You know what has been bothering me more than the outrageous prices for clothes in world these days? The absolute misuse of the term haute couture by Second Life Designers. Apparently haute couture has become the age old excuse for charging 400+ L per dress... without living up to the standards of the actual haute couture houses. Last I checked, haute couture did not mean "rip off prices." No... let's take a step back via Wikipedia.com...
In modern France, "haute couture is a 'protected name' that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing."* As one who lived in Paris over the summer, the truth about haute couture houses is they are elite! We are talking small boutiques filled with unique dresses tailored to the clientele... and I swear I saw on customer being served cafe au lait in the one in Rome. Anyway... this is NOT what Second Life® designers live up to as a standard. Those designers who dare use the term haute couture have mall sized shops and sell dresses to the masses---they have turned their businesses into a Walmart of Clothes, albeit higher prices and haute couture stamped on the side.
Just because you say your items are haute couture ...does not mean they are... or that you even have the legitimacy in using such terms when describing your product. In Paris apparently the term haute couture is protected by law, to be considered with such a term a designer's house must meet certain qualifications--i.e. objective standards---before being able to associate themselves with the term.
Additionally, because haute couture is prided on its individual unique designs...if a house has too much commercialization and "ready-to-wear" items, it can lose its status as a haute couture house. If applied in-world... perhaps the better term for these SL haute couture knock-offs would be ... Resident Shopping Malls for the masses. Overpriced, but accessible to all.
It's ok, I don't shame you SL®"haute couture" designers for attempting to be what you aren't, but realize you are misusing the word and move on...because those of you have started the trend have created a plague. Whereby anyone with a looprezzer, photoshop/gimp and computer is considering themselves a haute couture designer. Well... Christian Doir would be ashamed!
* Haute couture, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haute_couture
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5 comments:
So, if it's protected in France, and SL is accessible in France, could the people who advertise haughty whatever be sued in France?
Should someone send in an anonymous tip to the French, uh, Fashion Police?
Clearly yes. They should be arrested and sent to the guillotine :P
Let them eat cake!
Most people don't know how to correctly pronounce Hot Cooters, so why expect anything better in Second Life?
Yummm Cake!
You never post anymore. Did you die?
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