Ever seen a designer’s name and wondered how to say it correctly without embarrassing yourself or having to say “erm *cough *cough insert my guess and say it really fast so no one understands anyways?”
Well my friends, now we are in luck! Thanks to the fabulousness that is Harper’s Bazaar I stumbled across the fashion magazine’s cheat-sheet for people like us who love fashion but don’t always know how to pronounce names like Comme des Garçons, Roksanda Ilincic or even Miu Miu (we know we’ve all said mi mi at least once, no?) and Hervé Léger.
SEE ALSO: Dolce&Gabbana Fall/Winter 2015
So here’s the correct pronunciation, spelled phonetically, so we won’t stumble and mumble through our designers names.
Anna Sui: anna swee
Ann Demeulemeester: ann de-mule-eh-meester
Azzedine Alaia: azz-eh-deen ah-lie-ah
Badgley Mischka: badge-lee meesh-kah
Balenciaga: bah-len-see-ah-gah
Balmain: bahl-mahhhhn
Bottega Veneta: bow-tay-guh vah-netta
Christian Lacroix: christian luh-kwa
Christian Louboutin: christian loo-boo-tan
Comme des Garçons: comb dey gah-sown
Dolce & Gabbana: dol-chey and gab-ana
Dries Van Noten: drees van know-ten
Gareth Pugh: gareth pew
Giambattista Valli: gee-am-bah-tease-ta vah-lee
Gianfranco Ferre: gee-ahn-franco feh-ray
Givenchy: zjee-von-shee
Hermès: er-mez
Hervé Léger: air-vay lay-jah
Hussein Chalayan: hoo-sane sha-lion
Issey Miyake: iss-ee mee-yah-key
Jean Paul Gaultier: zhon paul go-tee-ay
Junya Watanabe: jun-yah wat-an-ah-bey
Kinder Aggugini: kinder ag-ooh-gee-nee
Lanvin: lahn-vahn
Loewe: loh-wev-eh
Louis Vuitton: loo-wee vwee-tahn
L’Wren Scott: la-ren scott
Maison Martin Margiela: may-sohn martin mar-jhell-ah
Marchesa: mar-kay-sah
Mary Katrantzou: mary cat-trant-zoo
Miu Miu: mew-mew
Monique Lhuillier: monique le-hu-lee-ay
Moschino: mos-key-no
Olivier Theyskens: oh-liv-ee-ay tay-skins
Proenza Schouler: pro-en-zuh skool-er
Rochas: row-shahs
Rodarte: row-dar-tay
Roksanda Ilincic: roksanda ill-in-chik
Salvatore Ferragamo: sal-vah-tor-re fer-ra-gah-moh
Sonia Rykiel: sewn-yah ree-key-el
Thakoon: tah-koon
Versace: vur-sah-chee
Yves Saint Laurent: eve san lau-ron
Yohji Yamamoto: yoh-jee yam-ah-mo-to
Xoxo Liz Cal