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lifestyle WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014 Fashion J-Lo, Versace lead Paris’ haute couture revival ust a few years ago it was on the brink of extinction. Versace hourglass dress and tightly pulled-back hair. Now, haute couture - the 150-year-old Parisian tradi- This isn’t the first time Versace and the American singer Jtion of making unique, astronomically-priced hand- have been linked. Lopez wore an unforgettable plunging made gowns - is back. The fall-winter 2014/15 collections exotic green Versace silk chiffon dress to the 42nd Grammy started with brio Sunday with the Atelier Versace show, Awards ceremony in 2000 that critics have said represent- graced by Jennifer Lopez. The calendar has expanded to ed the turning point in Donatella Versace’s career following five days from three this season to make room for 12 major the murder of her brother, Gianni. houses as well as a whole swath of up-and-coming names. Additions in recent seasons include the return of big-hit- Versace’s silicon princess ters Donatella Versace, Giorgio Armani and Maison Donatella Versace injected a little bad-girl attitude for Schiaparelli. Atelier Versace’s fall-winter show Sunday, which showcased a voluminous ball gown in double duchesse silk coated So why did the tide turn? with black silicon. Elsewhere, it was all about revealing slits “With so much focus from fashion’s powerhouses on - and a couple of over-the-top blue fur coats with a daz- heritage and traditions, couture has returned to center zling organza and mink patchwork. Some of the asymmet- stage as it is the embodiment of savoir-faire,” suggested rical looks worked well - like a column dress slashed at the Long Nguyen, co-founder and style director of Flaunt mag- front with one leg covered like a hybrid pant. But Donatella azine. “There is also a resurgence of clients coming from Versace is the queen of excess. One black one-legged new markets - Asia Pacific, Middle East, Russia - that sup- office pant suit was twinned with a billowing split planted the dwindling traditional European-based cus- duchesse gown in midnight blue, and might be too much tomers,” he added. for some. Lebanese socialite and famed couture buyer Mouna Ayoub says word of mouth has driven large numbers of Stephanie Coudert rich Middle Eastern women to couture houses in the last It was great, creative couture debut from up-and-comer decade. “It’s all so secret and they deny it, because spend- Stephanie Coudert. The French fashion designer from ing more is frowned upon. But I personally know at least Belleville, a down-market district of Paris, impressed critics 100 Arab women who in the last few years have started with a decidedly upmarket collection that included buying couture. They love it,” says Ayoub, who says she medieval-style cone hats and delicate, beautifully con- spent nearly 300,000 euros ($409,000) on one Chanel cou- structed coats. Set in a 19th century mansion, the show ture dress. featured a sumptuous teal green silk column dress that Haute couture - a protected name - is an artisanal tradi- softly encased the model. The cuts were finessed. One tion invented by Englishman Charles Frederick Worth in navy woolen coat sported such long, generous lapels that the 1870s. It involves intricate, time-consuming sewing, they almost looked draped. unusual fabrics and luxurious embellishments such as rare feathers or semi-precious stone beading. For a century it Fred Sathal defined the essence of French fashion, turning houses Fred Sathal competed with Versace for the most exces- such Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent into the envy of sive show of the day. The former opera costume designer the world. has fashionistas gasping at one chunky fur coat made only Then in 2002, the death knell sounded when YSL held from sewn-on animal tails. Otherwise she continued with his last couture show and the number of houses and her “boho luxury” styles, including cocktail dresses with clients started to shrink. Critics called couture old-fash- slightly random sequins and beads. Hand-dyeing gave a ioned and irrelevant. Now, designers like 30-year-old nice edge to a Mandarin-collared column coat, but some Dutch abstract designer Iris Van Herpen, who won the of the embellishments looked haphazard. — AP prestigious ANDAM fashion award this week, have helped reshape perceptions about the age-old tradition and made it fresh again. Versace brings J-lo to Paris Singer Jennifer Lopez, right, and One reason for the couture revival is the return of the Italian fashion designer Donatella top fashion houses and their A-list celebrities - one of fash- Versace, pose for photographers prior ion’s most effective marketing tools. Jennifer Lopez caused to the Atelier Versace Fall Winter 2014- a media frenzy as she entered Donatella Versace’s show 15 Haute Couture fashion collection, near the Champs Elysees wearing a shoulder-less white presented in Paris, Sunday. — AP Models present creations by Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace. .