Couture

Though a good deal of her clothing is made by hand, Sarah Burton doesn't envision adding a couture collection to her Alexander McQueen offering.

"We do so many collections, and I want each one to be special," Burton said in a recent interview. "There is always a lot done by hand, even for the pre-collection. I know this is not Paris couture, but in our humble way we are working towards it."

Last year Burton led a team of lacemakers and seamstresses to create the custom wedding dress that Kate Middleton wore to marry Prince William. She also has a handful of private clients who commission custom clothing on occasion. Beyond that work, Burton says she's content with the company's "amazing ability to develop any collection with our technicians, with students and with people working by hand" in the ready-to-wear lines.

Still, other fashion houses are expanding their own handmade offering. Dolce & Gabbana recently confirmed that it will stage a test-run couture show in Sicily later this month, and Versace recently added a limited collection of fine jewelry to its haute couture offering.

Photo: A look from Alexander McQueen's Fall 2012 collection.

Raf Simons's first couture show for Dior will be "exciting, beautiful, and new," according to milliner Stephen Jones, who is producing the hats for the July 2 runway spectacle.

"His aesthetic is informing what I do. I'm very excited," said Jones, who made hats for both John Galliano and Raf Simons's shows in the past. "I've known him on and off for years and people had kept saying we needed to get together and eventually, yes, now we're working together and on the biggest stage in the world."

Pressed for specific details about the show, Jones said, "That's so top secret, I can't even give you a hint."

Shortly after Simons was appointed Dior's couturier, he told WWD that he was interested in exploring the romantic side of his traditionally minimalist design aesthetic.

“I wouldn't go to that place if I only had minimalism in mind," he said. "I'm very aware of what the environment is about."

Photo: A model walking during Raf Simons's last show for Jil Sander.

Now that Paris haute couture week has wrapped, we thought we'd put you to the test. How well can you tell couture from ready-to-wear? We rounded up some amazing Fall 2011 looks to come down the runways, but there's a catch. Some are ready-to-wear, some are couture — and it's up to you to decipher which is which. Think you can handle it? Test your fashion skills with our latest Couture vs. Ready-to-Wear game!

With Spring right within our grasp, we thought now would be the perfect time to revisit the gorgeous Spring '11 collections. But, this time around, it's up to you to determine which look is haute couture and which is ready-to-wear. Can you tell the difference? Put your discerning fashion eye to the test and play our brand-new Couture vs. RTW game!

Couture Week is upon us — can you feel the excitement?! Here's a fun thought: Let's make believe we're all invited to sit front row, smack dab in the middle of all the fashion madness. What will we wear? Construct an outfit that will not only knock my socks off, but also wow your fellow front-rowers.

I'll start you off with these Alexander McQueen Star Platforms ($799) because couture requires sexy, whimsy, theatrics.

Let's go Fab Finding. Be sure to come back and tell me your Fab Finds are up, or just tag your Fab Finds with Couture Week. Now, you can build outfits by creating your very own widget of clothing items. We have everything you need to build outfits, and you can use your Fab Find bookmarks, too. This is an even better way to put together an entire outfit when completing your Fab Finding missions. Learn what a Fab Find is and how to make one. And here's a detailed explanation of bookmarks from GeekSugar.

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