Best Couture schools

[milliganpierce]

Hi,

I've been teaching myself to make clothing by hand for the past few months. I'd like to learn to do it professionally, so I've been looking into Couturing. (It's a big commitment, but I'm think I'm ready for it).

Has anyone here completed any Couture diplomas or degrees? Can anyone recommend any specific schools?

I've been doing the research on my own online, and I've found a number of establishments, but not at whole lot verifying the quality of any one of them.

Thank you in advance.

[radio-aktivität]

You can go to the local library and peek into this book. It’ll give you an overview on what schools there are, how they specialize and how to apply there. It’s more specific as it lists graduate schools only though. I took a look into the graphic design edition and found the secondary information quite useful. The authors also look at rents, housing, public transport, nightlife and some other issues the particular city is good at (or lacks in)

[milliganpierce]

Whoa! That looks absolutely great! Thank you very much. I've been looking online - didn't even occur to me that there would be a guidebook. Thank again.

[Ahimsa]

I know that FIT offers couture sewing. It has 4 levels or so. It is an extremely intense class...a classmate of mine, at the time I was attending, took it and dropped it at the around the 3rd level due to it taking up way too much time.

[milliganpierce]

What does FIT stand for?

[Aska]

Fashion Institute of Technology. What do you mean when you say Couture? I think that word has been overused lately and often in an inappropriate way. So it would be easier to guide you if you state what it is you want to learn. If its design there is already a whole thread about fashion schools, if its technical craftsman skills maybe an apprenticeship might be better?

[milliganpierce]

Ah of course, thank you Aska.

I mean 'Couture' in the most literal sense - as in 'Haute Cotoure' - making clothing tailored for a specific client by hand from scratch. I'm interested in design as well, as it's an element of Couturing, but I want to learn to actually make the clothes as well, as opposed to drawing the designs and having a pattern cutter interpret them.

Something akin to an apprenticeship is exactly what I have in mind - I've been looking into the apprenticeships offered at Savile row, but unfortunately you have to take a pre-apprenticeship course at a school that is not open to non-UK residents.

I've also visited a school in Calgary that seems to have an excellent program - classes of just a couple people, intense full-time program for several years - but I think I'd rather do it somewhere other than Calgary.

[Aska]

ok, then we are on the same page. Thats a shame with Savile row, thats the route McQueen took. I don't know much about Ecole Couture Parisienne, but it should be worth looking in to since they are the "real deal" founded by Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and their curriculum looks interesting. Maybe someone else got more info or have been enrolled? Good luck!

http://www.ecole-couture-parisienne.com

[milliganpierce]

Hey, this looks great too. I haven't heard of this.

I also having been talking to these guys - http://www.hffa.it/ - but I'm not sure about them. They seem a little unreliable and don't appear to offer straight Haute Couture. I don't suppose anyone knows anything about them?

[Anton]

Small bump to this thread, I'm not sure whether I'm looking for a Couture school, but maybe rather a design/pattern making school(university or diploma studies) in Vienna preferably in English...Does anybody know anything of that sort?

Thanks!

[ProfMonnitoff]

In Vienna, the only school worth going to is the Angewandte (which teaches only in German AFAIK). In Germany there are some good options for tailoring/patternmaking apprenticeships as the government actively encourages them, but I don't know all the details about it.

[Anton]

In Vienna, the only school worth going to is the Angewandte (which teaches only in German AFAIK). In Germany there are some good options for tailoring/patternmaking apprenticeships as the government actively encourages them, but I don't know all the details about it.

Thanks for your comments, I did visit the schools website, unfortunately as you've mentioned it's only in German...
I can't get anything from the German government as I'm not a European citizen....I'll probably be living in Vienna for some time due to studies, so preferably i wanted to find something in that area for Pattern making and design...