It’s no longer enough to be fluent in“ English, French and Italian. Fashion 142 “ is a veritable United Nations.

How Do You Say Fashion? It’s time to stop sweating the pronunciation of designer names, says our fashion writer in this style-speak manifesto. By Michele Meyer Illustration by Patrick Leger

onsider me mortified. Despite a French professor. Add years of living in Downing says. “People tend to make names college degrees in French, English France, England and Mexico, and working more exotic than they are: Thus, Donna Karan and Spanish, and a black belt in in fashion retail to pay for my education, and [CARE-en] becomes kar-AAAHN and Ralph C fashion, I just learned I’ve been I have no excuse for name-mangling. Lauren [LORE-en, as in foreign] becomes butchering the pronunciation of Spanish Still, In-the-Know Style Lover, don’t rush lau-REN.” Yet forgiveness is divine. label Loewe—for years. to condemn me (as I do). Clearly I’m not alone So what if The Sopranos called Hermès It’s not “loh,” but “loh-WEH-vay.” Or in getting tangled in fashion’s sharp tongue. “her-MEEZ” (actually air-MEHZ) or a should I say oy vey? I’m just relieved I found A quick online search reveals many guides to stripper in the movie Showgirls referred to out online, and not from a snooty sales clerk. “fashion designers pronunciation.” An app Versace as “ver-SAYCE”? Off-screen in I’ll let you in on another secret: Even after called Speak Chic was created to help, but Hollywood, should we blame starlets who decades in the business, and even though I’ve “thanks to Google, everything’s at our finger- skip the gowns of Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas interviewed the designer in person, I still feel tips,” notes Ken Downing, Neiman Marcus Ghesquière (LOO-wee vwee-TOHN’s NEE- unsure when I pronounce Ungaro (OON-gar-oh, senior vice president and fashion director. And koh-lah guess-KYAIR) when they risk being as I frequently coach myself). when there’s no time to Google? “In person,” asked on the red carpet who dressed them? The The pressure! When it comes to fashion Downing says, “everyone’s just ‘darling’ to me.” universe won’t fold if someone mispronounces brand-name pronunciation, I carry a lot of Even so, the most Web-savvy, multilingual, haute couture (oat coo-TURE, by the way). weight on my small shoulders: a German globe-travelling fashionista sometimes meets At least for native English speakers, names father fluent in six languages, a mother who his or her phonetic foil. “I’ve heard Versace such as Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Jason Wu and was in the business (and a contributor to the [vur-SAH-chay] and Proenza Schouler Phillip Lim are a welcome relief from the likes Oxford dictionary to boot) and a sister who’s [proh-EN-zuh SKOOL-er] mispronounced,” of Mary Katrantzou (cat-TRANT-zoo). Can you

FOUR SEASONS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 3 / 2014 blame me that I silently curse the charming and Tricky names underscore talented duo of Costello Tagliapietra (TAH-lya- pee-AY-trah)? If only the latter would retire, just how global the trade has just to spare me the tongue-twister. I’ve been “become—a really good thing 144 known to wish that Ann Demeulemeester when it comes to ensuring (deh-MUHL-uh-may-stir) would marry some- Opinion one—anyone—named Smith. I also wouldn’t fresh creativity and appeal to mind if a certain menswear label with the last name Zegna (ZANE-yah) broke up with its international audiences. founder’s given name, Ermenegildo (air-men-eh- JIL-doh). It wouldn’t be the first time someone scaled things back: In June, Roksanda Ilinčić ” (rock-SAND-uh ill-IN-chik) mercifully rebrand- ed her line as Roksanda. Not that short is always sweet: Rochas (row-SHAH), Lanvin (lawhn- VEHN), Thakoon (tah-KOON), Andrew Gn (jen) and Anna Sui (swee) have tripped up many. Tricky names underscore just how global the trade has become—a really good thing when fashion’s traditional centres. For someone who it comes to ensuring fresh creativity and appeal each year reviews hundreds of catwalks from to international audiences. But the situation New York, Milan, London and Paris, that’s an also means that it’s no longer enough to be easy lesson to forget. In fashion—and in life— fluent in English, French and Italian. Fashion we’re often a bit too accustomed to firing off catty is a veritable United Nations, thanks to Gn, born tweets or ridiculing people behind their backs. in Singapore, Prabal Gurung (PRAH-bul GOO- But the fleeting joy of judgment dims our rung) of Nepal, Hussein Chalayan (WHO-say-in ability to fully appreciate the exceptional in the chah-LIE-un) of Cyprus, Yigal Azrouël (YEE- art of design—or to realize how we might goll az-ROO-el) of Israel and Junya Watanabe dampen others’ appreciation with our burning (JOON-yah wah-tah-NAH-bay) of Japan. remarks. Ultimately, our eternal multisyllabic As we become more open to seeing the upper struggle should remind us: We don’t rise by echelons of fashion filled with designers of all life- putting down others, or ourselves. Fashion is styles, training and nationalities, we should also about self-expression and learning new things. try to be more accepting of those who stumble It’s not a contest to see who can own the most— over fashion terms. Phonetic pratfalls don’t make or pronounce the most. someone less worthy of enjoying fashion. “As long “If you say something wrong, don’t worry,” as you’re not being malicious” in your mispro- says Kelly Cutrone, long-time fashion publicist nunciation, Downing says, “I’m just thrilled and CEO of People’s Revolution. “It’s only fash- you’re interested in the designer!” ion. Nobody’s going to get hurt. Do your best; then The truth is, few of us were born in the laugh it off. All that matters is that you can pay.” ■ stockroom of Bergdorf Goodman or privileged to spend our youth gliding through Chanel on Michele Meyer, the fashion/beauty editor at Caviar rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Indeed, many Affair, writes about style for Visa’s Luxury Magazine and à la mode maidens and gents grew up not in Rhapsody and has been a correspondent at Allure, Lucky Manhattan or Paris, but in tiny towns outside and Women’s Wear Daily.

A CONVERSATIONAL CHEAT SHEET

Here’s help for 25 more names likely to be mangled.

Alber Elbaz for Lanvin: Dolce & Gabbana: Olivier Theyskens: al-BEAR el-BAHZ for lawhn-VEHN DOL-chay and gah-BAH-nah oh-LIV-ee-ay TAY-skins Alexandre Herchcovitch: Dries Van Noten: Rei Kawakubo: al-eh-ZAHN-dre hair-ch-KOH-vitch drees van NOH-ten ray kah-wah-KOO-boh Azzedine Alaïa: Givenchy: zhee-vawhn-SHEE Rodarte: roh-dar-TAY AZZ-eh-deen ah-LIE-ah Hervé Léger: air-VAY lay-JAY Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane: Balenciaga: bah-lohn-see-AH-gah Issey Miyake: ISS-ee mee-YAH-kee sahn law-RAWHN by ED-dee slih-MAHN Balmain: BAHL-mahn Maison Martin Margiela: (previously known by its founder’s name, 4SMFSM Bottega Veneta: may-SOHN mar-TEHN mar-JEL-ah Yves Saint Laurent: eve sahn law-RAWHN) boh-TAY-guh VEH-net-ah Marchesa: mar-KAY-zah Salvatore Ferragamo: FOR MORE Fashion industry Christian Louboutin: Miu Miu: mew-mew sal-vah-TOR-ray fer-rah-GAH-moh insiders admit their christian loo-boo-TEHN Monique Lhuillier: Thierry Mugler: tee-AIR-ee MOO-gler pronunciation faux pas at moh-NEEK LOO-lee-yay www.fourseasonsmagazine Comme des Garçons: Yohji Yamamoto: .com/issuethree2014 comb deh gahr-SOHN Moschino: moss-KEE-noh YOH-jee yah-mah-MOH-toh

FOUR SEASONS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 3 / 2014