Couture, the dying art.

I briefly mentioned Couture in my last post and I would love to talk about it more.
One of the first things that pops into my mind, when I think of fashion,
is Haute Couture, alongside, Models and Magazines. Now, I did some research to find out what "true" Couture is, and here are some sniblies, of what I found

"Haute couture (French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking"; pronounced [ot kutyʁ]) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing."

"In France, the term haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris based in Paris, France. Their rules state that 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" of the label haute couture. The criteria for haute couture were established in 1945 and updated in 1992.

To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture must follow these rules:

Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.
Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.
Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs/exits with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.

However, the term haute couture may have been misused by ready-to-wear brands since the late 1980s, so that its true meaning may have become blurred with that of prêt-à-porter (the French term for ready-to-wear fashion) in the public perception. Every haute couture house also markets prêt-à-porter collections, which typically deliver a higher return on investment than their custom clothing [citation needed]. Falling revenues have forced a few couture houses to abandon their less profitable couture division and concentrate solely on the less prestigious prêt-à-porter. These houses, such as Italian designer Roberto Capucci, all of whom have their workshops in Italy, are no longer considered haute couture.

Many top designer fashion houses, such as Chanel, use the word for some of their special collections. These collections are often not for sale or they are very difficult to purchase. Sometimes, "haute couture" is inappropriately used to label non-dressmaking activities, such as fine art, music and more.[2]"

"Haute Couture should be fun, foolish and almost unwearable" Christian Lacroix

Now, from this I have gathered, a little more about the true art of Couture.
So, I must say and many have said it well, I feel that Couture is a dying art.
Fashion is not in general dying, but it seems so different from the younger ages.
I have always thought of Couture, fashion in general, as crazy, out of the box, something you so on Runways and Magazines, but now I feel as though its on the streets to. Its not as special, it used to mean something to have a bag by Louis Vuitton or Chanel, but lots of people have them now. Fashion is still special, and a different world, but I feel it drifting mainstream, and that saddens me.
Couture especially, each year, I wait and wait for the Couture collections to come to see what fantastic ridiculousness, the designers have come up with, an each year, I see fewer and fewer names on the list of Couture Collections, and the ones left, aren't as crazy as I hoped.