Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

Elles ne font pas la mode, elles sont la mode.

English translation:

Not just a style but style itself/They don’t just reflect the style; they are style itself.

Added to glossary by Clare Hogg
Dec 30, 2013 23:16
10 yrs ago
French term

Elles ne font pas la mode, elles sont la mode.

French to English Marketing Textiles / Clothing / Fashion copywriting (marketing text on luxury bed linen)
I am translating marketing text for a manufacturer of luxury bed linen. I need a snappy, but elegant English translation for the below.

"Nos créations sont pures, elles sont sophistiquées. **Elles ne font pas la mode, elles sont la mode.**"

Thanks in advance for your help!
Change log

Dec 31, 2013 00:58: writeaway changed "Field" from "Other" to "Marketing"

Dec 31, 2013 00:59: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "luxury bed linen" to "marketing text on luxury bed linen"

Dec 31, 2013 09:51: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "marketing text on luxury bed linen" to "copywriting (marketing text on luxury bed linen)"

Proposed translations

+1
8 hrs
Selected

Not just a style but style itself.

I like the word 'style' in this context.
Peer comment(s):

agree Yolanda Broad : I like "style" too. :-)
6 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I agree "style" works better than "fashion" in this context. Thanks!"
8 mins

They don't make fashion, they're fashion itself

Or fashion incarnate, if you want a highfalutin version.
Peer comment(s):

neutral philgoddard : I don't think you can say bedlinen "makes fashion".
3 mins
Something went wrong...
+1
24 mins

They are not trendy, they are the trend

par ex.
Peer comment(s):

neutral philgoddard : Trendy has a very 1970s ring to it these days.
6 mins
Go to Google type trendy and click on images, let me know if you see a lot of images fron the 70's.
agree Yolanda Broad : I like trendy.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+4
30 mins

They don't follow trends, they set them

.
Peer comment(s):

agree Alison Kapor (X)
11 mins
agree Stephen D
15 mins
agree EJP
9 hrs
agree B D Finch
10 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
31 mins

They don't reflect fashion, they are fashion

As I see it.
Peer comment(s):

agree David Hollywood
1 hr
Thank you.
agree Verginia Ophof
4 hrs
Thank you.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

They're not just what fashion is made of: they are fashion.

Adding another option...
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2 days 10 hrs

They don't belong to a trend, they are "the" Trend.

Good luck
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2 days 18 hrs

They're not just in style. They are style.

Just another suggestion. I don't know if I like it better with or without italics:

They're not just in style. They are style.

or maybe:

They're not just in style. They are the style.

Seems to me it's all about keeping the short, "pure" statements and rhythms that exist in the French source. After that, the exact phrasing is just a matter of taste.
Something went wrong...
3 days 39 mins

They don't follow fashion; they create it.

Just another suggestion. You could also change the second part of the sentence to "they are fashion" but I think "create it" reads more smoothly in English, even if purists will say that it slightly changes the meaning (if you really think about it, this is debatable).
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4 days

They don’t create style, they embody it.

Or: More than a statement, they are fashion itself.
Something went wrong...
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