We love haute couture, but if we think about it, we love the idea of haute couture. You may have seen that haute couture is a booming topic, especially in pop culture where it is the subject of The Dressmaker (2015) or Phantom Thread (2017). A French fashion institution, haute couture started with the ballgowns of Charles Frederick Worth and is now a key part of major houses like Balenciaga, Dior, Chanel, Armani, Viktor&Rolf and Valentino. Throughout history, as couture customers have continued to decline, the goals of high dressmaking have become radically different. What do want from this medium?