Style-Delights: How Do You Pronounce Yves Saint Laurent?

January 31, 2012

How Do You Pronounce Yves Saint Laurent?

I have a secret to share - On a boring day, I watched the movie Showgirls on TV! There, I said it! I usually have high standards for my entertainment, but it was the time when I was not a mom, and had a lot of free time on my hands! (Needless to say, that day I wasted the 'free' time!) The only thing I remember form that movie is when the wannabe showgirl says 'she got a ver-sayce dress'! That scene reminds me of countless number of times when people butcher the designer names. And I have to admit, growing up in a non-fashionable city in India, I didn't know the correct pronounciations of the many of the big (French sounding) brands! I overcame my ignorance by seraching/reading/talking to people who know stuff! I thought it would be nice to share the correct pronunciation of  some of the renowned brands that are frequently mispronounced! 


Yves Saint Laurent - Eve Sane Laurennnn{t} (The 'T' in both saint and laurent is barely audible)
Christian Louboutin - Kris-ti-an Lu-bu-tahn or taa{ng} (with the sound of 'n' fading off in the end)
Louis Vuitton - Louie- Vwee-To{ng} (again, with the sound of 'n' fading off in the end)
Versace - Ver-sa-chee
Hermes - Er-mez
Givenchy - Jee-von-shee
Moschino - Mos-key-no
Proenza Schouler - Pro-en-zuh Skool-er 
Jaeger - Yay-guhr 
Marchesa - Mar-kay-sah 
Christian Lacroix - Kris-ti-yaan Luh-qua
Jean Paul Gaultier - Zhon Paul Go-tee-ay


Tell me if you have been butchering any of the brand names?? (Do not feel bad- these names are more fun when pronounced as they are spelled!)

36 comments :

  1. This is a great post and very much needed. I work for a high end e-commerce site so I'm around these brands daily and it's so frustrating to hear the mispronunciation of some of these brand's names. Fabulous job and great post!

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  2. This is such a great post! LOL! I think I have been butchering Moschino for a while now! Haha!

    xx
    Pip
    http://chicstayathome.blogspot.com
    http://lucianobybethaddis.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Pip! I am guilty of doing some butchering from time to time! LOL!

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  3. haha.. I used to butcher a lot of names before I actually heard people say it out loud and then corrected myself. I actually used to say 'Wives' for 'Yves' and 'give-en-chee' for 'Givenchy'.
    Its sounds so funny when I say it that way now.. But when you grow up in a totally non-fashion related world you end up with all sorts of crazy pronunciations!

    ♥ www.thegirlatfirstavenue.com

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    1. Thanks for visiting! Yes, we all learn as we grow:-)

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  4. LOL..."ver-sayce"...classy with a "K"!

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  5. This is such a thoughtful post:)

    http://eccentricconnoisseur.blogspot.in/

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting and taking time out for the comment! Hope to see you soon!

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  6. I haven't seen that movie in a long time. When I was going to fashion school I knew I had to know how to pronounce designer names. It's a good thing for google and find websites where you can in put names and it tells you how to say it.

    Jackie

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    1. Oh yes, hooray for google! But its funny that even there, you can get contradiction info!
      Thanks for visiting, hope to see you back soon!

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  7. Okay, I must admit I have butchered most of these...thanks for the class lesson today! ;) Wow, I feel so much smarter now! hee-hee!

    Because Shanna Said So Giveaway

    xo,
    Shanna

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    1. LOL Shanna!! yes, some things are worth knowing..;-)

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  8. I think all of us have been there when we were just learning about all these phenomenal brands and pronouncing them in proper English :) :) and then most of us googled our ways to the pronunciations :) :)

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  9. LOL, by now I pretty much know all of the pronunciations but you are right it's fun to say them as spelled sometimes! - Samar

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    1. Yes, in my mind, I still mispronounce sometimes!!:-)

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    1. Thanks Brookelyn! Hope you are having a great week!

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  11. I loved sounding them out! I was always confused on Moschino >_<

    xo Stephanie
    honey & silk blog
    lookbook
    follow on twitter

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  12. I guess if you watch enough E! TV you eventually catch on to the right pronunciation. I am quite sure I have butchered them all at some point in my teenage!

    ♡ from © tanvii.com

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    1. Ha ha ha Tanvi! E! was my intro to American pop culture back in the day when I was FOB!!!

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  13. LOL! When I was a kid I thought YSL was St. Ive's...I quickly grew up and realized booyyyy was I wrong...

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  14. Ha Ha! I surely did butcher some. This was really useful. btw visiting for the first time and I am already hooked up. You have a lovely blog!

    Shruti
    Mysugarlesstyle.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much Shruti! Hope to see you back soon!

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  15. This is a really good post! However, I have 1 correction: Jean Paul Gaulthier is actually pronounced "Jawn Paul Goll-tee-eh". Jean is like...kind of a silent N at the end? It's a silent N like in Laurent, Jean and Laurent rhyme in this case. For Gaulthier, imagine... the first syllable rhyming with "roll", the 2nd syllable, "tee", being like t in t-shirt, and "eh" being like... you know the movie "Dil Bole Hadippa", with Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee? The "eh" sound at the end of Gaulthier is like the sound of "eh" in "Bole".
    Does that make any sense? Maybe a video would help...hmm...
    Great post! :) I just discovered your blog through IFB, I love your style!
    - Laura S

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  16. Such a nice post - Names can be confusing! Thanks for the help :D

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  17. Ooh... I dont buy all these high end luxury brands.. and yes.. I have been battering these names :P but Thanks for throwing some much needed light :)

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  18. That was Fun post indeed...Non-fashion background may be the reason for me :)

    ♡ StylishByNature.com

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  19. thats like enlightening me! :p
    naice! thanks for sharing! :)

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  20. I butchered the hell outta Ives Saint Laurent lmao. I had no chance until stumbling on your blog. Good work

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  21. oh my god. i think i have more than butchered these names. feels hilarious now :P :P

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  22. Thanks. Actually my sister gifted saint laurent perfume from newzeland for mydad n being a fashion illeterate myself sometimes purnounce names wrong.
    I heard on youtube also but barely understood anything but your post was good n thanks

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