Apparel News Puts Moratorium on Hackneyed Fashion Terms
Chic No More: Executive Editor Alison Nieder (left), Connie Cho (center) and Deborah Belgum are tired of worn-out words.
After66 years of reporting on the business of fashion, California Apparel News hascalled on a moratorium on over-used fashion terms.
“Itjust makes sense. So many of these words have lost their meaning; they’ve beenused so much. Take ’chic,’ for example. Chic, chic, chic, chic, chic. Jeans arechic, hipsters are chic, gowns are chic, tops are chic, organza and burlap are chic. So it begs thequestion: What exactly is chic? If everything is chic, then nothing is chic,”said Alison A. Nieder, executive editor. “We’re just not going to do it anymore.Don’t even get me started on ’fashion-forward.’”
Starting with the April 2 issue, Apparel News will nolonger use the following terms and descriptions: chic, skort, pretty, bedazzled,fashion-forward, vintage-inspired, lingerie, unisex, ruffle, jegging, workwear,boyfriend, stripes, new, classic, modern, sandal, blue, fashion, style, crochet,knit, woven, stretchy, contemporary, designer, leather, faux fur,tattoo-inspired, sleeve, cute, accessory, military, plaid, hemline, black andbohemian.
“It’sgoing to take some getting used to, but we think our readers will appreciate ourno-nonsense approach. If a skirt is brown and long and has pockets, then that’swhat we’ll write. No more of this “modern take on a vintage-inspired militaryclassic” business,” said ErinBarajas, manufacturing editor. “We’re a serious paper, and we’lluse serious words.”
