Julien Fournié of Torrente

Ralph Rucci

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

DALLAS, May 30, 2004/ FW/ --- The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture released the official schedule for the haute calendar, and as expected, Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Versace are missing from the roster, while surprisingly, Valentino which was rumored to have cancelled his haute couture show will be showing at the Théâtre National de Chaillot on Tuesday, July 6, 2004 at 8:30 in the evening.

American designer Ralph Rucci jumpstarts the season by showing on the eve of the official start, which is at 7:30 PM on July 5, 2004, right at the heels of the closing of the Paris Menswear Spring 2005 season.

Tuesday morning, at 11:00AM, Torrente under the direction of Julien Fournié officially opens the haute couture season. Torrente, which is undergoing a revival under Julien Fournié is one of the must-see shows this season as the young designer presents his second haute couture collection for the house.

Out of the 11 official members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, only 8 houses are showing – Torrente, Christian Dior, Chanel, Dominique Sirop, Christian Lacroix, Hanae Mori, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Jean-Louis Scherrer.

Balmain, Emanuel Ungaro, and Givenchy had opted to cancel their shows this season.

Ralph Rucci and Elie Saab headline the 10 guest members – Adeline Andre, Dupre Santabarbara, Elie Saab, Franck Sorbier, Grimaldi Giardina, Ji Haye, Maurizio Galante, On Aura Tout Vu, Ralph Rucci and Stephanie Coudert.