This comes in the heels of rumors that the coming season will be the last couture show by the House of Ungaro.

Versace’s decision to cancel was unexpected, though it is not the first time that Donatella had decided not to hold a show. During the Spring 2003 season, Versace opted for a presentation in its atelier, showing about 10 looks, instead of having a runway show that requires a minimum of 30 exits per the rules of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.

With the cancellation of these two fashion powerhouses, rumors are rife that Valentino, another mainstay in the Paris season will also cancel his show.

With Emanuel Ungaro, Versace, Givenchy and Balmain officially out of the schedule, Pierre Berge, long time companion of Yves Saint Laurent told Women’s Wear Daily, “I’ve always said that couture would die with Yves Saint Laurent,” reiterating that what is happening is a continuation of a trend that Yves Saint Laurent started.

Is haute couture dying?

According to Pierre Berge, as quoted by Women’s Wear Daily, “… couture has lost its raison d’etre.”

But the same thing was said when Christian Dior died in 1957, and over 40 years later, haute couture continues in Paris and still considered crème de la crème of fashion.

And according to the Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, France’s fashion governing body, even with the cancellation of Emanuel Ungaro and Versace, there are still 40 shows in the line up for July, with both on schedule and off schedule shows.

Chanel, Christian Dior and Jean-Paul Gaultier headline the on-schedule line up. Together with Christian Lacroix, Torrente, American designer Ralph Rucci, Jean-Louis Scherrer and Dominique Sirop, haute couture continues its glitter as fashion’s most exclusive event.

The House of Torrente, which historically opens the haute couture season is fast becoming one of the "must-see" shows of the season with Julien Fournié's creative turn for the house.

Among the off-schedule show, Carven designed by Pascal Millet and Eyméric François, an emerging designer known for his sharp and exclusive glamorous looks, stand out as the “must-see shows.”

So, to the question, “Is haute couture dying?” the answer is a resounding NO! It is as alive as ever, just undergoing “rebuilding and reconstruction,” to use a term in American sports.

During the 1990s, both Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bulls dominated the National Football League and National Basketball Association, respectively, with back-to-back-to back championships.

As players grew older and retired, the dominance of these two teams diminished, and today, both the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bulls are nowhere near their stellar performances.

But no one in American sports had been quoted that any of these two teams are ‘dying’ or in the brink of extinction. Sportscasters and sports aficionados just say, “They are just in the process of rebuilding.”

Same with haute couture, as the old guards retire; new stars will come. The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, which was founded in 1868 by Charles Frederick Worth, the first great couturier and considered the Father of Haute Couture, is over a hundred years old.

Well on its way to reach its 150-year mark, the Chambre Syndicale is moving on and changing with the times. New names had been added and new names are being invited to show.

In short, “new blood” is being infused every season. And that is the reason why haute couture will continue to live!