Paris Haute Couture Week for Spring-Summer 2010 is from Sunday, January 24th to Thursday, January 28th, 2010.

Watch this video for a glance at the highly-crafted and avant-garde, wearable art. Haute Couture is an intricate craft that has been evolving for more than 150 years and is a fantastic display of fashion designers at their best. Most pieces are expensive and take hundreds of hours to make.

Englishman,Charles Frederick Worth, holds the honour of being the "Father of Haute Couture." In 1858 he founded the first true house of haute couture at 7, rue de la Paix, in Paris, where he dominated the Parisian fashion scene for decades.

Worth created original fashion pieces, each distinct, constructed from high-quality fabric and possessing its own personality for individual clients.

There are laws protecting the usage of the term "Haute Couture," just as the term "Champagne" is protected. According to the Chambre Syndicale Haute Couture "only those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves thereof."

Visiting Paris?

Here's the schedule:

Sunday, January 2010, the 24th

JOSEPHUS THIMISTER** 7.00 pm

Monday, January 2010, the 25th

ALEXIS MABILLE** 10.00 am Garage Turenne - 66 rue de Turenne - Paris 3e

CHRISTOPHE JOSSE** 11.00 am Les Beaux Arts de Paris - salle Melpomene - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e ANNE VALERIE HASH noon 36 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle - Paris 10e

CHRISTIAN DIOR 2.30 pm 30 avenue Montaigne - Paris 8e

ADELINE ANDRE 6.00 & 7.00 pm JTM Gallery - 40 rue de Richelieu - Paris 1er

GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVe* 9.00 pm Palais de Chaillot - 1 place du Trocadero - Paris 16e

 

Tuesday, January 2010, the 26th

CHANEL 10.00 & 12. 00 am Pavillon Cambon Capucines - 46 rue Cambon - Paris 1er

STEPHANE ROLLAND 2.30 pm Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine - 45 avenue du President Wilson - Paris 16e

MAURIZIO GALANTE 3.30 pm

ATELIER GUSTAVO LINS** 4.30 pm 10 rue Harold - Paris 1er

DOMINIQUE SIROP 5.30 pm

GIVENCHY 7.00 pm

Wednesday, January 2010, the 27th

ON AURA TOUT VU*** 10.00 am JTM Gallery 40 rue de Richelieu - Paris 1er

FRANCK SORBIER 11.00 am Sotheby's - 76 rue du faubourg Saint-Honore - Paris 8e

ELIE SAAB* 12.30 pm Theatre National de Chaillot - 1 place du Trocadero - Paris 16e

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 2.30 pm 325 rue Saint-Martin - Paris 3e

LEFRANC.FERRANT** 4.00 pm Couvent des Recollets - 148 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin - Paris 10e

MAISON RABIH KAYROUZ** 5.00 pm 38 boulevard Raspail - Paris 7e

VALENTINO* 6.30 pm Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l'Ecole de Medecine - Paris 6e

Thursday, January 2010, the 28th

BOUCHERON, CHANEL JOAILLERIE, CHAUMET, MELLERIO DITS MELLER, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS from 11.00 am to 6.00 pm

Photo: Charles Worth and two of his designs