Couture versus Ready-to-Wear

Basically, it boils down to fit - and money.

* COUTOUR (koo TOOR) is the French word for "sewing."
Couture clothes are those that are fitted and sewn
specifically for a client, often requiring several fittings
for an exacting fit. The clothes may be specifically
designed for the client, such as a one-of-a-kind wedding
dress or a one-of-a-kind red carpet ensemble, or they may
be part of a designer's couture collection, which are the
pieces the designer shows that are available for custom
fit.

Typically, couture pieces are made of fine fabrics or
feature extensive hand work (like beading or embroidery)
that drive up the price to thousands or even tens of
thousands PER PIECE. Because of the cost, couture
clothing, which once had 35,000 regular customers during
its heyday after World War II, has an ever-shrinking
regular buying base of about 1,200 people worldwide today.

Couture is also known as made-to-measure or bespoke
(British).

* HAUTE COUTURE (oht koo TOOR) means "high sewing," and is
the term reserved exclusively by those European fashion
houses that offer made-to-measure apparel in or around
Paris and belong to the Fédération Française de la Couture
(which began as the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture
in 1868 by Charles Frederick Worth). Following strict
guidelines regarding number of pieces shown per collection
and number of collections shown per year, current members
include venerable fashion houses like Balenciaga, Chanel,
Hermès, and Valentino.