Prêt-à-Porter

Prêt-à-Porter is a French expression that literally means ready-to-wear. Prêt-à-porter refers to clothing that is not hand-made, rather it is made in a factory with standard sizes and that can be immediately worn as soon as it is bought. This differs from made-to-measure clothing that is tailored for a specific individual.
In the 1950s the concept of ready-to-wear was brought to France and was then adopted by a number of fashion houses. One of the first luxury fashion houses to adopt a prêt-à-porter approach was Chloé.
The correct pronunciation of prêt-à-porter is preh-tah-pohr-teh.
The first word, "prêt", which means "ready" is pronounced with a guttural "r" that is followed by an "ê", a short "e" that is pronounced like the "e" in "best". The "t" in "prêt" is pronounced as if it were connected to the following word "à", so it is as if it were pronounced as part of the second syllable.
The last word, "porter", means "carry" or "wear" in English. To pronounce porter correctly it is important not to pronounce the "er" as "ay". "Porter" is not pronounced as por-tay. The "er" at the end of "porter" is pronounced as a delicate "eh" sound. One last point to note is that the "r", like in "prêt", is pronounced with a guttural "r", however, this may be difficult for non-native speakers, so it is not fundamental for achieving a good pronunciation of prêt-à-porter.

Fashion

French