Ten Phrases Every Fashion Career Hopeful Should Know

by Kristin Marino
Fashion School Review Columnist

September 12, 2005

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Most fashion industry jobs are just as great as you've imagined. If you are leaning toward a fashion career, here are ten fashion phrases you should know.

Fashion course: Take at least one, preferably as many as you can. You'll learn a ton.
Pret-a-porter: Ready to wear. Fashion design for the masses.
Little Black Dress: Every collection, no matter what the season or the designer, should have a version of the little black dress. This is a fashion staple.
Haute Couture: French for "high sewing." Custom fit, made to order clothing. Opposite of prÃƒÂªt-a-porter.
Fashion Forecasting: Forget about what's hot "right now." To be successful in fashion industry jobs, you need to be able to determine what's hot next week, month, and year.
Must Have: The piece than any fashionista worth her weight in Jimmy Choos will be wearing. Also "It's all about," and "of the moment."
Passe: No longer in style. Opposite of must have. Similar words include "done," and "over."
Outre: A fashion that is overdone. Too much of a good, or very bad, thing.
Tres Chic: The epitome of high style. Many fashion designers believe either you are, or you aren't tres chic. There's no use forcing it.
Old School: Also vintage, classic, or retro. If you are fortunate enough to grab one of the fashion industry jobs, just remember: Everything old is new again, especially in fashion.

Of course, this barely scratches the surface. There are fashion courses devoted to fashion jargon, where you can learn how to apply the hundreds of fashions and phrases used in the fashion industry jobs today. If you're leaning toward fashion education, campus programs are vintage and online degree programs are tres chic.

About the Author
Kristin Marino is obsessed with haute couture, even though she lives in Reno, Nevada, where you can't even get Gucci or Louis Vuitton, let alone Jimmy Choo. She has a Bachelor of Art in English Composition from the University of Nevada.

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