How much do you know about Fashion?

For the fashionista of Saigon….

So you think you know fashion….buying all the latest items….keeping up with the trend…having vogue, elle as your fashion bible…most of us even go at length trying to mimic the style we always adore, seek for tailor and simply say I want this exact dress for my next event.

Maybe you are a fashionista…but have you paused for a second while reading that latest fashion bible and read some suggestion from the editorial team in an issue….advising you what to wear for the season? Remember drawing your eye near the clothes read the description line from the must have look. A dress….whatever colour it has a shape you like but do you remember what the industry called it?

Is it an empire waist line dress? What about a cinched belt? Or a dress with ruffled tulle detail? Say the fashion director and editor are both in love with flouncy gowns , and yes of course cotton gabardine looks are among the Brits favourite…after all it’s Burberry.

Take dresses for example….toga dress, shift dress, seersucker dress, bias-cut cotton dress, agate-print, floral brocade (among other distinguishable floral, which is which?, scalloped silk-georgette dress, cascade mini.  What is the difference then between a V-neck dress and a crepe dress where both necks are kinda ‘V shape’? How do you differentiate bustier dress, ruched mini, or strapless where all of them are ‘strapless’ and ‘tube like’…or a taffeta strapless dress?

It will get to the point too ‘tech’ and ‘nerdy’ to even care. I mean who cares? Just give someone the desired design, the tailor will figure it out. Or just try to have someone famous like Keira Knightly wear that white ‘toga dress’, just visualize it…and maybe with a bit of Google…it’s not a problem. Plus who cares about describing the damn thing….Sound a bit unfashionable. Yet I remember when I was working with Portmans and when a customer walked in wanting a dress she saw from another store that we don’t have…and of course at Portmans we have to order from different store to customer…as sales staff we cant say that we don’t know that dress….so she tries to describe it and you have no idea what the item is…could be tricky. My manager at the time had a good eye for fashion….and she remembers or maybe she’s just into that kind of thing…

The list can continue to an unbearable rate with full of unfamiliar words starting from cotton broderie anglaise, Daisy Duke cut-off, Passe’, Tapered short, Tasselled coat, Bermudas, Origami pleated…and more and more….Some what makes me feel illiterate.

Thank God for those fashion bible….those have done all the hard work of sum things all up and making it more approachable with the season’s IT items, and trends summary.  It helps….apart from that….just either pretend that you know about fashion to those who know ‘less’ than you, or just nod your head away.

And how do you call these greatness?

or something as simply shaped as this?