Fashion Lingo: On symbolic power of of fashion lingo

06/12/10

On symbolic power of of fashion lingo

Fashion lingo has a property of "written" garment

In his book The Fashion System (1983), Barthes focuses on descriptive texts of women's magazines. He argues that the language here has a property of "written garment"and assumes that the forms of fashion are trasformed in verbal forms. So, the headlines in fashion magazines play a role of written garments and describe the photographs in linguistic forms.

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Fashion quote

"Shakespeare managed to accurately describe the entire human condition using simple English, so we're certain the fashion industry can do the same to describe a pair of trousers"

"It's now easier to understand Sanskrit than some of the words commonly used by commentators within the fashion industry to describe garments."

(Debenhams spokeswoman Lizzie Singleton)

The lingua franca of the fashion world is „fashionese“ or „fashion speak“. Originally it was the language of the fashion pack - the designers, stylists, journalists and models,- made to keep the little people out.