Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Corinth Jewelers opens fabulous standalone store
    Positive Outlook for Holiday Sales
    Riding the Wave with Essential Lab Grown Diamonds in a Changing Market
    Saban Onyx helps independent retail jewelers get fancy
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    JA members push for security, credit reform in D.C.
    Columbia Gem House opens raffle to support Sea Turtle Rehabilitation
    CD Peacock partners with Foster Love to support Chicago’s foster youth
    NDC and Lorraine Schwartz announce the 2023 Class of Emerging Designers
  • Podcast
    Episode 44 -John Carter, From Small Town to Big Dreams of Jack Lewis Jewelers
    Episode 44 -John Carter, From Small Town to Big Dreams of Jack Lewis Jewelers
    Dangers of Jewelry theft and how to prevent them 350
    Episode 43 -Kenny Mullins, Dangers of Jewelry Theft and How to Prevent Them
    Inside the Generational Legacy of David Douglas Diamonds
    Episode 42 -Doug Meadows, Inside the Generational Legacy of David Douglas Diamonds
    An-Inspiring-Tale-Behind-50-Years-of-Jewelry-Design-and-More
    Episode 41 -John Atencio, An Inspiring Tale Behind 50 Years of Jewelry Design and More
    Episode 39 -Brittany Jones,95 Years of Excellence and Legacy of JF Jones Jewelers
    Episode 40 -Brittany Jones,95 Years of Excellence and Legacy of JF Jones Jewelers
    The Rise of Luxury Handbag Trend in Jewelry Stores
    Episode 39 -Frederick Mannella, The Rise of Luxury Handbag Trend in Jewelry Stores
    Episode 38 – Kevin Patton, Gem-preneur Family Legacy of Pattons Fine Jewelry
    Episode 38 – Kevin Patton, Gem-preneur Family Legacy of Pattons Fine Jewelry
    Technology Meets Our Values
    Episode 37 – Kyle Bullock, Technology Meets Our Values
    A Pandemic-Born Success of Two Jewelry Visionaries
    Episode 36 – Brooke and Chase Brinson, A Pandemic-Born Success of Two Jewelry Visionaries
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Just Jewels
    Safeguarding High-Value Retailers: Unveiling the cyber risks and effective countermeasures
    4Cs of Diamonds? Here are the 4Cs of Jewelry Marketing to help you sell them
    Applied Marketing 101: The Next Big Thing
    Applied Marketing 101: The Asteroid Approaches
    The Story Behind the Stone: Oops there it is!
    Image of Chuck Koehler
    Cool New Things from the Atlanta Jewelry Show
    Image of Chuck Koehler
    The Retailer’s Perspective: It’s Springtime in September
    Barbiecore Bling! Are you in?
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
  • Digital Magazine
    • Southern Jewelry News
    • Mid-America Jewelry News
    • Archive
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Corinth Jewelers opens fabulous standalone store
    Positive Outlook for Holiday Sales
    Riding the Wave with Essential Lab Grown Diamonds in a Changing Market
    Saban Onyx helps independent retail jewelers get fancy
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    JA members push for security, credit reform in D.C.
    Columbia Gem House opens raffle to support Sea Turtle Rehabilitation
    CD Peacock partners with Foster Love to support Chicago’s foster youth
    NDC and Lorraine Schwartz announce the 2023 Class of Emerging Designers
  • Podcast
    Episode 44 -John Carter, From Small Town to Big Dreams of Jack Lewis Jewelers
    Episode 44 -John Carter, From Small Town to Big Dreams of Jack Lewis Jewelers
    Dangers of Jewelry theft and how to prevent them 350
    Episode 43 -Kenny Mullins, Dangers of Jewelry Theft and How to Prevent Them
    Inside the Generational Legacy of David Douglas Diamonds
    Episode 42 -Doug Meadows, Inside the Generational Legacy of David Douglas Diamonds
    An-Inspiring-Tale-Behind-50-Years-of-Jewelry-Design-and-More
    Episode 41 -John Atencio, An Inspiring Tale Behind 50 Years of Jewelry Design and More
    Episode 39 -Brittany Jones,95 Years of Excellence and Legacy of JF Jones Jewelers
    Episode 40 -Brittany Jones,95 Years of Excellence and Legacy of JF Jones Jewelers
    The Rise of Luxury Handbag Trend in Jewelry Stores
    Episode 39 -Frederick Mannella, The Rise of Luxury Handbag Trend in Jewelry Stores
    Episode 38 – Kevin Patton, Gem-preneur Family Legacy of Pattons Fine Jewelry
    Episode 38 – Kevin Patton, Gem-preneur Family Legacy of Pattons Fine Jewelry
    Technology Meets Our Values
    Episode 37 – Kyle Bullock, Technology Meets Our Values
    A Pandemic-Born Success of Two Jewelry Visionaries
    Episode 36 – Brooke and Chase Brinson, A Pandemic-Born Success of Two Jewelry Visionaries
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Just Jewels
    Safeguarding High-Value Retailers: Unveiling the cyber risks and effective countermeasures
    4Cs of Diamonds? Here are the 4Cs of Jewelry Marketing to help you sell them
    Applied Marketing 101: The Next Big Thing
    Applied Marketing 101: The Asteroid Approaches
    The Story Behind the Stone: Oops there it is!
    Image of Chuck Koehler
    Cool New Things from the Atlanta Jewelry Show
    Image of Chuck Koehler
    The Retailer’s Perspective: It’s Springtime in September
    Barbiecore Bling! Are you in?
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
  • Digital Magazine
    • Southern Jewelry News
    • Mid-America Jewelry News
    • Archive
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
No Result
View All Result
Home Columnists

Selling the Dream – The Couture Experience

Mia Katrin by Mia Katrin
September 1, 2015
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Mia Sept Bordia
Tresor by Puja Bordia – Diamond (9.71 cts) Slice Web pendant in 18k yellow gold. MSRP $2995 (pendant only). Organic diamond station necklace in 18k yellow gold sold separately. MSRP $2750. tresorcollection.com
When Oscar de la Renta passed away in October 2014 it signaled to some the end of an era. Trained by Balenciaga, having worked for the iconic couture houses Lanvin and Balmain before founding his own eponymous firm, he dressed the international elite from Jackie Kennedy to, most recently, Amal Clooney, George’s wife, designing her wedding gown. Some have argued that as an institution couture is past its prime. But it sells a dream that’s very much alive and well.

High-end, prestige, luxury. “Couture” conjures all this. But what does the term actually mean? “Couture” derives from the French “couturier” meaning literally “dressmaker.” Dating back to the age of Marie Antoinette highly skilled dressmakers began fabricating exquisite one-of-a-kind gowns, catering to royalty and nobility. High society demanded high fashion, haute couture, for elegant soirees and social functions. Dress design rose to the level of art. The couture experience was born.

Mia Sept Huizenga
Pamela Huizenga – 18k gold multi-row bracelet with ethically gathered natural red coral and diamonds. Hidden clasp. 7.5” long. Red coral baroque cabs, 100.88ctw, diamonds 3.39ctw. pamelahuizenga.com
By the mid-nineteenth century major firms such as the House of Worth arose to provide the epitome of fashionable design for society’s top echelon. The couturier working with rare finest fabrics – silk, cashmere, hand-made lace – provided elegant, extravagant gowns stitched entirely by hand and custom tailored for their fortunate clientele.

Today the Parisian Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture regulates which firms may be certified as “couture.” Requirements are exacting. The design house must produce two shows a year consisting of at least 50 new and original designs of day and evening wear for each collection. They must employ a minimum of at least 20 full-time technical people in at least one atelier or workshop.

Dior, Chanel – the major fashion houses are legendary. The crème of society attend their shows. There are perhaps 3000 women worldwide who can afford – and have the inclination – to wear couture. It’s not for the faint of heart. A dress may cost $50,000 and require repeated fittings. If a sleeve does not drape properly it is ripped out and redone until perfect. An elaborate evening gown may require hundreds of hours of labor and a team of workers, especially if intricate detail such as beading is involved. Each piece is stitched entirely by hand.

The haute couture division of fashion houses may operate at a financial loss. Labor intensive, the cost of production is not offset by sales to a limited clientele. But the real value of the couture division is in selling a dream – branding, promotion, PR. A new garde of young designers is currently infusing fresh vigor into the industry. Couture provides the life-blood for the pret-a-porter or ready-to-wear mass market divisions of elite houses. Just as our red carpet at the Academy Awards showcases top designers on Hollywood A-listers setting trends for the entire fashion industry, the Paris, London, Milan and New York designer fashion shows energize the market. They sell the dream.

Mia Sept Parada
Alberto Parada – From the Red Carpet Collection. 18k rose gold 15 carat cab aquamarine and .50 carat diamond earrings. MSRP $4100. albertoparada.com
Couture jewelry also is aspirational. Designer, high-end, elegant, it features original designs, finest materials, including high karat gold, platinum and precious gems, exquisite workmanship, and one-of-a-kind pieces tailored for the elite client. It inspires and sets the tone for the season. Fashion editors and trend setters attend couture events to take the pulse of the industry, glimpsing first the fresh looks for the upcoming year – colors, styles, materials, themes. Couture trends generate mass market appeal. Couture dazzles. It stirs the life-blood. It sells the dream.

Call it custom, bespoke or one-offs, jewelry that’s uniquely personalized is what the contemporary client craves. Millennials especially seek jewelry as experience, designed by an individual with a story and a distinctive look rather than a more generic, mass-market product. They want to share a memorable event. They still seek the dream, the dream embodied in fabled couture. If you’re tapping into this impulse you’re tapping into the couture experience. You’re selling the dream.


Mia Katrin founded her company JEWEL COUTURE LLC in 2003 inspired by the beauty of jewels and the couture experience. Her Collections are now featured in 100 top stores and galleries nationally. Mia loves sharing with clients at Trunk Shows, providing a taste of couture. She also speaks at shows and conferences on jewelry and design. www.jeweljewel.com, 877 JEWEL-MY (539-3569).

 

Mia Katrin

Mia Katrin

Mia Katrin’s new agency TheJewelersMarketer.com, helps propel your sales to the top through social media marketing and ecommerce. Free initial analysis and recommendations. mia@jeweljewel.com. Mia is an award-winning designer featured in over 100 top retail stores nationally. www.jeweljewel.com. She’s an industry spokesperson, a byline columnist, and a regular speaker at major trade events.

Related Posts

The Story Behind the Stone: Just Jewels

October 1, 2023

Safeguarding High-Value Retailers: Unveiling the cyber risks and effective countermeasures

September 27, 2023

4Cs of Diamonds? Here are the 4Cs of Jewelry Marketing to help you sell them

September 25, 2023
Applied Marketing 101: The Next Big Thing

Applied Marketing 101: The Asteroid Approaches

September 18, 2023

Latest News

Other News

JA members push for security, credit reform in D.C.

October 2, 2023
Other News

Columbia Gem House opens raffle to support Sea Turtle Rehabilitation

October 2, 2023
On The Move

CD Peacock partners with Foster Love to support Chicago’s foster youth

October 2, 2023

Other News

NDC and Lorraine Schwartz announce the 2023 Class of Emerging Designers

Punchmark introduces new jewelry web technology features

GIA supports diamond traceability solutions

Corinth Jewelers opens fabulous standalone store

Positive Outlook for Holiday Sales

Riding the Wave with Essential Lab Grown Diamonds in a Changing Market

Southern Jewelry News

© 2023 Southern Jewelry News.

Additional Information

  • About
  • 2023 Jewelry Trade Shows & Events
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Newsletter Signup

Get Social with Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured Articles
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Sponsored Content
  • Latest News
    • What’s New
    • Industry Events
    • Tradeshow News
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Furry Friends
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
  • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • Southern Jewelry News
    • Mid-America Jewelry News
    • Archives

© 2023 Southern Jewelry News.