April 12, 2012

Most Overused Fashion Words


Ohhhh mmaahhh gaaahhh...
It seems like every time I go on fashion blogs these days,
you're pretty much guaranteed to see the following words:

---

1. "Chic"


This is has to be thee prized adjective
of the fashion industry/fashion bloggers.

E.g. "I can't believe how chic you look!"
"The epitome of chicness!"
"I love this dress because it's so chic."
"You put the chic in chic!"

(Editor's Note: "Chic" is very versatile--
hence, hackneyed--term.
It is often paired with various fashion styles.
E.g. Boho-chic, geek-chic, plumber-chic...ect.)

2. "Love"


"Ooohh...I LOVE LOVE LOOOVVEEE your clogs!!!"
"I am seriously in love with your style."
"I love this new kimono I bought from..."

Darling,
I realize how much you admire
this blogger/designer/style/clothing,
so please stop using the same verb repeatedly
and/or with some stupid pretentious adverb.
I got it the first time you used "love" by itself.
You're being repeatedly annoying.
I suggest you start employing another,
less-exhausted verb.

(Editor's Note: "Crushing on" is a similarly
lame form of saying "I love love love."
Conversion: 1 crush = 3 loves.)

3. "Stunning"


"Your skirt is absolutely stunning."
"I can't get over how stunning you look."

This, in essence, is a nice word.
It's got a great emphasis when uttered:
"...Stuuun-ning..."
But, as would eventually happen,
people start affixing it with everything.
Your shoes are stunning.
Your jacket is stunning.
Your nose is stunning.
Stunning is stunning.
I GET it.
Just say the whole thing is
stunning and get over yourself.

4. "Had To Have It/
Couldn't Resist"



"So I was browsing through Saks,
when I saw this drop-dead amazing
blouse and I knew I had to have it.
It was a bit pricey,
but it was totally worth it
because it's Marc Jacobs
and I just love it!"

Next week...

"I know I already spent most of my money
on that blouse from Saks,
but I just couldn't resist these
fabulous Miu Miu booties that
I first saw on the Fall 2011 show.
I fell in love with them immediately,
and even though I'm practically broke
and can't pay rent,
it doesn't matter
because I love these shoes sooo much!
I just had to have them, you know?"


'Nuff said.

5. "Fierce"


"Your style is so fierce!"
"Lookin' fierce, girl!"

Basically, if an outfit has any kind of
influence from the rock/punk/grunge culture,
or aspects such as leather, worn-out fabric,
severe/sharp silhouettes, dark colours;
you're most definitely going to see
someone associating "fierce" with it.

"Ooohh...ripped pants? So fierce!"
"Your vintage Beatles t-shirt is so fierce because it's rock-and-roll!"

(Editor's Note: the lesser-used term "smoldering" is
sometimes identified with this adjective.
Nonetheless, they both sound incredibly lame.)

6. "Favourite"


"This has to be my favourite blazer."
"Wearing my favourite Prada heels!"
"Think I found a new favourite accessory!"

SMH.
How many favourites can a person have?
Can you just, like, pick one??

Is your entire wardrobe is your favourite?
(if you do have other wardrobes =P)

(Editor's Note: fashion people also
tend to use the word "obsessed."
E.g. "Obsessed with Chanel.
Their entire collection this season
is my obsession.
Definitely my favourite so far.")

7. "Sartorial"


I probably loathe the SEVERE overuse of this word the most.
I feel like ever since Scott Schuman started the Sartorialist,
everyone who feels they know shiz about fashion
feels obligated to use it in every damn sentence.

E.g. "Sartorial elegance, sartorial conquest, sartorially speaking..."

Are you serious? Is it really necessary to say "sartorial" on a fashion blog?
What else could you possibly be talking about
that would make me question if you're really talking about fashion?
So please don't start whipping out "sartorial" all the time
just so people can admire how "cultured" your diction is
by your use of ambiguous $5 words.
(I'm talking to you, WhoWhatWear, the biggest exploiter of this term.)


-- BONUS PHRASES --

1. Must have (Example: Leather is a must have this fall.)
2. It's all about (Example: This season, it's all about embellishment.)
3. I'm loving (Example: I'm loving ice blue.)
4. Of the moment (Example: Embellishment is so of the moment.)
5. It screams (Example: Pink just screams 1999.)
6. Beyond fashion (Example: Jackie O's style was just beyond fashion.)
7. ________ is the new black. (Example: White is the new black).
8. ________ is important this season. (Example: Cashmere is important this season.)


---

Now that I spilled the beans,
I'm not gonna lie,
I'm guilty of using these words to.
Sometimes, they just work
for what you're saying.

But, people...
seriously...
let's not overdo it.
You're killing such nice words.
And you just sound stupid
with your obvious lack
of extensive vocabulary.

Sartorially just saying,
Leira.

(P.S. Sorry if this post offended any of you.
It wasn't intended to be mean;
it's more like a "friendly satire"
to expose the silliness of the
fashion/blog industry
I divulge myself in.
I was partially making fun of myself, anyway.
So OMG, don't be such sourpusses!
You're all still my favourite readers!)

Now tell me...
What are other annoying, excessively-used, and pretentious fashion words?

(Lol at 1:57-2:06)

I'm so ironic,
aren't I?

(Source: Glamour.comChicmuse.com, Buzznet.com, Glamour Italia April 2012, Teen Vogue March 2012, Vogue Paris April 2012, Burberry Spring/Summer 2012 ad campaign, The Sartorialist)

9 comments:

  1. I have to admit, I cringe when I read comments that say things like "omg omg omg mint is so hot right now you look so chic omg" but I mean, some of them are necessary when talking about fashion. For example "love". I'm not sure how else to say I really enjoy a piece of clothing. Sure, I'm not exactly for the overuse of the word (one per sentence is more than enough) but how many other ways can you let your audience know "i love this jacket"? Hmm... "I adore this jacket", "I go gaga for this jacket", "I would have babies with this jacket"... to me, only the last one is acceptable, just because it's worth a laugh.

    I don't know, sometimes when people try to be creative with words to try to avoid "the dreaded fashion terminology", they float into cheesy-zone... when sometimes isn't it better to just say what you mean?

    Ooh, sorry that was kind of a rant. Thanks for the article :)

    China Lily

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting.

      And I agree. There is nothing WRONG with saying you love something. I suppose the reason why it comes off as so annoying is because "love" is such an empty word by itself when you're talking about fashion. Tell me why you love something; don't just say "omg omg I love it." That sounds stupid. I think that's why people feel that they need to insert some really flourished word because it makes their comment to look "better."

      Basically, what I'm trying to say is that rather than posting comments like "omg omg I love it" or "I am insanely enamored by your look", just be simple and honest. There is NOTHING WRONG with just saying, "I like what you're wearing because...this and this."

      Comments don't have to be fancy. They don't have to be a bunch of meaningless blabber, either.

      Delete
    2. Exactly, fashion people! Just say what you want to say!

      Delete
  2. I am ashamedly guilty of using a good portion of these.
    Except sartorial - because I honestly want to murder people who use that phrase.

    I LOVE (heh heh) The Man Repeller's blog - because, well, I'm a hopeless groupie - but can't stand her repeated use of the word. I think she thinks the way in which she uses it is ironic in some sense...but I think it sounds lame.

    In your next post you should offer us some good suggestions for how to express our enthusiasm for a certain piece/outfit. I typically describe WHY I like it - what exactly about it appeals to me.

    But sometimes, man, I just LOVE something because, well...I love it.

    -Gabrielle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Gabrielle...

      Here's a comment I found on another article:
      "...don’t snow every single fashion blog with pointless, redundant, non-contributory comments like “nice dress” or “love your blog” and include your blog link hoping for some traffic."

      I HATE that. It's honestly disgusting when people try to post as many comments on as many blogs as possible just so they can advertise their own blog. When you comment on someone's post, it's for THEIR BLOG, not for you.

      If you DO get traffic from commenting on a certain blog, well then good for you. But don't make it obvious that the only reason you're even at someone's blog is just to advertise your own. That's sneaky and rude.

      So I guess what I'm trying to say is NOT to set up guidelines/suggestions regarding posting comments...but just to encourage people to not post meaningless comments.

      I don't know about you, but I love receiving comments that contribute something meaningful and relevant. I love having conversations that are significant for both the blogger and the reader in which we both benefit from my blog/post. There needs to be INTERACTION; quality rather than quantity; to engage with the reader.

      That's all there is to it really...and even listing the REASON why you like a blog/post/outfit is fine with me. It shows that the reader isn't some airhead only trying to get more traffic and followers. They might even be INSPIRED by me, which is what I want to contribute to people.

      So in the end, it's honestly not very difficult to post meaningful comments. I therefore find it very unfortunate how the blogging industry has become so banal and vacuous these days...

      Delete
  3. thank you for your comment :) and great post haha! xx

    http://itscocovintage.blogspot.pt/

    ReplyDelete
  4. ha ha ha guilty. sometimes it´s hard to express yourself if english isn´t your first language. i didn´t even know what sartorial meant. do you speak another language besides english? trust me it´s not that easy. i´m so in love with your chic stunning fierce satorial blog ;- ). you hate when people leave comments to advertise their own blog but you do the same. that´s how i found you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, yes, but that's where the meaningful and substantial content comes form. I honestly don't give a damn if people advertise their blog or not. Advertising one's blog IN ITSELF is NOT what annoys me. The thing that REALLY PISSES ME OFF is when ALL people do to comment is "OMG OMG I LOVE YOUR BLOG ______ [INSERT BLOG URL HERE]." That is RUDE and TRASHY.

      So, yes, I do advertise my blog. There's no denying in hell that I do. But I DO actually make the effort to comment something SUBSTANTIAL and MEANINGFUL; to let the blogger know that I found their post purposeful to me. Instead of blabbering stupid pretensions crap like "OMG OMG I LOVE YOUR OUTFIT. FOLLOW ME?" That's bullshit.

      Again, I'm not against advertising, but I absolutely loathe the way bloggers these days are doing it.

      Anyways, thanks for the meaningful comment that delivers conversation.

      (P.S. Oh, and if English isn't your first language, hey, I'm not blaming you or anything. Actually, it's the people who DO speak English and yet write crappy comments that I find lame.)

      Delete
  5. i so agree with the overuse of "sartorial." it's been making me want to kill myself the first time i saw it used--to describe alexa chung, of course. it's just such a hipster, i'm-cooler-than-you bullshit word and I TOTALLY AGREE that whowhatwear is a huge abuser. i was thinking of writing them to tell them to tone it down.

    ReplyDelete

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