Conventions define genres and give them the mode to meet their rhetorical

purpose. Every genre has a specific goal they are trying to meet in terms of what the
audience is suppose to get from the piece. Fashion reviews consist of specific elements
that give people the feeling of being at the show while stating their opinion on what was
seen. Interviews with fashion designers also are a genre that revolve around the fashion
world and are meant to inform their audience about their livesmy focus being Valentino
Garavani. Every genre has conventions that are needed to define them.
High fashion runways are always criticized and praised through online reviews
and write-ups. The rhetorical purpose of a fashion review is to inform the public about a
runway show and to give the audience a feeling of experiencing the shows themselves, as
well as establishing design and show criticisms so people can make their own judgments.
The rhetoric of writers for runway reviews is used to establish credibility on their
work in order to have a successful critique. Depending on how influential the author is,
these reviews create opinions of the designer and often times their business success. One
of the conventions of fashion reviews is relating the designs to that of another designer or
to the designers previous collections. In a review of the Valentino Spring collection the
author, Sarah Mower, specifically mentions the standard of a Valentino gown being
seemingly demure, but she fails to mention the connection to the new collection, which
does not give a particularly accurate portrayal of the current shows designs. However,
she does establish credibility in her knowledge of the brand based on the mentioning of
early 20th century Venetian pagan romanticism being tied into their lines (Mower 1).
She includes small details about the designs (velvet being seen multiple ways) and
what the backstage chat was about, which are key conventions of the genre because they

create an image of the environment. Fashion reviews break down the shows designs.
Mower successfully brings the show to the audience in this sense by specifically giving
an account of a dark green velvet brocade, worn by a red headed girlit had a train, and
a sheer bodice (Mower 1). Mower creates a full image of this ensemble for the audience
allowing her to meet the standards of this convention. Although only the details of this
specific design are shared, they still give the reader an opportunity to imagine the
Valentino runway. This description also helps direct the review towards Mowers
intended audience that is anyone interested in Valentino coutureparticularly those
interested in the runway. Since she includes a description of the models appearance, it is
apparent that she is appealing to detail-oriented readers. This genre is meant to give a
sense of what the fashion world consists of to both people of the fashion world and
people who simply have the desire to look at what is trending or new to the industry.
Tone is a form of rhetoric that is an important aspect of fashion reviews because it
is the gateway to the audience. The tone in the Valentino review is relaxed and simple,
yet professional as it utilizes words pertaining to the industry such as sheer, train, pattern,
and brocade. This makes Mowers purpose viewed as a more technical mattera
common convention of fashion reviews because it gives the writer a chance to voice a
well-informed opinion. These reviews are often humorous when the opinions shared are
generally negative. However, this particular entry praises the collection, limiting the need
for humor to mock the designs.
Interviews have the rhetorical purpose of revealing information about an
individual. Interviews with designers in particular have conventions such as asking about
their designs while still including topics of their daily living. They are meant to be

appealing to anyone to read with a certain specification for those who appreciate the
label.
Formatting is a major convention of designer interviews because it is the
component that sets it apart from other genres, and it is a quick and clear way to share the
information with the audience. The arrangement of an interview with Valentino Garavani
makes the question and answer clear by differentiating them through the use of italics for
the interviewer, Alain Elkann. Distinct fonts or letter abbreviations are conventions of
interviews because they draw the attention of a reader while relaying the information to
the audience directly. It is simple to see the purpose of an interview because the
interviewer can ask whatever they want to know. This convention is used in Elkanns
interview with Valentino as he directly asks do you have any new ideas in mind right
now? in reference to his designs. This ties into the genre specific convention of keeping
the questions short and simple so the subject can respond appropriately and with more
length and depth. The interviewer is not suppose to inform about themselves or use heavy
questioning because it distracts from the purpose of gaining information about the
designers life. There is great success in this Valentino interview, as it consists of short
questions with little filler words. This keeps the focus on Valentinos responses and it gets
more information out of him.
This interview extracts information about the history of Valentino with significant
success. The interviewer continues to follow the conventions of an interview with a
designer by basing questions off the previous answer. When there is a short response to
do you need a lot of imagination to do this work? the interviewer continues to question
him in regards to his own work routine in order to know exactly what he meant. This also

strives to fill the rhetorical purpose of getting the most out of the designer. Including
information on how their daily life affects their creations and styles is key to this genre.
Valentino discusses how he can manage his family time properly in relation to his
constant designing.
This genre is meant to appeal to people who want to learn about the articulation of
designs and lifestyles of designers. This appeal is executed through a short introduction to
give the audience a sort of welcoming feeling. There is clear indication of a scene being
created as the room is described and the presence of Valentino is acknowledged. The
introduction also includes the global branding of the designer, which appeals to
individuals who know Valentinos reputation and creates a new image to those who are
unaware of the brands worldwide recognition. This is also a convention of interviews
with designers because it immediately lets the reader know what the interview will be
regarding. It is appealing to the public to have such global connections and allows them
to share the information about Valentino. A hook is a convention of this genre because it
is rhetorically meant to make the audience want to find out their reason for such success.
In my analysis I found that these genres have specific conventions that will give
the audience the wanted information. There are multiple techniques that bring forth the
rhetorical purpose of a piece and persuade the audience of their points. It is necessary to
have proper form and formatting to bring the audience the expectations of what they are
reading. As a person who reads both interviews and reviews about the fashion world, it is
important to have the elements of each genre in order to meet the expectations.

Works Cited
Admin. "ART & DESIGN." Alain Elkann Interviews. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.
Mower, Sarah. "Valentino Spring 2016 Couture Collection." Vogue. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Oct. 2016.