So I was going through The Lo Down site, one of my favorites and I came across this. At the sight of the topic i was like "really?" Is it necessary? Cause I spell and pronounce most of the designers’ names correctly… but since I read anything that’s posted on that site, I decided to read anyways…. THEN, I was like woh! I thought I knew better, gees! You really need to read this too dear LiveDreamMakers, so I thought I could share.
Uncomfortable in her surroundings and her own wardrobe, Andy answers the phone, addresses that her boss is busy at the moment, and finally requests, “Can you please spell ‘Gabbana’?” The phone dies, an accordion-style pad of sticky notes unfurls across her desk, and her shoulders slump under the itchy wool of her cerulean cable sweater.
This moment from The Devil Wears Prada spotlights fashion’s esotericism. Who even cares if you forget a couple “b’s” in Dolce & Gabbana? Who cares if this button stays open, or that buckle stays tight? So what if these shoes are black, and those ones are brown, and my belt is held together with Elmer’s glue and a safety pin? The real question is, will anyone notice if my fly is open?
The fashion industry is a detail-oriented machine, based on minute nuances that drive the enterprise. While I won’t pretend I know the difference from, say, the influence of 1970s fashion on Marc Jacob’s spring line or the structured/loose juxtaposition by Rag & Bone, I do love the power of language. As such, I thought I would spotlight an article BBC ran recently about the correct pronunciations of prominent fashion designers’ names. God knows we don’t want to spell “Gabbana” wrong, let alone pronounce it incorrectly.
Miu Miu - under the Prada fashion house, is pronounced MYOO-myoo (-my as in music, -oo as in boot)
Ermenegildo Zegna - of Italian fashion fame, is pronounced air-men-uh-JIL-doh ZEN-yuh (-air as in hair, -j as in Jack, -y as in yes)
Christian Lacroix - of Paris, is pronounced kreest-YAA(NG) laa-KRWAA (-aa(ng) as in French blanc, -aa as in father)
Yohji Yamamoto - a Japanese trendsetter, is pronounced YOH-ji yam-uh-MOH-toh (-oh as in no, -j as in Jack, -established anglicisation)
Louis Vuitton - I can’t spell OR say this one without some guidance, and all this time, I’ve been looking towards profligate rappers to navigate a proper pronunciation, but even they were wrong! According to the BBC, the ubiquitous French company is “sometimes anglicised as LOO-i VWEE-ton by some native English speakers,” but, by the company’s demand, should be, LWEE vwee-TO(NG) (-w as in wet, -o(ng) as in French bon).
And finally, the one pronunciational controversy that has provoked fist fights among friends during Macy’s Thanksgiving Sale,
Ralph Lauren - the American designer with both male and female first names, is pronounced RALF LORR-uhn (-orr as in sorry).
You see what I mean? I thought a few other designers’ names should have been added though, Louboutin, Givenchy, yves saint Laurent, hermes, even Burberry? Is it bur-BERRY or bur-bur-ry? This is like language class all over again….mehnnn.
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