Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 4, 1990                   TAG: 9007040348
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: EX5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LEIGH BROWN COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BEFORE YOU BUY IT, KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT

But perhaps you still get a bit flustered at the designer label rack. It's not the price tag that gets you; it's those continental names.

Haven't you caught yourself mumbling about that rose-tinted pantsuit by Romeo Gig, um, Jig, um, that glorious pink outfit over there? Well, now you can be armed and dangerously pretentious. Here it is: the shopper's pronunciation guide to couture.

\ KRIZIA - (krits' ee uh). Never, ever say KriZEEah. That makes the salesgirl venomous. This "z" is no American "z"; it's sounded out like "knits," for which Krizia is worshipped.

\ HERMES - (er mez'). This name comes from that Greek god (known as Mercury in Rome) who was the bearer of news. That "h" is silent. Also, it's not pronounced like Herman; the accent is uttered ever so liltingly over the second "e". This could take some practice before you actually try it out in conversation or at the boutique.

\ LANVIN - (lon' van). You must have eaten coq au vin at some time. Same pronunciation here. Vin is van. Lan is lon. Simple. Now you don't have to be a chicken about mentioning the fashionable topic of Claude Montana's debut as couturier for Lanvin, unless, of course, you aren't sure how to pronounce couturier (koo tu ree ay').

\ UNGARO - (un gar' o). There seem to be only two ways to say this wrong, but there have been unimaginable manglings of what seem to be the most simple of names. So here is the correct way - UnGARo, not UngarO nor UnGAREo.

\ GIANNI VERSACE - (johnny ver sah' chee). It's spelled a bit differently, but this is the Italian version of Johnny. Don't, heaven forbid, say his last name Versace, like mace (which is, after all, how it looks). That's almost poisonous Americanization. Say it like bocci. That's Italianized bowling.

\ LOEWE - (lo' vay). This house is big in Madrid. Pronounce it like the phrase "no way," but give the "w" a "v" treatment. These consonants can get wery veird.

\ CHARLES JOURDAN - (charles zhor dhan'). Lest you say Jordan, as in Air Michael, I must warn you that you have to make yourself sound French when you speak of these shoes, with lots of air in your vowels. You would be pushing proper pretension too far, however, if you say "Shawls" instead of plain old Charles.

\ BYBLOS - (beeb' los). It looks simple enough, but do not say "by;" say "bee."

\ CHRISTIAN LACROIX - (kris' tee on lwa kwa'). To say this one correctly, you have no choice but to sound pretentious. And there's nothing worse than sounding pretentious when you're not even trying. Americans sound silly saying Christian Lacroix, I'm sorry to say. Better than making those guttural and trilling noises, just point at that hangered lime-and-navy ensemble and head toward the dressing room, without uttering a single mispronounced word. Better to look silly than to sound it.

\ ROMEO GIGLI - (ro may' oh zjee' lee). Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou phonetics guide? If you are tempted to say jig or gig or geeg or jeeg, please stop yourself. Think, "Gee, Leigh said it was something else. I know now. It's RoMAYoh ZJEElee. Gee, Leigh comes in handy."