Christine Chiu | Who What Wardrobes | Who What Wear
Christine Chiu gives Who What Wear a tour of her world of haute couture and shares some of her rarest and most sentimental pieces. Watch above to see some of her luxurious items.
Christine’s couture collection is housed in a secure facility with expert curation, temperature control and 24 hour security.
Christine’s couture collection is housed in a secure facility with expert curation, temperature control and 24 hour security.
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00:00I'm filming you, you're filming me.
00:04Couture is my passion.
00:06Couture is a collection of the most brilliant minds in the world of fashion,
00:13and it's a space where fashion designers get to be as fantastical, over-the-top,
00:20intricate, and intimate with their materials and creation as ever, without any limit.
00:27When price is not an object, there are no ceilings on what they can create.
00:34I personally have been collecting haute couture for over 10 years, I think closer to 15 years now,
00:41and with each year and each season, my mind continues to be blown.
00:47So one of the primary differences between ready-to-wear and haute couture is the exclusivity of it,
00:53and that really has to do with reproduction.
00:55In haute couture, only one piece is made, and one piece is made by hand.
01:00I think on average, tens of thousands of hours goes into every single piece.
01:05There isn't one second that I'm at Couture Week where I'm not learning something new
01:10about fashion history, or about the designers, or about even the sourcing of materials,
01:15or the processes, or the advancements of fashion technology.
01:19So we're just going to hop into my treasure trove of couture stories.
01:24So this is an Idli Saab haute couture gown, and of course it's beautiful and luxurious,
01:29but the funny story behind this is I was having dinner with Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla
01:35at Buckingham Palace, and the conservative gown that I had planned to wear got stuck at customs.
01:41So the only other thing I had in my luggage was this really risque, deep V gown with a high slit,
01:50like higher than the bone slit, and it was either this or naked.
01:55So I decided to wear this. I broke all of the rules in Buckingham Palace.
01:59There are rules on modesty.
02:02It was very naughty, and of course I did not know they had placed me next to Prince Charles.
02:08So that was quite embarrassing.
02:11This is an Armani Privé piece, and I love this piece.
02:16This probably is my favorite haute couture piece because it's a jumpsuit, and it has pockets,
02:22and I love anything functional and practical.
02:25If you look at every detail, every embellishment was done by hand,
02:30and it's so delightful and fun and comfortable.
02:35That's the most important thing, is comfort.
02:37I often get asked, do you prefer French couture houses or Italian couture houses?
02:43That's a very tricky question, but I have to say that the Italian couture houses come with the Italian family hospitality,
02:51and that extra level of warmth definitely makes things and the experience more fun.
02:57This is my next couture piece, and this is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda couture dress
03:06that was exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
03:09I loaned it to them for their Heavenly Bodies exhibition.
03:12It comes with a cape, and also I call it a pope hat, but I was corrected.
03:17It's a bishop, not a pope.
03:19Overly ambitious.
03:21This is a Versace Atelier haute couture gown that has very special memories for me of the Cannes Film Festival
03:32because I had it essentially fitted during my time on a boat in the French Riviera.
03:39It was a very dreamy time and a romantic time I had with my husband,
03:43and the entire team came on board, and the boat was rocky,
03:48and everyone was with pins and needles trying to stitch me in.
03:52This is the grand dame of haute couture, Chanel haute couture.
03:57Chanel haute couture was my very first couture purchase.
04:01I started my fascination, love, passion collection of haute couture with Chanel.
04:06This is from the first collection after Karl passed away.
04:11I love this because I've had the same seamstress at Chanel haute couture for a very long time,
04:16and she knows that I like to break the rules once in a while,
04:21and I like to add my own special touches.
04:23So after the house approves of a look, she always goes in and helps me add something fun.
04:30This look was shown in the show, but I like sparkles,
04:34so she added these little sparkle details throughout, and you can see them everywhere.
04:40And another fun fact with haute couture is that everything is custom.
04:43So believe it or not, our bodies are not symmetrical,
04:47so my right arm is thicker than my left arm,
04:50and so with pieces that are basically perfected to your body,
04:56like this sleeve is bigger than this sleeve.
04:59So if you try to wear this, it would not fit you.
05:02This is a recent Valentino haute couture slip dress,
05:07and although it looks very kind of demure and simple on the hanger,
05:13it has a big impact because of the craftsmanship and the elegance it carries,
05:19and that's what I love about Valentino haute couture.
05:21By the way, I love the entire team at Valentino haute couture.
05:25They are—how do I describe them?
05:28They're like family.
05:29Katya, who's the director of haute couture,
05:31I wore this at the most recent couture week,
05:35and in the middle of backstage fittings and all the craziness
05:39because they were going to have their show in a couple of hours,
05:42she actually came into my hotel room and helped me fit into this.
05:46This comes with a very iconic ostrich hat,
05:52and—
05:58which requires, really, a guide when you're walking,
06:02and these luxurious gloves.
06:06There's a history on this particular leather, which is no longer available.
06:11The house of Valentino couture saved it just for this look,
06:16and it fits me like a glove.
06:19This piece is a fun lesson in the social warfare of haute couture.
06:26This is a Jean-Baptiste Valli haute couture gown.
06:30You know, in haute couture, the special part of it is
06:34there should only be one owner of one piece,
06:37and they never make the same piece twice.
06:40So this was the first time when I bought a piece,
06:43and I also saw a celebrity wear it.
06:46So it was kind of an awkward moment,
06:48but fortunately, the celebrity who wore it
06:51is someone I really look up to and respect and admire,
06:54so it made the sting just a little less hurtful.
07:00This is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda piece again.
07:05So many things to say about this,
07:07but I really respect the craftsmanship of this.
07:10This is—I mean, if you've ever tried to hand-embroider anything,
07:14you can appreciate the thousands—
07:16tens of thousands of hours that went into this piece.
07:20But the funny part of this piece is—
07:23and I actually didn't bring it,
07:25and I'm really surprised, I'm going to tell you this.
07:28It comes with, like, these hot shorts, like boy shorts.
07:33At this time, I had lost so much weight
07:35that all of the fat in my butt went away,
07:37and so it just didn't look so great.
07:40So in a very delicate fashion,
07:43the Dolce & Gabbana team asked,
07:45since they were making everything custom,
07:48if I would like some padding in my hot shorts.
07:51And of course, I said yes.
07:53So when I was wearing this,
07:55I had basically like a Kardashian butt,
07:57and I really enjoyed it.
07:59This is another Chanel haute couture set,
08:03and this set is particularly special to me.
08:07I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it
08:09because Chanel haute couture has been a house
08:12that I've been with for a very long time, collecting from,
08:16and the team I've known for a very long time.
08:18So we've gone through all of life's kind of journeys together.
08:21As some of you may know, I had 10 years of difficulties
08:25in trying to have a child.
08:28And in those 10 years, I went through seven rounds of IVF.
08:31And for those of you who maybe have gone through
08:34infertility treatments, you know that it does a number
08:37to your body and obviously your mind,
08:40and particularly your body swells, contracts.
08:44It just does weird stuff to the shape and weight.
08:46And Chanel haute couture was so patient with me.
08:49They actually made this look four times
08:53because my weight fluctuated four times.
08:57Allegedly, they lost money on this look,
09:00but they gained a lifelong loyal customer and friend.
09:06So when I look at this piece,
09:08I remember my struggles in infertility
09:10and ultimately the triumph with baby G.
09:14This is another Chanel haute couture piece.
09:18I just love the sparkles.
09:20Chanel is so fun.
09:21Actually, every house is so great
09:23that they like to give you surprise gifts along the way.
09:26And Chanel made these custom sandals for me that are laced up.
09:33Chanel works with this house called Massaro,
09:36who is basically the industry standard for shoes.
09:40So anyway, Chanel gifted me, you might die,
09:45but those sandals are 7,000 euros.
09:49And they gifted me a pair when I bought this dress,
09:52which was so kind.
09:53And this is another Armani privé look.
09:56And I love this piece because I actually hate the color purple.
10:01Growing up, my mom was fascinated
10:04and obsessed with purple.
10:06So I lived in a purple house with purple rug,
10:08with purple furniture, with purple wallpaper,
10:12and she wore purple head to toe.
10:14So I hate the color purple.
10:16But I trusted the house, and they said,
10:19Armani privé, and they said that
10:21this look really should be done in purple.
10:24And so we went with it.
10:27Since my mother has passed away,
10:29when I look at this piece, I think of her.
10:33And I'm really pleased that, you know,
10:35I went forward with purple.
10:37This is another Armani privé gown
10:39that I love in this mint green.
10:41And the best part of this gown
10:43is that it comes with a little bow.
10:45No, it does not go on the head.
10:47It actually is like a little shawl.
10:52So you wear it behind your back.
10:54You can wear it like a little shawl like this.
10:59You know, just casual.
11:01Okay, so let's hop into the accessories.
11:04These boots are super special
11:08because when I first started
11:11my journey with haute couture,
11:14I couldn't get over how I could possibly spend
11:18150, 200, 250 and up thousand euros on a dress.
11:23And so I had to start smaller
11:26and kind of tiptoe my way in.
11:29So these guys are less than that.
11:32They're all made to measure.
11:34So they measure your calves and your ankles.
11:37It's sometimes quite embarrassing,
11:39but you do it and it fits really well.
11:41And of course, they're so comfortable to walk in
11:44because it's made to accommodate
11:46every curvature and oddity in your foot.
11:48I love collecting Chanel specialty clutches and bags.
11:53So I have a bunch.
11:54This I love in particular because storytelling
11:58and any form of storytelling is a passion of mine.
12:01This reminds me why I love fashion
12:03because it tells great stories.
12:06Also, sometimes people don't realize
12:10that couture houses have wonderful accessories.
12:14One season, I didn't find a gown that spoke to me,
12:18but I found a bunch of accessories that I loved.
12:21So that year I gifted all of my girlfriends
12:24a couture clutches, gloves, and bracelets from Armani Privé.
12:30So these are some of the bracelets that I gifted my friends.
12:36This you might remember from Bling Empire Season 1.
12:39This is not couture, but there was a moment
12:42where I said me and my couture are leaving.
12:45And so, gotta go.
12:47Me and my couture are leaving.
12:54I love you.