Last July, at the City of Lights, attending the haute couture season was like walking into a dream world of queens and princesses of the past and present, watching a juxtaposition of history and fashion.

John Galliano brought us to the royal courts of England and France, to the rest of the European continent. He dressed his queens and princesses in curvaceous mermaid silhouettes adorned with diamonds, dripping diamantes, chandelier earrings, necklaces worth a king’s ransom, coronets and tiaras --- everything a young girl dreams of when she reads Cinderella.

This majestic and grandiose look at the 1900 turn-of-the-century European crowned heads, with intricate embroidery that is sometimes embossed and at times turning into lace made each and every item of the collection an instant museum piece.

Jean Paul Gaultier, probably presented the best show of the season with his cavalier women; inspired by “Puss in Boots” going haute. Rich in texture and color, the crowned king of French fashion mixed leather and lace, fur and feathers on the runway, matched with different lengths of boots and striking headdresses.

He jumped from place to place, following the history of the boot, from his native France, to neighboring England, and to the Americas where finally the Stuart boots were reborn to the western cowboys.

Christian Lacroix brought us to the clouds, a place of optimism signified with his wonderful use of colors. It was like entering another time and place, as the designer transported us to a world of cascading frills and sparkling gems, where anything is possible and everything is beautiful.

Valentino attracted today’s royals, dressing them in silks and satins, lace and furs where glamour is a way of life and an everyday occurrence. Valentino and the royals together is a match made in heaven. After all, who can dress the blue bloods better but the king of Roman fashion?

Grimaldi & Giardina, also from Rome went further back in history with their Byzantium chic. They mined the rich cultural heritage of the Byzantine Empire, highlighting its three major influences: Alexandrian-Hellenic, and Oriental.

Going back to the time of Constantinople and putting Mary Magdalene at the midst, both as a sinner and saint, the Roman design duo gave their fans a history lesson that came with great looking and wearable clothes.

Young Julien Fournié at Torrente tackled the Victorian period with a twist giving it a coquettish feel. As the designer said after the show, he also looked into literature for inspiration, finding D.H. Lawrence, author of Lady Chatterley’s Lover as his muse in some of his pieces. It’s sexuality on the runway, haute couture style!

With this entry by Julien Fournié, a very young designer, plus all the beautiful work of established designers, how can anyone say that haute couture is dying?

Like what Giancarlo Giammetti told the International Herald Tribune, “As long as Valentino can hold a pencil, the couture would go on.”

Let it be added that as long as the fashion world nurtures young minds like Julien Fournié, haute couture will go on.

And that is exactly what Didier Grumbach, President of the Chambre Syndicale, France’s fashion governing body is doing. The starry sphere of high fashion is reachable to young and talented minds.

Recent additions to the official haute couture calendar are American designer Ralph Rucci and Lebanon-native Elie Saab.

Ralph Rucci who is known for his signature style of simple sleek lines with complex structure broke new grounds in fashion this season by presenting American aesthetics with European elegance. His signature ajouré or openwork on seams is now part and parcel of the couture world as he added feathers and furs making his creations both wearable and stunning.

Elie Saab went for Hollywood glam, where every woman can be a screen goddess and everyone can be a star. The Lebanon-native who has a long list of clients in his homeland is attracting new ones for the made-to-measure craft. As his last runway show proposed, “Glamour is not everything, it’s the ONLY thing.”

As the couturiers made their unified about haute couture, wearability seem to be the key message.

Chanel, Stéphane Rolland at Jean-Louis Scherrer, and Dominique Sirop dressed their ladies from day to night, from lunch to dinner and on their wedding day.

Karl Lagerfeld presented classic Chanel that can only be described as “classy as it can be,” making the venerable Paris fashion house still the favorite among couture clients.

Stéphane Rolland’s androgynous femme fatale style that seduce without ostentation is also a hit among couture clients. As Ivana Trump said, “It’s very, very beautiful and very, very wearable.” Coming from someone who wears haute couture, it’s the best compliment a designer can get!

Dominique Sirop’s sophisticated looks are very much from today, a masterful collection that can attract both Gen Y and Gen X. The Paris-based designer, to use an American vernacular, is “playing his cards right.” For haute couture to last another hundred years, new clients should be courted. As the baby boomers grow near retirement, Gen Y and Gen X are the next patrons for these beautiful clothes called haute couture. Dominique Sirop’s stance is not just logical. It’s also admirable and forward thinking.

Dior by John Galliano

Jean Paul Gaultier

Christian Lacroix

Valentino

Grimaldi Giardina

Torrente by Julien Fournié

Ralph Rucci

Elie Saab