pwhay´-tap-oh-TAY´
(French, ‘ready to wear’)
Prêt-à-porter is clothing purchased off the rack, as opposed to custom-made haute couture items.
While most prêt-à-porter is moderately priced and sold in malls and mainstream department stores, many haute couture houses also offer pricey prêt-à-porter lines sold in their own boutiques and in special sections of upscale department stores.
Coco couldn’t afford a couture gown, so she wore a prêt-à-porter gown to the wedding.