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you are here: Fashion Tips | Tongue Tied - Designer Label Pronunciation

Tongue Tied - Designer Label Pronunciation

Top Billing's Fashion Editor Alexis Chaffe gives us tips for pronouncing designer's names

Tongue Tied 

Ever wanted to chat to your friends about a hot international designer but hadn't a clue how to pronounce the name? Not to worry; with a-list designers hailing from every corner of the globe, their foreign names can confuse even your most savvy fashionista. Here's an A-Z crash course in label pronunciation.


Anya Hindmarch : ahn-ya heind-march

Badgley Mischka : badge-lee meesh-ka
Balenciaga : bah-len-see-ah-gah
Balmain : bal-mah
Bebe : bee bee
Bottega Veneta : bo-tega ven-e-ta
Bulgari : bull-ga-ree
Burberry Prorsum : bur-bur-ree pror-some

Carolina Herrera : caro-leena hair-era
Chanel : shuh-nel
Christian Lacroix : la-kwa
Christian Louboutin : loo-boo-tahn (‘h’ is silent)
Comme des Garçons : comb day gar-son

Dior : dee-or
Diane von Furstenberg : pronounced like its spelled
Dolce & Gabbana : dole-chay gab-bon-a

Emilio Pucci : ee-mee-lee-oh  pu-chee
Etienne Aigner : eh-tee-yen on-yay

Givenchy : jsee-vawn-chi
Gucci : goo-chee

Hermès : err-mez
Hervé Léger : air-vay lay-jay

James Perse :  pronounced like “purse”
Jean Paul Gaultier :  zhan paul go-tee-ay
Lambertson Truex : lam-bert-son tru-ex

Lanvin : lon-vawn OR lon-vahn
Louis Vuitton : loo-wee vwe-tahn OR vhee-tawn

Madame Gres : mah-dam gray
Marchesa : mar-kay-sa
Moschino : mo-ski-no
Monique Lhuillier : mo-neek loo-lee-ay

Narciso Rodriguez : nar-si-so rod-ree-gus OR rod-ri-gez
Nicolas Ghesquière : ni-co-la guess-ki-air

Prada : prah-da
Pierre Cardin : pee-air car-dain
Proenza Schouler : pro-enza skool-er

Ralph Lauren :  Lauren (like the girl’s name, not lo-ren)
Rodarte : row-dar-tay

Sonia Rykiel :  saun-ya ree-kee-eel

Thakoon : ta-koon
Thierry Mugler: tee-air-ree moog-lay
Tibi : tbi (not Tee-bee)
Tocca : toe-ka

Ungaro : oon-ga-ro

Versace : ver-sah-chee OR ver-saw-chay

Yves Saint Laurent : eve  san-lor-ron

Zac Posen : poe-zen



Click to see Alexis's Blog: Diary of a Fashionista

Click to see more fashion tips by Top Billing's Alexis Chaffe
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