Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - couture

 noun  Etymology: French, from Old French cousture sewing, from Vulgar Latin *consutura, from Latin consutus, past participle of consuere to sew together, from com- + suere to sew — more at sew  Date: 1908  1. the business of designing, making, and selling fashionable custom-made women's clothing  2. the designers and establishments engaged in ~  3. the clothes created by ~