Fashion
Top Fashion Cities of 2008 Named in Annual Survey
Austin, Texas. July 15, 2008. MetaNewsWire. The Top Fashion Cities of 2007 have been named by the Global Language Monitor (www.LanguageMonitor.com) in its annual global survey. Topping the list for 2008 are New York, Rome, Paris, Milan, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Las Vegas, Berlin and Tokyo. Madrid (No. 15), Stockholm (No. 20), Cape Town (No. 23) and New Delhi (No. 24) broke into the Top 25. Falling off the list were Sao Paolo and Bangkok.
Other notable movement included Sydney moving up five spots to No.7 and Dubai jumping up twelve spots to No.12.
View the Reuters Fashion Capitals Slide Show and Story
“Our yearly rankings clearly reinforce recent trends: the Big Five (New York, Rome, Paris, Milan, and London), far and away dominate the world of fashion, especially in the eyes of the print and electronic media, as well as on the internet. At the same time, the second tier of the cities in the world fashion rankings are coming on strong,” said Millie Lorenzo Payack, Fashion Correspondent and Director of the Global Language Monitor. “And, by the way, money spent on media outreach can, indeed, make a difference; witness Dubai.” The world ‘rag’ business is estimated to be close to one half trillion USD. Regional rankings are provided below.
The View from Italia
This exclusive ranking is based upon GLM’s Predictive Quantities Index, a proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the blogosphere. The words and phrases are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets.
The Top Fashion Cities, 2008 ranking, last year’s rank, and commentary follow.
- New York (1) - No. 1 for the fifth year running.
- Rome (2) - The Eternal City, again, a strong No. 2.
- Paris (3) - Perhaps No. 1 in the world’s hearts and mind - but not the media’s.
- Milan (5) - Overtakes London in this survey.
- London (4) - The Elite Five far outdistance the rest.
- Los Angeles (6) - LA knocks on the door of the Elite Five.
- Sydney (12) - Sydney makes a huge move, breaking into the Top 10.
- Las Vegas (9) - The intense media spotlight improves Vegas’ ranking.
- Berlin (11) - Berlin continues its very strong presence.
- Tokyo (6) - Tokyo remains the capital of the Asian Fashion Industry.
- Hong Kong (8) - Threatening to move ahead of Tokyo.
- Dubai (24) - Massive marketing fueled by petrodollars can make an impact.
- Shanghai (14) - Vies with Hong Kong for the lead in China.
- Singapore (10) - Significant fashion infrastructure keeps its ranking strong.
- Madrid (New) - Reasserts the Iberian fashion lead over Barcelona.
- Moscow (16) - Firmly ensconces itself in the Top Twenty.
- Santiago (19) - Leads Latin America.
- Melbourne (15) - Take a second seat to a high-flying Sydney.
- Stockholm (New) - First Scandinavian on the list.
- Buenos Aires (22) - Traditional leader in fashion continues to move up the rankings.
- Johannesburg (23) - Joburg improves two spots.
- Mumbai (18) - Mumbai again leads the Subcontinent.
- Cape Town (New) - Joburg’s rival is new to the list.
- New Delhi (New) - New Delhi makes the List, but still is outpaced by Bollywood.
- Barcelona (13) - Still in the Top Twenty-five though Madrid has strong lead.
- Miami (New) - Makes the list on its leadership in swimwear.
- Krakow (25) - Shares the neo-Bohemian spotlight with Prague.
- Prague (New) - No neo about this rising center of fashion.
- Toronto (New) — First Canadian city on the list; Montreal just missed the rankings.
- Rio de Janeiro (20) - Strong Latin American No. 3 outpacing Sao Paolo.
Others in the rankings included Copenhagen, Montreal, Sao Paolo, and Bangkok
Regional Rankings:
Asia and Oceania: Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Melbourne (Bangkok)
Europe: Rome, Paris, Milano, London, Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm, Barcelona (Copenhagen)
India: Mumbai, New Delhi
Latin America: Santiago, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro (Sao Paolo)
Middle and Eastern Europe: Moscow, Krakow, Prague
Middle East and Africa: Dubai, Johannesburg, Cape Town
North America: New York, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, Toronto (Montreal)
Top 25 Fashion Capitals of 2007 Named:
Former backwaters emerge on global scene
To See the Video Click Here
San Diego. August 1, 2007. (Updated) The Top Fashion Cities of 2007 have been named by the Global Language Monitor in its annual global survey. Topping the list for 2007 are New York, Rome, Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Singapore. Breaking into the Top 25 were Berlin (No. 11), Shanghai (No, 14), Moscow (No. 16) and Dubai (No. 24). Other notable rankings included Shanghai at No. 14, Sydney and Melbourne at Nos. 12 and 15 respectively, and the Fashion Quartet of South America: Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Palo, and Buenos Aires. No. 25 was Krakow making the ranking apparently because of it emerging status as center of neo-Bohemian influence.
New York replaced Paris as the Fashion Capital of the world four years ago.
“The ranking is surprising in a number of ways, most of which relate to the changing nature of the Global Fashion Industry, said Millie Lorenzo Payack, Fashion Correspondent and Director of the Global Language Monitor. “Cities that recently would have been considered fashion backwaters – or worse, are now emerging as significant regional hubs.” This exclusive ranking is based upon GLM’s Predictive Quantities Index, a proprietary algorithm, that tracks words and phrases in the print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the blogosphere. The words and phrases are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets.
Ranking and Commentary
1. New York — Far and away No.1 by every index
2. Rome — Beats out Paris, London and Milan
3. Paris — Heartbeat of the fashion world
4. London — Pulsing with creative energy
5. Milan — Perennial contender for No. 1
6. Tokyo — Gaining global influence
7. Los Angeles — Will Posh Spice impact Ranking?
8. Hong Kong — No. 1 in South Asia
9. Las Vegas — Emerging as vibrant fashion center
10. Singapore — Strong regional hub
11. Berlin — Big fashion push & its working
12. Sydney — OZ scores two in the Top 20
13. Barcelona — Regional center grows in stature
14. Shanghai — China breaks into the Big Time
15. Melbourne — Ranks a smidgen behind Sydney
16. Moscow — Lenin would not be amused
17. Bangkok — Realizing its dream
18. Mumbai — Indian fashion influences globe
19. Santiago — Major strides for a proud nation
20. Rio de Janeiro — More than Carnivale and Ipanema
21. Sao Paolo — Money and fashion DO mix
22. Buenos Aires — Seat of Classic Beauty returns
23. Johannesburg — A first for Africa
24. Dubai Dubai? — Yes, Dubai
25. Krakow — Neo-Bohemia thrives
The ‘Skirt With No Name’ Challenges Linguists — and the Fashion Elite
– Gypsy, Tiered, Flouncy, Bouncy, or Boho?
San Diego, Calif. August 6, 2005. The ‘Skirt With No Name’ has become a linguistic wonder since, unlike most mass-merchandized products with apparent global appeal — it has no name, or rather none generally accepted by the consumers, who have come up with a plethora of names to describe it. “It’s as if Motorola has introduced a new model of its popular ‘Moto’ phones or Toyota a new Lexus sedan only to have the consumer ignore the names bestowed upon them by their respective marketers and insist upon using their own particular favorite,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and the WordMan for the Global Language Monitor.
Preliminary analysis using the Global Language Monitors proprietary Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI), have come up with the top names used to describe the apparel. Using this analysis, ‘tiered’ seems to have settled in as the most popular description followed by ‘peasant’, ‘gypsy,’ and ‘flouncy’. The PQI tracks specified words and phrases in the global print and electronic media and on the Internet. The words and phrases are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance.
Apparently the skirt is selling well around the globe. It has been suggested that the skirt originated in Mexico, was inspired by the burgeoning Bollywood studios, is a throwback to California ’60s Hippie Culture, or the sudden ‘coolness’ of all things Gypsy.
“There has been a global groundswell of demand for The Nameless Skirt, after having been by-passed on the runways of Milano, Paris and New York,” said Millie Lorenzo Payack, Director and Fashion Correspondent of The Global Language Monitor, “And the fact that the ‘tiered skirt’ comes in such an unusually large number of variations that might be worn to work, dinner or dancing seems to account for the wide variation of names accorded the product”.
The complete list of names, and commentary, associated with the skirt follow.
1. Tiered — Though it’s not always tiered only adds to the confusion surrounding the name.
2. Peasant (sometimes Pioneer) — Throwback to California ’60s Hippie Culture.
3. Gypsy — A tribute to the current popularity of All Things Gypsy.
4. Flouncy — A favorite of teenage girls who favor the short, circle cut (from ‘flounce’ meaning fringe, frill, trim, edging, and furbelow).
5. Boho — The ‘Oh so cool’ description (from Bohemian).
6. Crinkled — Actually meaning ‘crinkle’ as in ‘wrinkle’.
7. Voile — Many ‘high-end’ shops favor the French mystique.
8. Gauze — A thin or transparent fabric with a loose, open weave.
9. Bollywood — As in ‘Hollywood,’ the Mumbai-based film industry in India.
10. Indian — As in Bollywood, though some associate with a Native American influence.
Read: The Gypsy Boho Phenomenon (UK)
Oh So! au courant Fashion Buzzwords
- Boho
- Bollywood
- Fashionista
- Juicy
- Confection
- The New Black
- Artisanal
- Fashion faux paux
- Flouncy
- Vintage
- Harajutu
- Atelier
- Rag trade
- Gypsy
- Sassy
- Who are you wearing?
Wardrobe Malfunction Selected ‘HollyWORD’ of the Year in Banner Year for Hollywood Impact on Language
Read All About ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’ in the Wikiverse World of Knowledge

