PARIS, Jan 26, 2005/ FW/ --- Marc Le Bihan added another facet in haute couture with his raw and edgy collection presented under the auspices of Chopard, the jeweler that sponsored six budding couturiers this season.

Marc Le Bihan who is known for his draping and deconstructed looks in ready-to-wear threw his hat in the made-to-measure craft this season, appearing for the first time on the official calendar of the Chambre Syndicale.

Choosing black, white and royal blue as his main color palette, the young designer sent in gowns and day dresses with his signature knots and gauzy looks. And though the pieces were all lovely, as one had come to expect from Marc Le Bihan, there were very few garments that can be considered couture, because the whole collection looked like deluxe ready-to-wear.

And the question that comes to mind is what is the real definition of haute couture?

French law protects the term “haute couture”. It can only be used in certain garments that stick to the rules defined by the law, such as working with certain ateliers that had been sanctioned by the Chamber Syndicale.

And in that set of rules, it says that a certain portion should be made by hand, because that is one of the definitive requirements of haute couture.

With Marc Le Bihan’s collection, one cannot help but notice that the percentage is higher towards “being machine-made.” There is nothing wrong with that if this is the prêt-a-porter season.

In fact, the collection is truly good and there are a lot of wearable items, something that a young woman in her 20s and 30s will wear, which by the way is Marc Le Bihan’s target market.

The designer hit it right on the mark, (no pun intended) for his target market, but somehow he missed out on the true definition of haute couture, except perhaps that everything in the collection is made-to-measure.

Marc Le Bihan

Marc Le Bihan

Marc Le Bihan

Marc Le Bihan