The first examples of what we now call “ready to wear” (also known as “prêt-à-porter”) arose in the 1950s. Pierre Cardin, a French fashion designer, coined the term in an effort to broaden the market for his designs.

Ready-to-wear, in contrast to the personalized and exclusive haute couture, is mass-produced on a huge scale and in sizes ranging from extra small to extra large in order to simplify production and save costs.

But don’t let the lower price tag fool you into thinking the quality suffers. The names Chanel, Prada, and Gucci immediately come to mind when discussing the most illustrious names in prêt-à-porter.

This is a phrase commonly used in the fashion industry; were you familiar with it?

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