Fashion Mis-Statements

In this age of label-mania, none of us want to cause a gaffe riot. Hence, our first ever Fashionista Pronunciation Guide. Tony Soprano bought Carm some high-quality "Hermeez." Showgirls' Nomi Malone gushed about "Ver-sayze." One of our own fashion editors arrived in NYC convinced that DKNY was "Dick-knee." It happens to the best of us. . . ANDREW GN jen This Singapore-born designer's name rhymes with “Zen”—the antithesis of his opulently embellished clothes. ANNA SUI swee Maybe it was her cowgirl collection, but her surname did elicit the pig call “sueeee!!!” Think “sweet” sans the T. AQUASCUTUM ah-kwa-skew-tum As you'll remember from Latin class, this name merges aqua (water) and scutum (shield)—and these British raincoats have lived up to it for well over a century. BALENCIAGA ba-len-see-ah-ga Today's head designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere nee-coh-la guess-kee-air, is also a mouthful. Rather delicious, he is, too! BEHNAZ SARAFPOUR ben-oz sah-rafpoor This A-list designer is simply “Behnaz”; her clientele—mostly rich-girlsin- a-hurry—rarely have time to manage both her first and last name. CESARE PACIOTTI che-sah-ray pa-chotee We say ciao and get all choked up over his gorgeous footwear. CHLOË SEVIGNY sev-en-ee This actress/designer's muse is seven times a style icon. DRIES VAN NOTEN dreez van no-ten The first name rhymes with “trees,” which is easy to remember: The Belgian scattered gold leaf through his fall collection. HERMÈS er-mez So, who's going to tell Tony Soprano that the formidable French house ne pronounce pas the “h”? The second syllable rhymes with “fez.” INEZ VAN LAMSWEERDE in-ez van lams-veerd & VINOODH MATADIN vihnood mat-a din Even seasoned fashionistas need travel guides to navigate the bumpy road through these photographers' multisyllabic monikers. MARCHESA mar-kay-sah Hollywood actresses are more than okay with what this London house offers. MIU MIU mew-mew No need to get into a catfight over it: Miuccia Prada's nickname is as easy to love as her funky secondary line. MONIQUE LHUILLIER mo-neek loo-leeyay Rumor is a lot of young actresses send their stylists over to pick up her glam gowns: Her name is a line many of them just can't learn. NATALIA VODIANOVA vo-dee-ah-no-vah She sounds like a prima ballerina and is grace personified on the catwalk. PETER SOM sahm Many a psalm has been sung to this young designer's heavenly clothes. PROENZA SCHOULER pro-en-za skooler “Schoul” rhymes with “drool”—and you might over their fabulous fall 2006 collection. RODARTE ro-dar-tay This exquisite label's hand-stitching and beading attest to the art of fashion (but pronounce all three syllables). SCARLETT JOHANSSON joe-hansen She looks Scandinavian—but doesn't go by “yo.” It's Jo-hansson. SONIA RYKIEL ree-kee-el We're really keen on her resort collection. THAKOON ta-koon Suppress the urge to pronounce this onenamer “tha-koon.” You wouldn't go out for “thigh food,” would you? TIIU KUIK tee-you kweek Estonia exports models with impossibly long legs and impossibly short names. TRASTEVERINE tras-te-ve-reen-eh Italians believe all vowels are created equal: Give them their due. By Maureen Dempsey Try Marie Claire RISK-FREE for more fall fashion tips & trends [...] [...]