Donatella Says We've All Been Pronouncing Versace Wrong

Fashion words are notoriously difficult to pronounce, and unless you hear the names of certain luxury labels spoken, rather than just written down, it's easy to slip up in conversation. Hermès, Miu Miu, Balmain, even Zara — they all sound different than they might look.

So, we're glad to have been schooled by Donatella Versace, because it turns out that much of the world has been pronouncing her last name incorrectly all along. During an episode of Vogue's famous "73 Questions" series, which takes place at her Milan apartment (which was previously owned by her late brother Gianni), she was asked which Italian word she wished English speakers would stop saying incorrectly.

Her answer? "Versace." The correct way to say it is not "Versach-ee", as you may have thought, but "Versach-eh" — and her pronunciation does, indeed, sound far more elegant. (You can listen to her say it in the video below).

When asked which fashion trend she hopes will never return, unsurprisingly, Versace opted for "minimalism." (One look at her last collection for the house and you'll see why.) She also chose heels over flats (naturally), leather over lace, gold over silver, and, perhaps most shockingly, New York over Milan. Oh, and her favorite thing about fashion? "That it's always evolving."

She divulged that if she could have coffee with anyone in the world it would be Michelle Obama, while Barack would be her ultimate dinner date (How long until someone makes that happen?); that if she wasn't running Versace she'd "be having a nervous breakdown, probably;" and that she'd still love to "learn Chinese."

Versace opened up about this year's Met Gala, too, which she believes will be "the best [one] ever" (because she's in charge), and offered up some wise words on what it means to be a woman in 2018: “It means to be aware of what’s happening in the world and [doing] something about it.”