For those of you less familiar with Couture, we offer the following definition from Wikipedia: "The creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques." That's right ladies and gentlemen, the garments in this collection were constructed by hand.

We're going to start with a closeup of a laser cut leather dress with beading and metal accents both on the bodice, and on the hips. This dress literally has everything. Leather, Lace, Metal, Beading, and Crystals. What else could a girl want? Self restraint? Nope.

The collection also includes several styles of Heels that in all honesty, are closer to jewelry than shoes. Fabulous, fabulous jewelry, for your feet. The shoes tie the collection, taking inspiration from the lace, gold tones, and armor-esque style of the garments. For those of us who can't afford a $20,000 gown, this might be a way to get your hands on a piece of Atelier Versace Couture.

The collection consists of the following fifteen looks, all tied together by a strong use of metal to create silhouettes, emphasize key design points, and just be generally awesome. The collection speaks to a more powerful woman with standout style, and not to the traditional couture crowd consisting mostly of debutantes and royals. Between an ever growing Couture market in the Middle East, and the economy in the midst of a revival, Versace chose the perfect time to debut their return to the Couture schedule with a standout collection of Couture masterpieces.

Enjoy.

The nontraditional pairings of textiles in this collection are impressive to say the least. Without approaching costuming, Givenchy has managed to mix silk, leather, wool, fur, crocodile and antler. Most of them appearing in a single look. These pairings evoke a feeling of luxury and oddly enough, comfort.

Also worth noting, are the accessories. Between sheath styled boots reminiscent of Mega-man, and  fur topped sunglasses, we can expect to see many a Givenchy accessory in the upcoming editorials of high end magazines.