Fashionably Discreet.(International Edition; LUXURY)(fashion designers)

Byline: Sameer Reddy

A host of smaller couture houses are turning out designs to rival Chanel and Dior.

Couture is not dead; it's merely gone incognito. At the haute couture shows in Paris in January, a few hours after Chanel staged a winter-white spectacular featuring 40 top models and hundreds of guests in a grand former bank on Rue Cambon, a little-known dressmaker named Dominique Sirop crammed 50 or 60 journalists and photographers into his tiny atelier off Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, where three unknown models posed in turns on a makeshift, rotating pedestal inelegantly draped with black cloth. There was no trace of grandeur in the air--the carpet was worn in patches, no waiters passed flutes of champagne--yet each of the looks that Sirop sent out, fashioned primarily from intricately draped chiffon, made as much of an impression as the marvels of elaborate embroidery that Karl Lagerfeld had unleashed at Chanel.

Though the atmosphere at la maison de Sirop is decidedly less grandiose than at Dior, Gaultier or Valentino, the level of esthetic accomplishment is no less impressive. He has been granted admission to the elite Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, the French trade union of high fashion, which sets the rigorous design criteria by which houses are formally accredited as haute couturiers. The main differences between his customers and Chanel's are that his are received in a humble atelier by a tiny staff, instead of in a gilded mansion served by a small army of attendants. And when, at society galas, the women are asked, "Who are you wearing?" the answer is likely to draw a blank. Perhaps most significantly, an evening dress from the house of Sirop will cost in the tens of thousands of euros--a small fraction of the cost of a gown from Chanel, where the most heavily embellished styles can stretch past [euro]200,000.

In haute couture's smaller-scaled parallel universe, designers have only their handicraft to help them make their mark on an industry blinded by brand names. Lacking advertising budgets, they fail to attract much editorial attention, and consequently their client base can only grow via word of mouth. But given the state of the world economy, their leaner operations, smaller overhead and more accessible price points leave them better positioned than ever to survive. Controlling costs is a key element of their success. "The price of the final piece is a result of the reputation of the house, but also the hours spent on the piece," says Stephane Rolland, another small couturier. His atelier has adopted a more efficient approach, in which he sketches and drapes very quickly and then uses innovative cutting techniques, which allow him "to keep the same quality, of course, but to be more modern in the realization." Becca Cason Thrash, a prominent Houston socialite and one of haute couture's most visible clients, is an ardent supporter of smaller couturiers. "They're the future," she says. "In addition to the lower price points, many of these emerging talents offer a fresh new take, and they're trying a lot harder than some of the older designers."

Besides Sirop and Rolland, the roster of unsung talent includes Franck Sorbier, Adeline Andre and Maurizio Galante, most of whom have gained formal status as haute couturiers in the past decade. Younger guest members include Christopher Josse and Alexis Mabille, relative newcomers to the craft of couture who show strong promise. Their prices are much lower than their larger competitors': Rolland's begin at about [euro]20,000, with an average price around [euro]35,000; Sorbier's and Josse's begin at [euro]8,000, with an average about [euro]15,000. These prices compare favorably with designer ready-to-wear, which at its highest end can cost almost the same--without the added value of a custom fit. Considering that a couture dress from Dior or Chanel tends to begin around [euro]100,000, buying from the smaller houses ...