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February 20, 2014

How to Pronounce Fashion Designer Names

Stumped about how to pronounce Prabal Gurung or Thankoon? Unsure about how to say Elie Saab or Marchesa?  Is the last n silent in Lanvin and Balmain (hint, yes it is!)?

With awards season underway and fashion weeks happening all over the world, make sure you sound like a pro when you mention Lupita Nyong'o on the red carpet in Dior Couture or Rihanna's latest Vogue cover in Louis Vuitton.

Here are some tools to help you out:

Pop Sugar has a handy video that runs down the names of current designers in alphabetical order - and it includes the phonetic spelling!
 

If that was too fast, try these sites from Harper's Bazaar ...

Just a few examples from Harper's Bazaar

...and Valet 

Samples from Valet

The Chic Spy is my personal favorite - it includes audio clips so you can hear someone say the name (correctly).

(Just a screen shot - go to the site to play the audio files, or click the embedded link below)


And for those of you who need pronunciation on-the-go, download the Speak Chic app to your mobile device.



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