check out the universe of fashion series covering classic to contemporary designers

an excerpt from yves saint laurent, written by his close friend (and love) pierre berge:

"Haute couture was born the day when women, tired of being subjected to the vagaries of fashion, demanded a set of rules to provide them with the reassurance they needed. Haute couture is not and end in itself. Creation in fashion cannot be abstract. Whatever may be said, ours is a profession conjugated in the present. Never in the past, never in the future. Haute couture only exists to be lived. It must share the lives of the women who wear it. Otherwise, however beautiful they may be, dresses will spend more time in suit sacks and closets than at glamorous dinners and parties. Life today has obviously changed. The civilization of 'being' is gradually replacing that of 'appearing'. Nowadays, there are very few real parties and dinners. It was not the Opera Bastille that sounded the death knell of the famous 'black tie evenings'; but the wind of change. None but a handful of the most nostalgic insist on dressing up to go to the opera, and it is immediately apparent that their hearts are no longer in it for they are fighting a rearguard action. Haute couture will not die for lack of creators or clients, but because the events, places or occasions permitting it to exist will have disappeared. Carriages have given way to taxis and those that remain only serve to transport tourists in search of the past. Let us spare haute couture this fate."

Berge, Pierre. Yves St Laurent. (New York: Universe/Vendome, 1997). p.8