{"id":48160,"date":"2016-01-02T10:51:39","date_gmt":"2016-01-02T10:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.museum-aarschot.be\/harry-heylen-1937-2015-haute-couture-harry\/"},"modified":"2016-01-02T10:51:39","modified_gmt":"2016-01-02T10:51:39","slug":"harry-heylen-1937-2015-haute-couture-harry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.museum-aarschot.be\/en\/harry-heylen-1937-2015-haute-couture-harry\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Heylen (1937-2015) – Haute Couture Harry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where until its demolition at the end of 2018 Haute Couture Harry was located, there once lived in Aarschot a remarkable man who had given his name to the classic clothing shop he had transformed into a fairytale bridal store.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To tempt passers-by, this trained window dresser spared neither cost nor effort. The town’s inhabitants gazed in amazement at thematically arranged display windows. Comparable to the displays of the Parisian \u2018Galeries Lafayette\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mannequins in Cinderella bridal fashion rotated endlessly on carousels covered in red velvet. Porcelain vases with bouquets of silk flowers and floor lamps decorated the shop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Male mannequins in tuxedos resembled the proprietor himself, others wore a moustache and an earring. The popular bridal boutique stood out and was visible from afar thanks to Harry pennants, strings of red lanterns and illuminated hearts. On the roof a huge Harry flag fluttered next to the Belgian tricolour. The whole was enlivened by soft-sounding James Last music, which you could also enjoy in the street because loudspeakers hung under the awnings. Long after everyone had a CD player, a tape recorder with enormous reels was still doing the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early years the wedding gown was made in a ready-to-wear workshop in Li\u00e8ge. The bride-to-be did not try on her dream dress herself. The basic model was shown by a \u201cshop girl\u201d, measurements were taken, after which the wedding dress was put together according to the bride-to-be’s wishes: the colour, the length of the train, the width of the skirt, the amount of embellishment, etc. That way there was only one copy of each model in circulation and it could be offered in all sizes as desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In time, vacuum-packed hyper-romantic dresses from China made their entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeriously, the trailing gowns are made of plastic, the girls look all soft like pears with the ironing. What do you think, between you and me?\u201d   <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With great fanfare, the dandy Harry, who had stayed stuck in the golden sixties, spoke a mix of the Aarschot dialect and French. He was attached to \u2018Osschot<\/em>\u2019 and cherished his \u2018empire<\/em>‘ .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harry sought inspiration at Christian Dior, Avenue Montaigne in Paris. (1956)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Aarschot thought that Haute Couture Harry’s clothes came from Parisian couture houses, but he bought from Jewish cheap ready-to-wear wholesalers at the Porte Saint-Martin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n