Limitations of the English Language: Naming Things

I've been struggling for some time now to articulate a few simple concepts, mainly because of how the meanings of words have changed. Most of the good have been contextualized by trends, brands and emerging technology.

A few words that I'd like to use but can't, because of their popular media associations:

Interactive - interaction has evolved into being non-physical. Interactive used to mean "to act on each other".
Intelligent Design – let’s not even go there!

High Performance - the term has very high-tech connotations, yet it perfectly describes what I'm trying to achieve, but from a completely different direction.

Modular Wardrobe System: even though it's probably the most accurate description, I hesitate to use the term, because of it's persistent 1980's definition:


20th Century modular wardrobe system

21st Century modular wardrobe system - petite athletic rendition.

21st Century modular wardrobe system - curvy apple rendition.

21st Century modular wardrobe system - slender egg (baby bump) rendition.

These three women are wearing the same garments in the same size, the way they like to wear them. I'm using more or less the same framework that Sandra Garratt identified in the 1980's, but the approach is entirely different. The silhouettes I'm working on are about refining a woman's best features and framing them, rather than hiding them. A woman can identify what she likes most about her body, and what she struggles with fairly easily. With these garments, it's possible to simultaneously showcase and downplay, if required.


2 comments:

P11 said...

try words in spanish
:)

Trudy Miller, Solutionista said...

I've been using japanese, but haven't tried spanish yet - thanks!