Nine New Fashion Catchphrases You Need To Know
As we've said before, sometimes hanging around fashion people or browsing fashion websites and forums can make you wonder if everyone involved is speaking in some strange alien language. Don't worry, only a small percentage of fashion professionals are actually from Neptune, and, more to the point, the words they're using are actually far easier to understand than you might think. Here's an updated list of fashion catchphrases to memorize and use next time you're surrounded by these extraterrestrial creatures.
Zoolander Effect: n. Shorthand for the pronounced tendency for members of fashion's elite to cross the lines of political correctness or common decency without even noticing.
Etymology: Coined, as far as we can tell, by a recent article on the Foreign Policy Magazine website, the "Zoolander Effect" has been used to describe media firestorms created by politically incorrect gestures by Rodarte, Vogue , Kenneth Cole, and many, many others.
Usage: "When the designer said she was channeling Muammar Gaddafi's personal style for her latest runway collection, we could tell she had succumbed to the Zoolander Effect."
Galliano-no: n. A slip-up resulting in a lapse of judgment or reasoning that can destroy an otherwise respected reputation.
Etymology: Bubbling up from the fashion blogs, think of this as a more extreme version of the "Zoolander Effect"—a sort of Black Swan theory of foot-in-mouth disease where a single moment poisons all that came before and after it relative to an individual's history.
Usage: "His tequila-fueled Galliano-no not only lost him his Creative Director job, it also cost him half his Facebook friends and his invitation to hang out with Prince."
Dreckitude: n. The manner or disposition of representing complete and utter dreck (dreck + attitude).
Etymology: Created by noted wordsmith André Leon Talley on that televised source of neologisms, ANTM, Dreckitude is sort of a state of being when every pose, styling cue, or decision one makes is just another warmed-over cliche that makes someone with taste (say, André Leon Talley) want to puke their guts out.
Usage: "She thinks she's the business, but look at those ripped tights, teased hair, and smudged raccoon eyes. Pure dreckitude."
Zoolander Effect: n. Shorthand for the pronounced tendency for members of fashion's elite to cross the lines of political correctness or common decency without even noticing. Etymology: Coined, as far as we can tell, by a recent article on the Foreign Policy Magazine website, the "Zoolander Effect" has been used to describe media firestorms created by politically incorrect gestures by Rodarte, Vogue , Kenneth Cole, and many, many others.
Usage: "When the designer said she was channeling Muammar Gaddafi's personal style for her latest runway collection, we could tell she had succumbed to the Zoolander Effect."
Galliano-no: n. A slip-up resulting in a lapse of judgment or reasoning that can destroy an otherwise respected reputation.Etymology: Bubbling up from the fashion blogs, think of this as a more extreme version of the "Zoolander Effect"—a sort of Black Swan theory of foot-in-mouth disease where a single moment poisons all that came before and after it relative to an individual's history.
Usage: "His tequila-fueled Galliano-no not only lost him his Creative Director job, it also cost him half his Facebook friends and his invitation to hang out with Prince."
Dreckitude: n. The manner or disposition of representing complete and utter dreck (dreck + attitude).Etymology: Created by noted wordsmith André Leon Talley on that televised source of neologisms, ANTM, Dreckitude is sort of a state of being when every pose, styling cue, or decision one makes is just another warmed-over cliche that makes someone with taste (say, André Leon Talley) want to puke their guts out.
Usage: "She thinks she's the business, but look at those ripped tights, teased hair, and smudged raccoon eyes. Pure dreckitude."
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