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The Ultimate Fashion Phonetics Dictionary
Fashion is an international language spoken by people from different parts of the world, but all of them interpret it in their own way. It is so complex that even simple words might be a huge problem when trying to pronounce them. Many are borrowed from French, so the accent will be the key in being accurate.
Because as a renowned fashionista shouldn’t be caught red handed with such mistakes, we came up with a short guide to help you learn how to pronounce some of the most difficult fashion related words in the industry.
1. Givenchy
The first thing you should learn are the famous designer’s names that raise problems. It would be really embarrassing if someone interviews you and asks what‘s your favorite designer and you would say Give-en-chee, when it really is Jhee-von-shee. No one will be impressed if you can afford to buy a bag designed by that brand but you do not know how to pronounce it, right?
2. Haute Couture
Probably the most famous mispronounced word in the fashion industry is: Haute Couture. We’ve heard it said in so many ways that now we are not sure how it is really pronounced. But here is the mystery solver: Oat koo-toor.
3. Ombre
Ombre hair – hair color fading from dark to light, or vice versa. Instead of the color starting from the roots, it gradually becomes lighter, or darker, towards the ends. The word “ombre” in French means shadow or shade.
Pronounce it om-bray.
When it comes to describing designs, some of the most difficult words to pronounce are:
4. Ruching (rush-ing) – a sewing technique in which fabric or ribbon is gathered in a repeating pattern.
5. Empire ( ohm-peer) – example – an empire type dress.
6. Applique (app-lee-kay) – needlework technique in which patterns or representational scenes are created by the attachment of smaller pieces of fabric to a larger piece of contrasting color or texture.
7. Capris (kuh-preez) – crop, mid-calf pants.
Reading the words above out loud for a few times will surely help you get used to their pronunciation.
8. Lingerie
French is sexy, so talking about lingerie (law-je-ree) should sound like that too. What if it’s a tongue twister for you?
When it comes to international fashion words with french origins, can you say:
9. Decolletage (day-cole-ay-taj) – the upper part of a woman’s torso, comprising her neck, shoulders, back and chest, that is exposed by the neckline of her clothing; neckline.
10. Brassiere (bruh-zeer) – it means bra, but sounds fancy, right?
11. Bandeau (ban-doh) – a garment made of a strip of cloth; example – bandeau swimsuit.
Here are some pretty common words and you might just bump into them even by visiting the local hypermarket, but can you say them out loud?
12. Epaulettes (ep-uh-let) – an ornamental shoulder piece or decoration
13. Brooch (broh-ch) – the decorative jewelry that our outfits love.
Want to get some custom designs made but buying fabric might be embarrassing? Get your notes ready and make the list:
14. Chambray (sham-brey) – a plain weave fabric woven with a colored yarn in the warp and a white yarn in the weft.
15. Gingham( ging-uh m) – a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarn.
16. Jacquard (ja-kar) – a fabric with an intricately woven pattern. See jacquard dress.
Do you have a word that`s not on the list? Tell us all about it!
