Couture: An Endangered Species?

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As couture season rolls out in Paris, everyone keeps asking the same question: "What's the point of couture during a recession?" Cathy Horyn brings some perspective in today's Style section when she asks: "What's the point of couture, ever?" In the late 90s, the head of YSL described couture as "the opposite of a business." It's good for publicity, but complex, hand-made clothing is not exactly a money-maker. Horyn's prediction: "A decade from now, if there are more than two or three houses still producing twice-yearly haute couture collections, it will be surprising." [NYT]