Fashionista (plural Fashionistas) - Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry

Fashionista (plural Fashionistas) - Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry

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Throughout my career covering the fashion category for several different magazines, I must admit that I have used the term "fashionista" in a few of my articles. When using the term, I was describing a woman who was feminine and well dressed. This woman followed fashion to some degree, but was certainly not a slave to fashion. Would she wait on line for a considerable amount of time for an opportunity to snap up one of Roberto Cavalli's limited edition pieces at H&M? Certainly.

Unconcerned with trends or emulating the looks of high fashion models or iconic celebrities, my fashionista simply liked to express herself through her apparel and accessories. She viewed fashion as an art form.

Other reliable dictionary sources tend to share similar meanings, all with a mention of some type of career in the fashion industry whether it be designing, promoting, or even writing about fashion.

Merriam-Webster defines a "fashionista" as a "designer, promoter, or follower of the latest fashions" while MSN's dictionary meaning, which is quite similar to Merriam-Webster's, also includes a mention of "somebody involved in the fashion industry." According to Dictionary.com, a fashionista is a "person working in or deeply involved with the high-fashion industry, such as a designer, model, photographer, buyer, writer, wearer; or a devotee to clothing fashion."

Although most dictionary meanings do not denote any negativity, the term seems to have once been used as an insult to describe someone who is overly concerned with fashion.

If you are a fashionista, you can meet other fashionistas at the Fashion Industry Network.

Written by Regina Oct 2008

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