Parlez-vous Fashion?: Fashion World Pronunciation 102

 Welcome, my darling HC readers, to another installment of your guide to fabulous fashion vocab Parlez-vous Fashion? How To Pronounce Givenchy, Hermes, and More. We all know and love some fierce fashion designers, but sometimes their names don’t roll off our tongues as smoothly as we’d like. Here is another guide to some essential fashion facts and pronunciation to keep up your stylista street cred.

Burberry

Known for the famed Burberry Check pattern and trench coats, Burberry is an arbiter of classic style. It is also a UK institution, having been issued two Royal Warrants for credibility, dependability and loyalty by the royal family. But here’s the thing: it’s not a fruit. No, my darlings, this word is not pronounced “Burr-berry.” I don’t know what kind of fruit a “Burr-berry”  is, but it sounds most painful and unpleasant. The brand in question, though, is pronounced “Burr-burr-ree,” and with a British accent if you want to kick it up a notch. Burberry has many lines, some of which are Burberry Prorsum (“prorsum” means “forwards”  in Latin), Burberry London, Burberry Brit, Burberry Sport, and more. So…no berries to be found.

 Comme des Garçons

Though the name might suggest otherwise, this line of avant-garde clothes is not French, but Japanese. Founded by Rei Kawakubo in the late sixties, Comme des Garçons (which means “like some boys”) was originally dismissed by the fashion world, but is now regarded as a forerunner in not only Japanese fashion, but the world over. In addition to Kawakubo’s designs, Comme des Garçons houses the sub-labels of designers Junya Watanabe and Tao Kurihara. The pronunciation is pretty simple French: “Comme” is like “comb” but without the b; “des” is “day”; “Garçons” is “gar-son”, with a short “o” sound instead of a long one (like in the word “original instead of in “opal”). There’s actually no “s” sound at the end of the word. So the next time you check out Kawakubo’s unconventional looks, you know what to say.

Lanvin

Lanvin, the oldest French couture house, was founded by Jeanne (“jzhan”) Lanvin in 1889.When pronouncing Lanvin, “Lan” actually sounds like “law” and “vin” should sound like “va” with a short a, as in “valley”. When saying it with a French accent, which I highly recommend, the “n” sounds are almost completely dropped out, so it sounds like “Law va.” Lanvin continues its reputation for luxury women’s wear today, with chief women’s ready to wear designer delightful Alber Elbaz (“al-bare el-bahhz”), whose designs are forward-thinking with classic sensibility.

 Ralph Lauren 

Ralph Lauren is the sly silver fox of classic American style. His designs are timeless, finding the beauty in traditional simplicity. His name is no different. I always laugh a little bit when I hear people say “Ralph Luh-wren.” It’s really just Lauren, like the girl’s name. Ralph Lauren has many different lines to his name, like Black Label, Purple Label, and Polo Ralph Lauren, among others. Lauren named his line “Polo” after the “sport that embodies a world of discreet elegance and classic style.” This is now a continuous theme throughout the entire Ralph Lauren brand.

Van Cleef and Arpels

Since its inception in 1896 with the marriage of Esther Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef, the famed French jewelry design house has been producing pieces with only the highest quality stones and settings. Van Cleef and Arpels has always been wildly influential in the jewelry world, with their innovative pieces like 1930’s minaudière (pronounced “min-aw-dee-yay”), a small bejeweled case which “allows the cosmopolitan woman to tuck away her lipstick, handkerchief, and powder puff without being encumbered” and 1968’s Alhambra necklace (see picture). Pronouncing Van Cleef is easy, just as it reads. Arpels, like Comme des Garçons, has a silent “s”, and is pronounced “are-pell”. If you’re in the mood for a bit of swooning, do yourself a favor and go to their website Van Cleef & Arpels for some of the most beautiful, intricate jewelry you’ve ever seen.

Sources:

Burberry.com

Royal Warrant.org

DoverStreetMarket.com

RalphLauren.com

VanCleef-Arpels.com

Lanvin.com