Put Your Fashion Vocabulary to the Test

Every once in a while I come across a copy of Readers Digest; I know, sadly, hardly anyone reads this publication anymore... and I do enjoy the nostalgia of reading an article or two, the ‘quotable quotes’, humour etc. I guess, somewhere along the way, Readers Digest got inevitably replaced by more glamourous magazines or online publications. So, I was pleasantly surprised when in a recent issue, my all-time-favourite section - Word Power was on the subject of words from the fashion business. Very cool I thought... so I tested my Fashion Word Power and thought you might like to check out yours...

You know how clothing designers have their own vocabulary sort of like studio talk or catwalk lingo. And this special language, just like their designs, can trend for a while and die out or endure seasons as fashions come and go. So, test your own sartorial savvy with Rachel Lebowitz’ Word Power, excerpts of which I have taken the liberty to bring into this blog...

1.Brothel Creepers

1. pants with floral designs   
   
2. double soled shoes
3. push-up bra

2. Bespoke

1. made to order
2. salesperson patter
3. industry buzz

3. Trunk Show

1. collection displayed in front of a select group
2. fashion flea market
3. major designer summit

4. Covert Couture

1. high-end fashion made to look discreet
2. custom made lingerie
3. copycat designs

5. Cognoscenti

1. perfume
2. trademark style
3. experts

6. Peplum

1. seam ripper
2. ribbon lace
3. flared ruffle

7. Frow

1. hairstyle with distinctive bangs
2. front row
3. armhole in the bodice of a garment

8. Ferosh

1. small embroidery motif
2. short for ferocious
3. fresh

This is not the whole of the quiz, only a small selection. I got only a score of very good versus excellent. Answers are below for you to cross check how many you managed to get right..

Answers: 

1. (b) Brothel Creepers are double-soled shoes made popular stars like Rihanna
2. (a) Bespoke is made-to-order
3. (a) A Trunk Show is a collection displayed in front of a select group
4. (a) Covert Couture is high-end fashion made to look discreet for the wealthy 
5. (c) Cognoscenti are the experts
6. (c) Peplum is a type of flared ruffle made popular by Armani and Vera Wang
7. (b) Frow is front row
8. (b) Ferosh is short for ferocious and was first uttered on Style TVs show Project Runway before it became the business buzzword in fashion circles

By the way Readers Digest App is available for the die-hard fans of the publication

Stay fashion smart...