"Givenchy is "jee-von-shee": Pronunciation of Famous Fashion Designers' Names

With my love for fashion i have come across numerous names of designers which are very hard to pronounce especially French ones. Sometimes, i'd rather write them down or not mention them at all because i don't want to risk having to pronounce the name wrong and later and embarass myself in front of other people who knows how to say them correctly.

Last night, i trying to think of a nice unique name for a cat, in case i've really decided to have a cat here in my place. First i thought of Channel but then i think its a bit common, then comes Lacroix, McQueen, Balenciaga, even Karl! haha

Most of the designers that came to mind are those that are difficult to pronounce so i search around the net to find out how to pronounce them.

The Chic Spy has a list of designer names and how to pronounce them.

On the other hand, The Imperial Hotel Management College have video/audio streams on Youtube on how to pronounce names such as Hervé Léger, Lanvin and Comme des Garçons.

This is very helpful and is a must-know for everyone who's into fashion.

Here's a sample stream from IHCCA's youtube channel:






CLICK HERE FOR MORE PRONUNCIATION STREAMS

Here's the complete list of pronunciation found on The Chic Spy:

Abaeté: Ah-bye-ah-tay

Agnes B: Ah-ni-ess Beh

Alejandro Ingelmo: Allay-handro In-gel-mo

Alexandre Herchcovitch: Ah-le-zan-dreh Hair-ch-co-vich

Andrew Gn: Andrew Jen (rhymes with “ten”)

Andy Thê-Anh: An-dee Tay-Ann

Anya Hindmarch: Ahn-ya Heind-march

Arthur Mendonça: Ar-thur Men-doe-sa

Badgley Mischka: Badge-lee Meesh-ka

Balenciaga: Bah-lin-cee-ah-gah

Balmain: Bal-mah

Bebe: Bee-bee

Bettye Muller: Beh-tee Meu-ler

Bottega Veneta: Bo-tega Ven-e-ta

Bulgari: Ball-gah-ree

Burberry Prorsum: Bur-bur-ree Pror-some

Carolina Herrera: Caro-leena Hair-era

Cartier: Kar-tee-aye

Cesare Paciotti: Che-sah-ray Pah-cho-tee

Chaiken: Chay-ken

Chanel: Shuh-nail

Christian Lacroix: La-Kwa

Christian Louboutin: Loo-boo-tahn

Dana Buchman: Day-nah Buck-man

Dior: Dee-or

Dries Van Noten: Drees Van Know-ten

Diane von Furstenberg: Fur-sten-berg (pronounced as spelled)

Dolce & Gabbana: Dole-ch-aye Ga-bon-na

Dries Van Noten: Drees Van Know-ten

Emilio Pucci: Eh-mi-li-oh Poo-ch-ee

Ermenegildo Zegna: Er-men-a-geel-do Zen-ya

Etienne Aigner: Eh-tee-yen On-yay

Furla: Fer-luh

Gareth Pugh: Gareth Pew

Gianfranco Ferre: Gee-an-fran-co Fr-aire

Giles Deacon: Jy-els Dee-kin

Givenchy: Jee-von-shee

Giambattista Valli: Gee-ahm-battista Valley

Gucci: Goo-chee

Hedi Slimane: Eddy Sli-mahn

Hermès: Err-mez

Hervé Léger: Air-vay Lay-jay

Issey Miyake: Ee-seh Mi-yah-key

Jean Paul Gaultier: Zhan Paul Go-tee-aye

James Perse: James Perse (as in a lady’s purse, not ‘pierce your ear’)

Joeffer Caoc: Joe-fur Kay-ock

Junya Watanabe: Joon-ya Wah-tah-nah-bay

Lambertson Truex: Lam-bert-son Tru-ex

Lanvin: Lon-vahn or Lon-vawn

L’Wren Scott: Le-ren Skot

Loewe: Low-ev-ay

Louis Vuitton: Loo-ee Voo-ee-ton

Madame Gres: Mah-dam Gray

Marchesa: Mar-kay-sa

Mainbocher: Maynbo-shay

Moschino: Mo-ski-no

Monique Lhullier: Mo-neek Loo-lee-ay

Narciso Rodriguez: Nar-siss-so Ro-dree-gez

Nicolas Ghesquière: Ni-co-la Guess-ki-air

Olivier Theyskens: Oli-vier Tay-skins

Pierre Cardin: Pee-air Car-dain

Prada: Prah-da

Proenza Schouler: Pro-enza Skool-er

Ralph Lauren: Ralph Lauren (as in Lauren the girl’s name, not Sophia Loren)

Rei Kawakubo: Ray Kah-wah-koo-bo

Rodarte: Ro-dar-tay

6267: Six-two-six-seven (not Sixty-two-sixty-seven)

Sonia Rykiel: Saun-ya Ree-kee-eel

Sophia Kokosalaki: So-fee-a Ko-ko-sah-lah-kee

Tapeet by Vicini: Ti-peet by vi-ch-ee-knee

Thakoon: Ta-koon

Thierry Mugler: Tee-air-ree Moog-lay

Tibi: Tbi or Tu-by (not Tee-bee)

Tocca: Toe-ka

Ungaro: Oon-ga-ro

Versace: Ver-sah-chee

Vionnet: Vee-oh-nay

Yohji Yamamoto: Yo-jee Ya-ma-mo-to

Yves Saint Laurent: Eve San Lor-ron

Zac Posen: Poe-zen

Next time you don't have to feel afraid of telling your friends how much you like the latest collections from Balmain, Jean Paul Gaultier or Hermès. haha! ENJOY!

my favorite Alexander Wang 2010 looks!

From Alexander Wang's Pre Fall 2010 Collection

From Alexander Wang Spring 2010 Ads

happy holidays!

I spent my Christmas at my parents' house so i apologize for the late holiday greeting. My friend Kukai, strongly believes that everyone had a bad 2009. Thinking of each person we know and it could really be true, that there's this force that went against everyone in 2009 of course including me. But you know having good people around you and having fabulous clothes, shoes, bags and accessories around you makes me say "it's not so bad after all". Thank you for a not-so-bad year and looking forward to waaaaayy better 2010!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Housewife Madonna for Dolce & Gabbana 2010

I have nothing against this ad, it's great but its screaming BOTOX!!!
(sorry mean me, again)

new on my Looklet

I haven't use Looklet for quite a while, but got a little bit bored tonight and put this two looks together.

Balenciaga? NO! It's MCQUEEN

Without reading the article the comes right after the picture i really thought it was Balenciaga. The zippers, maybe the buttons and even the straps, it gives me that balenciaga vibe but NO! it's Alexander McQeen's Biker Faithful Satchel.

Nevertheless, Balenciaga or Mcqueen, i'm lovin' this bag. When buying a bag, there are actually a lot of things that comes to mind before i consider buying one.

First, it has to be one of a kind, meaning not every girl i walk pass by is carrying it. Second, it has to be multi-purpose and durable! I like a bag that i can turn as a hand bag, shoulder bag, body bag but not too big and not too small for all my stuff! Third, if the material is good enough for it to last for a year or even more. And last but not the least, THE PRICE!!! Of course, if i can afford it! =)

This one falls under every category i mentioned expect for the last one! haha So i'll just dream and blog about it.

$9.99 SHOES SALE on GoJane.com!!!

Convert $9.99 USD to Philippine Peso and you get 461.13 PHP! Yes, it's tempting but look at the shoes on sale but don't be too happy about it because there's not much choices to choose from, well at least for me. Maybe you guys can find something you like here.

Click here to view the $9.99 GoJane.com Shoe Sale gallery

But then if asked to pick just one, I'd go for this black patent t-strap platform heel featuring a peep toe and stud trim at the front, heel height is 5 inches. Original price was $24.90.

GoJane is known for they're very fashionable yet affordable shoes but just a disclaimer, the quality is not really that good. I've ordered from them twice, well technically my aunt who's in the states ordered shoes for me. The first one i bought had a weak foundation as the heel goes inwards while i walk so i had to had repaired. The second one was a pair of sandals with coin pendants who fell of somewhere i don't know at the very first time i wore them. I had to find for a coin pendant with the similar size and color and glued it on my sandals. The third one is a pair of black suede shearling boots which i haven't worn yet but i wouldn't be surprised if there's anything wrong with it.

The prices but most of all the shoes themselves are very tempting but quality should be put into consideration also so after two strikes I'm already hesitant on ordering from Gojane again.

But i won't end this blog entry on a sad note nor depriving you all with shoegasm so here's some of my picks from GoJane's site.

Black peep-toe lace up platform bootie $22/ Leatherette brown woven design platform heel $26.80

Brown chain trim cutout heels $21.20/ Blue denim finish cross strap platform heels $25.80

Brown buckled strap bootie $19.50/ Black slouchy suede buckle ankle boot $18.60

B-A-N-G-L-E-S!!! (stacked bangles)

I found this photo of Nicole Richie in PopSugar during her House of Harlow launch. She looks amazing in her white fab white dress but her big bangles were a little bit distracting for me. The bangles are great but me thinks they're a little bit big for her small frame. She could have gone for the same size of bangles like those on her right arm. What do you think?

Well, at least she did not wear her entire collection of bangles like Jennifer Lopez here! haha

holiday fashion trend alert: SEQUINS

knew it! After seeing a number of celebs in their sparkling numbers on the red carpet, its a new trend for the holidays!

Maybe because Christmas is just around the corner, with all those glittery lights, decorations and gift wrappers, we are influenced to put something as sparkling as Christmas decorations on ourselves.

According to some of the fashion blogs and articles, SEQUINS ARE IN!


To be honest, i'm not a fan of these glittery things, for me they are somehow distracting or attract far too much attention. In terms of comfort, some may even find them 'itchy' to wear.

Sure i can go with a sequin blazer or a vest, maybe even a skirt but a colorful sequin dress is just not my thing.

From the above photo, i very much like Jessica Stroup's Amber Valetta for Monrow number and Lo Bosworth's Flower Sequin Top from Topshop. I've always been a fan of loose long tank tops or racerback tops to hide my not so flat stomach and expose my thin arms or maybe wear a blazer with it.

I surfed around the internet to look for sequin items and below are some of my favorites.

(CW: Lighting sequin dress, Wetseal sequin dresses in yellow and black, Bebe A-Line dress, Dorothy Perkings sequin tops in pink and purple)

(CW: Forever21 Sika ankle boot, Torrid.com's black sequin urban gladiator sandals, Forever 21 sequin wedges and Free People's sequin locomotive flat)

(CW: BCBGMAXAZRIA Sequin Blazer, Sequin Lapel Blazer, White sequin blazer, Leopard sequin mini skirt)

Georgina Chapman

"We all get seduced by trends, and sometimes even i succumb. But if you don't test the boundaries of taste, you don't learn."

- Georgina Chapman on Trend spotting InStyle Australia, December 2008

*For those of you who don't know her, she is the co-founder of fashion label Marchesa.

boyfriend bought me shoes! yiheeeee!!!

I feel like the luckiest girl on planet earth for having such wonderful, giving, thought, kind, blah blah boyfriend i may ran out of all the good adjectives here but it's true. I have the best boyfriend in the world.

Why?

Because, even though he may contest on the clothes i wear, saying "babe, ano 'yang suot mo?!" he lets me have my own style and he buys me the clothes, shoes and bags that i want! haha

He is number 1 and fashion is not far behind him on my list. (Our photo by the way was taken by a very talented good friend Cholo De La Vega, more pictures to come when i get the copies from him)

Anyway, since it was my birthday and we can't be together because he's in Sicily, he gave me a 'budget' to be able to buy a new pair of to-die-for shoes! What ever i want! I was suppose to buy a suede bootie from So Fab! but unfortunately they ran out of size 6.

Strange thing is, i didn't feel so bad about it, maybe because i got sore out waiting to buy it. Then i went inside SM Department Store to check out if they had any new shoes. And right there, in front of the shoe display at about 5:30 in the afternoon, i had shoegasm!

Now, will you just look at how fabulous these are? Only for 1,299PHP but since i used my BDO Debit Card i got it 5% off!

I said it before and i'll say it again, I LOVE SM Parisian shoes! I was able to meet the lady behind the consistent fashion forward shoes SM produced but unfortunately i didn't get to thank her because it was in the middle of a panel interview.

And of course, to l'unico ragazzo per me, amore mio!!! grazie mille tutti!!! ti amo tanto e mi manchi tanto! tanti tanti baci!

1st 'formal' fashion styling job

Late post but this is to acknowledge my first "formal" styling job, meaning i was really there to style not just spontaneously put clothes together or mix and match accessories.

My dear photographer roomie, Anna Manlapas made the photos for her portfolio. A friend from college, Carla Avancena did the makeup. Meg Michelena who is also a friend from college was the model.

The first theme was of 1920's. John (the boyfriend), bought me a dozen of clothes from Terranova because of an end of season sale in Sicily. He bought me this black Canotta satin top that is long enough to actually be worn as a mini tight fitting dress, i also have one in violet! I thought the it'll be perfect for the theme, making it slightly off her shoulders.

Anna bought a pair of velvet gloves, bedazzled headband and some feathers and it was my task to work with them.The second theme was more of hippie but ethereal, somewhat pale colors with a touch of hot pink and fuchsia. We didn't have any outfit for it so i pile together yards of tulles and chiffon cloths which turned out to be a nice messy, couldn't-care-less bubblegum long gown. The head band was also made of the fabrics, i cut long small pieces of them and braided them to create one think headband.

The outfits and the photos turn out great so i'm pretty happy with it. Maybe i should do this more often. =)

Elizabeth and James Spring 2010

Now is actually the time for all sorts of collection previews and sneak peaks from designers. Last week i found out about Elizabeth and James' Spring 2010 collection on FabSugar. I very much like the messiness, juxtaposition of the tops vs the bottoms or the prints yet staying simple and casual. You might remember the name from what Kirsten Stewart wore on the premiere of Twilight.

Here are some of the pictures that i like from the collection:

According to ViewFashion Magazine, the collection takes us to downtown New York in the eighties. It's a trendy scene that combines a casual style with luxury textiles, silks and leathers for delicate looks with a tough edge.

happy birthday to me!

Here's a picture of my very enticing Belgian Chocolate Bliss from Red Ribbon! I bought for my birthday. Boyfriend asked me to buy it for myself haha like what a friend told me, "birthday mo, bili mo!"

To get a little bit of air on my birthday i went to have lunch with a friend and afterwards went to the World Bazaar at the World Trade Center thinking i might find something fabulous to buy, but no! FAIL!!! TOTAL FAILURE!!!

The exhibition hall have booths of almost the same things! Most of them you can buy at a much lower price in divisoria but not to forget bazaar prices include the booth rental that's why its a little pricey.

Plus, there's an over-acting, feeling close, very loud celeb hanging on her booth. She practically said hi to everyone who passes by and she of course caused human traffic as people point their cellphones at her to take a video or picture. I did not see anyone buying her stuff! (mean me!)

Still, even if the bazaar for me was such a disappointment, i managed to find some nice accessories from Jean & Rosz.

business attire

I recently had an interview for a job i applied for. Though i'm not sure of the results yet I sure do hope i get a job quick as i am already in pulubi mode.

Anyway, for the past weeks, i have been fascinated with the wide leg trousers as they give such comfort and unique style. I liked them so much that i decided to wear one on the day of my interview.

The job i was applying for was in the fashion industry, of course i should show them fashion! But i didn't only get the attention of the people from the interview but almost all people i passed by did.

I wanted to give business attire some pimpin' aside from wearing a plain collared blouse, blazer and pencil skirt. I got a pair of light gray white leg trousers from the ukay, for 120php (its a little bit expensive since its on the new arrivals rack). I had a hard time trying to find the right top for it, i was thinking white crisp shirt then maybe an argyle cardigan over it but then i have to consider the Philippines being a tropical country. I found a white top from Plains and Prints, its got nice details especially at the back something like flaps on the back of a detective coat. I'll take a closer picture of it once i get it from the laudromat.

Anyway, to accessorize on my outfit i bought a 26.00php black bow tie from SM and wore a kind of dark gray plaid news boy hat.

wide leg trousers

My latest fixation! My order just arrived today and i loving it! It's very comfy not to mention breezy yet its very stylish!

Here are a few inspirations on how you can wear them:

Nicky Hilton

Paris should be getting tips from her sister!

Lady Gaga's Hansel & Gretel by Anne Leibovitz for US Vogue December 2009

I know i was MIA for more than a month, blame it to an extended vacation with the boyfriend plus looking for new employment. *sighs*

Anyway, let me make up for my absence by posting this fierce photos from Anne Leibovitz for US Vogue December 2009 issue this is of course starring Lady Gaga as the witch!

The photos are very well done and amazing concept! Aside from that, saw Gaga's new single Bad Romance last Friday! Fashion Forward as always! I think she's the first to wear those Alexander Mcqueen stilletos which by the way is 10 inches tall!