left, Celtics in

Barbara began her career in Fashion in the early 1960′s working as a freelance fashion illustrator covering all the important fashion collections for the major publications of the day, including Women’s Wear Daily, British Vogue, the Times, the Observer and the Sunday Times.¨ (http://www.barbarahulanickidesign.com) This talented fashion designer won the 2012 Queen's new year honors which was just recent. She has been a success to life ever since the 1960ś and she is still on her journey for more victory. ¨In 1964 she founded, with her late husband, Stephen Fitz-Simon, the boutique BIBA, beginning as a small mail-order business featured in the fashion columns of newspapers such as the DAILY MIRROR.¨ (http://www.barbarahulanickidesign.com). She is a big inspiration to women that think that the only way to have money is from a wealthy husband. She made millions before finding the love of her

Since its introduction to the world in December of 1892 Vogue has gone about as the central form counselor for the socialites of tomorrow, setting up the garments drifts in the interminably developing universe of design. Vogue is presently distributed in eighteen nations, universally extending the legacy and impact of the design wonder. In spite of Vogue's concentrate on the brief form vibes existing apart from everything else, the magazine has kept up its status as the managing voice in first class design styles for almost 120 years.

Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonhuer Chanel, on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France was an amazing woman who redefined fashion as we know it today. She was a clothing designer who revolutionized the fashion industry with her suits, little black dresses, and avant garde flare. Because of this quickly in her young life she became well know, and rose to be the fashion icon that she is today. From the timeless designs that are still popular to this day, and the sophisticated outfits that can be paired with great accessories Chanel has done it all. When it comes down to it though it was Coco Chanel’s philosophy that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury” that lead to her success. (“Coco Chanel”)

Fashion has been around ever since ancient times, since the time of the Romans, it survived the world wars and is yet today a business with rapid changes. Fashion started off as an art form, a way for the riches to show their social status with unique and innovative designs that only they could afford. It was a way to separate the social classes of the society. In this paper I will include the creator of haute couture, and how the following designers developed couture, as well as having leading names in today’s ready-to-wear industry. The list is long, but I chose to focus on the three most important designers of the modern fashion industry.

Paul Poiret was born on April 20th, 1879 in Paris, France. His contributions to twentieth-century fashion has earned him the title in many people’s eyes as the “King of Fashion”, because he established the principle of modern dress and created the blueprint of the modern fashion industry. Poiret’s designs and ideas led the direction of modern design history. He was born into a working class family and his natural charisma eventually gained him entry into some of the most exclusive ateliers of the Belle Époque. Jacques Doucet, one of the capital’s most prominent couturiers, hired him after seeing promising sketches he had sold to other dressmakers. Furthermore, he was hired by the House of Worth and was put to work to create less

Elie Saab developed an interest on fashion starting from early ages. Built his first atelier only at the age of 18. His passion for fashion and haute couture grew in the following years and has dedicated himself to his brand from design to brand and customer communications .According to him :“Couture was a creative engine for the entire brand, a marketing tool for foundation of an image on a profound long term level.”

This essay will be considering the historical development of haute couture by analysing Charles Frederick Worth’s (father of haute couture) key factors in the success of haute Couture. I will then discuss Coco Chanel’s thriving impact on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear caused by the second world war. Saint Laurent’s drift to ready-to-wear and the high street fashion system will also be discussed in order to answer if haute couture is relevant in fashion today. The books I will be analysing and referencing are ‘A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century’ by Bonnie English, ‘Couture’ by Ruth Lynam, ‘How Fashion Works’ by Gavin Waddell. Which will thoroughly breakdown the evolution and historical development of fashion by cultural, economic, environmental and social changes to finally come into a conclusion.