"He's the only American couture designer I know who works with the customer and knows exactly what her needs are," she said recently.

The prices, in the $45-to-$400 range, are reasonable for a French couture designer.

This most classic of couture designers rarely makes clothes that look fussy.

Nearly half of the accredited couture designers scheduled to show their collections this week have already done so.

His stint as couture designer at Lanvin has given him confidence and skill.

With a couture designer like Valentino, you expect everything to be lined.

"It's on par with anything you will see walking down the runway from the latest couture designer."

It is the only school in France for the training of the haute couture designers.

Nevertheless, they are frequently sold by couture designers, perhaps because of the implied eroticism.

The nearly 80-year-old house currently has no haute couture designer.