VI. Read the text. Memorize the words in bold.

Fashion Fan or Fashion Slave?

Every year London Fashion Week attracts retailers, fashion leaders, and the press to shows of all that's new in British fashion. Outrageous designs, original fabrics, and beautiful slim models are displayed on the catwalk in an atmosphere of extravagant elegance. However, how much of this gets translated into street fashion, appearing in high street shops? And how many of us actually follow the trends we see?

We all need to be comfortable with what we wear. After all, first impressions count, and we want our appearance to be consistent with the image we would like to project. How can we do this without becoming a fashion slave? We are bombarded with magazines that show us the new fashions for each season, and where we can buy trendy clothes for reasonable prices. The distinction between what we see on the catwalk and what's on display in the high street is becoming increasingly blurred.

Our bodies all come in different shapes and sizes, so to avoid stares and sniggers in the street we should develop our own shopping strategy. Lisa Armstrong, fashion writer for The Times newspaper, has questioned the motives of some designers, suggesting they seem out to get women, or at least make them look foolish. So could the habit of showing female models part -naked, or in poses suggesting bondage, betray an element of misogyny in the industry? And are fashion shows a cynical ploy to get the media in a froth or a valuable marketing tool for an important industry?

GLOSSARY
retailers : people who sell things

fashion leaders: the best known and most successful designers

designs: the design of something is the way it will look when it is finished: here, the clothes seen on the catwalk will be different when they are finally sold

fabrics: types of cloth

catwalk: the raised narrow platform models walk along to display clothes

extravagant: extreme and impressive but not practical or cheap

translated into street fashion: is actually sold in a similar form in shops

first impressions count: the first thing we think about someone is very important

Image....project: if you project an image of yourself as, for example, confident you give people a general impression of confidence

bombarded: if you are bombarded with magazines you keep seeing them

trendy: very fashionable

blurred: if the distinction between two things gets blurred, it becomes harder to tell the difference between them

stares and sniggers: rude looks and unpleasant laughs

out to get women: determined to cause them harm, for instance by embarrassing them

bondage: tying someone up, possibly to give or receive sexual pleasure

misogyny: hating women

cynical ploy: a self serving way of getting an advantage over someone

in a froth: talking excitedly but saying nothing serious

marketing tool: a way of promoting something

(from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/081118_what_to_wear.shtml)

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1315