RESOURCES
Writers
BEST PRACTICES
STYLE GUIDE
Best Practices
Avoid industry jargon
When in doubt, say it out loud and ask yourself, would a real person talk like this?
Say Shoes or boots or sneakers or pumps. Be specific when you can. Not Footwear.
Say Dishes, glasses, silver. Not tableware. Say Jewelry (even if it's not Tiffany or Cartier). Not unbranded jewelry.
Say Men's Suits, Coats or Jackets. Not Suiting.
Use emojis sparingly, if at all
Never use in conjunction with brand names. It cheapens them.
Know the difference: Designer vs. Brand
A brand is an entity or company that may also share the name of its designer.
A designer is a person who works for that brand.
A brand is an ‘it’; a designer is a he or she. Gucci is a brand. Alessandro Michele is a designer.
Example: We love Gucci and its designer Alessandro Michele.
Don’t use the possessive with brands
Yes: The Fendi Baguette. No: Fendi’s Baguette
Get ahead of brand fatigue
Brand names (Hermès, Cartier, Gucci, Prada, LV, Dior, Manolo) should be used with discretion; try to spread them out over time. There IS such a thing as Gucci overload.
Focus on one brand at a time
Or if mentioning multiple brands together, there should be some organic synergy.
Cartier and Van Cleef (yes). Cartier and Manolo (maybe not).
Use Pre-Owned Over Second-Hand
Items we take into our possession are never “second-hand” or “used.” We prefer to think of them as “gently loved” or even “certified pre-owned.” Many of them are legitimately pristine with the tags still attached. Only items that have historical fashion value are called “vintage.” Items that are a few seasons old, but still desirable and relevant, are referred to as “recent.”
Use Luxury Resale Over Consignment
Consignment is the heart of our business but it is often associated with cheap or downmarket shopping. We say luxury resale to explain our business model in shorthand.
Use Consignors Over Sellers
Similar to consignment we try to find creative ways to not refer to our members are consignors. The word “seller” has legal implications so try to find creative workarounds.
See More on the Usage of Consign vs. Sell Here
Use Complimentary Over Free
Don’t overuse the word “free.” Copy can be zippier (and shorter!) with it and certain promotional vehicles warrant it, but “complimentary” is a generally accepted alternative outside of the digital promo space.
Use Members Over Clients
We refer to both buyers and sellers as members to communicate that TRR is an exclusive but accessible shopping destination. While we may say or write clients internally, the external should always mention members.
Use Shop Over Buy
Try to use “shop” instead of “buy” whenever possible. Referring to our shoppers as buyers or telling them to buy something can sound too industry jargon-y, or make us sound like eBay.
The RealReal and RealReal
The last two words of our name are written without a space. We try to always include our full name, The RealReal, but some sentences will make more sense if you omit the The.
Example: Chat with a RealReal valuation expert today
Avoid Gendering Pronouns
Try to be inclusive whenever possible. Men’s and women’s are categories we offer but when speaking to the individual in a subject line or social caption, try to avoid gendering the item or category being discussed.
Partnerships
When writing about a partnership or collaboration, The RealReal or TRR always comes first.
Example: The RealReal x Catbird
Beauty
We style skincare as one word and hair care as two words.
Be mindful of legal claims and soften claim-y language when possible
No: Get rid of wrinkles
Yes: Reduces the appearance of wrinkles
Beware of pun overload
A smart, cleverly crafted pun is good once in a while but don’t go overboard. Refrain from using two puns in one placement IE in a hed and dek in the same hero.
Examples: Summer’s in the bag. A Real Shoe-In.
Words to avoid
This list is a rough guide but in general we try to avoice fashion cliches and sounding too girly.
Fabulous
Fab
Pretty
Sparkle
Yes Queen
Pout
Pamper
Franchise list
We use title case to refer to all of our official programs and franchises
Trrending Now
TRR Top 5
RealStyle
Tastemaker Edit
Curated by The RealReal
Sustainability Calculator
RealReal Rewards
First Look
Obsessions
Referring to RealReal staff
We use title case to refer to official TRR roles when speaking to members.
Examples: Expert, Member Specialist, Concierge
Brand Name Styling
Sometimes we abbreviate or use popular nicknames for brands to help us save space and enforce our relevance. When debating an abbreviation or nickname, ask yourself: “Is this frequently used styling? Is it respectful to the brand?”
Yes
Louis Vuitton or LV
Van Cleef and Arpels or Van Cleef
Bottega Venetta or Bottega
Tiffany
YSL
Dior
Manolo(s)
Patek
AP
JPG (Jean Paul Gaultier)
No
St. Laurent
Style Guide
Headlines
In headlines, capitalize the first and last words, as well as all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Articles (the, a, an), conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor), and prepositions (up, on, to, with) are lowercased regardless of length.
The exception is when prepositions are used adverbially or adjectivally (Soak Up, Turn Down, The Off Button, etc.)
Big headline or window copy typically does not get periods unless it is a “Something. Something Else. Something Else.” construct (which we use often).
We use Title Case for headlines across digital, print and in store.
Capitalize nouns, pronouns, and verbs
Capitalize all words of four or more letters
Capitalize no, nor, not, off, out, so, and up
Do not capitalize a, and, as, at, but, by, en, for, if, in, of, on, or, the, to, v., vs., and via, except when used as adverbs
Capitalize for if it takes the place of a verb meaning “support” or “advocate” (e.g. Standing For the Right to...)
Do not capitalize the second part of hyphenated compounds if it follows a prefix of two or three letters and if the hyphen separates doubled vowels (e.g., “Co-operation”). Otherwise, capitalize the second part (e.g., “Co-Author”).
When in doubt, use https://titlecase.com/ AP style
Deks
To maintain a clean, minimal style, we refrain from using periods in heds or deks.
Exceptions include:
When using a Word. Word. Word. structure, we will always include a third period.
When the sentence that precedes your final sentence has a period or question mark
Example:
Find something you love and give back. It’s a win-win.
When a dek and headline form a complete sentence, the first word of the dek should be lowercase
Example:
Sell & Earn $100 Extra
when you sell a handbag this month
Call to Actions
A great CTA is two words or less, but three words or more are acceptable when omitting them would undermine the idea/clarity of the idea. In digital placements especially, be mindful that your CTA fits the button being designed and try to come up with shorter synonyms to get your message across if needed. Button CTAs should be all caps. Underline CTAs should be Title Case.
Styling & Punctuation
Accent Marks
Please include accents in copy if they are in the brand or product’s original copy. (Example: Hermès, Chloé) We no longer spell out Celine using the accent mark.
Ampersand
Avoid using an ampersand in running copy unless it is part of the product/brand name or if there is limited space. Ampersands in headlines are ok to save space. Instead, use the conjunction “and” spelled out.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes should always be curly, or “smart,” and never straight (').
If a program doesn’t automatically curl them, manual curling is required.
Decades do not have an apostrophe before the “s”: 1970s not 1970’s
There should, however, be an apostrophe that stands in for missing numerals in a date: ’70s not 70s.
Note: HTML for reverse apostrophe is ’
Asterisks
We use asterisks to denote legal caveats in offer copy. Legal asterisks should always come at the end of a line where an offer is mentioned (Example: Sell & Earn $100 Extra This Month*).
Note: It is the copy team’s responsibility to include proper legal notation, make sure to liaise with your marketing partner(s) to include where necessary and correctly.
Colon
Use to introduce an element or series exemplifying or amplifying the phrase that preceded the colon.
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if the section that follows the colon can stand alone as a complete sentence or if the first word after the colon is a proper noun.
Keep the first word after a colon lowercased (unless it’s a proper noun) when the section that follows the colon cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Examples:
New and next: The picks you’ve been missing are here
Just in: Dior
Ones to watch: silver accents, mixed media and more
Em Dash
Use to offset a part of a sentence that is unnecessary to the meaning of the sentence.
Do not include spaces on either side of an em dash.
Example: Members earn more—a whole lot more—by shopping during our special event
Oftentimes a comma is incorrectly used to set an incomplete thought in a sentence apart for emphasis.
Instead use the em dash.
Examples:
(Correct w/out em dash): Join First Look, which is our rewards program!
(Correct with em dash): Join First Look—our new rewards program!
En Dash
Ranges (prices, dates, etc.) should be expressed with an en dash.
Do not include spaces on either side of an en dash.
Serial or Oxford Comma
We use the oxford comma in all placements
Example: Dior pieces for day, night, and everything in between
Spacing
We use a single space after all periods, colons, semi-colons and punctuation.
Quotation Marks
When a period or comma follows text enclosed in quotation marks, it is placed within the quotation marks.
Single quotation marks are only used when quoting inside double quotation marks.
Example: “My grandmother was famous for saying, ‘The secret to good style is a smile,’ and I’ve always lived by that philosophy.” —John Doe, Tastemaker
As with apostrophes, quotation marks should always be curly, not straight.
Titles
Put book titles, films, TV shows, radio programs, albums and newspapers in italics. Titles should typically be title/headline cased.
Example: Our TV commercial “Share The Love”
Trademark Symbols
We do not include registered ® or trademark ™ symbols in copy unless it is required by the brand. If trademark or registered symbols are required, they should only be included in the title and first instance of the trademarked name in the copy unless the brand requires otherwise. Trademark and registered symbols cannot be manipulated in any way. They cannot be made possessive or plural.
Hyphenation Rules
See The Chicago Manual of Style for complete hyphenation rules.
General Hyphenated Modifiers
These are two independent words that work together to modify a noun.
The meaning of the two modifiers together is different than if they were to be read separately.
Don’t: White, hot bags
Do: White-hot bags
Rules for General Hyphenated Modifiers
DO hyphenate: Adjectival/adverbial phrases before a noun. (light-pink coats)
DON’T hyphenate: Adjectival/adverbial phrases after a noun. (This coat is light pink)
DO hyphenate: Phrases that are always spelled with a hyphen as defined in Merriam-Webster, whether before or after the noun. (water-resistant, long-lasting)
DO hyphenate: Family terms beginning with “great” or ending with “in-law” (great-aunt, mother-in-law)
DON’T hyphenate: Family terms beginning with “step” or “grand” (grandmother, stepdaughter)
Prefixes
Prefixes are parts of words that are added onto modifiers to change the meaning.
Prefixes do not have any meaning of their own.
Rules for Prefixes
Incomplete list of prefixes: Anti-, bi-, cyber-, hyper-, mini-, mega-, multi-, non-, pre-, re-, semi-, sub-, trans-, un-
DO hyphenate: If the prefix ends with an “a” or “i” and the next word begins with the same letter.
Examples: semi-influential, extra-aggressiveDO hyphenate: If omitting the hyphen changes the meaning.
Examples: re-cover [cover again] vs. recover [become healthy], re-create [make again] vs. recreate [to refresh]Do hyphenate: If the second word is capitalized. (Examples: mid-January, un-American)
Occasional Prefixes
These words are sometimes used as prefixes, but can also have their own meaning if standing alone.
Rules for Occasional Prefixes
Incomplete list of occasional prefixes: extra-, ultra-, mid-, under-
Check Merriam-Webster to see if the word in question is a single word (with a prefix) or if it is two words (compound modifier). Follow the rules above regarding hyphenation.
Numbers, Weights, Percentages, etc.
Addresses
Use periods at the end of abbreviations like St. and Ave. Single-letter compass points accompanying a street name should contain periods (1060 E. Prospect Ave.). Two-letter compass points should not contain periods (456 NW Lane St.). A compass point that is the name (or part of the name) of a street or a place-name should never be abbreviated (e.g., South Ave., Northwest Hwy., South Shore Dr.).
Age
Use figures. Do not write out ages.
Example: When I was 14.
Exceptions: twentysomething, thirtysomething, etc.
Numerals
Spell out one through nine. Also, try to not start sentences with numbers: either spell them out or recast the sentence so the number doesn’t fall at the beginning.
Example: One, two, three…10, 11, 12
Remove commas for 4 digit numbers in headlines (Example: Obsess & Win $5000), use commas for 4 digit numbers in running/dek copy (Example: Here’s 5,000 reasons to enter). Use commas for 5 digit numbers in all use cases (Example: 10,000+ new arrivals).
Prices
The typical format for a credit is brand name, product name, comma, price—no period.
We include a decimal when necessary, otherwise we drop it off if there is nothing that follows them and when space is tight.
Telephone Numbers
For US telephone numbers, omit the country code, place the area code in brackets, and use dashes to separate numbers. For international telephone numbers, include the country code and use the general form of writing telephone numbers for that country.
Example: US: (415) 344-8723
Poland: 58/522-9031
Dates and Times
Dates: In the month-day-year style of dates, commas are used both before and after the year. Where month and year only are given, or a specific day (such as a holiday) with a year, neither system uses a comma.
Examples:
The style was introduced on October 6, 1999.
In March 2003 she turned 70.
We don’t use ordinals with dates (January 1, not January 1st).
Decades
Do not use apostrophes to signify plural. Also, whenever possible, do not shorten the figure (the ’60s) or spell it out (“the sixties”).
Example:
Prada embraces the 1980s and 1990s
OR Prada embraces the ‘80s and ‘90s
Job Titles
Use title case when referring to job titles of internal and external persons. (Example: Luxury Manager Reginald Larkin. Vogue Editor Naomi Elizée).
Months
When used with a specific date, only abbreviate months that contain six or more characters.
Example: Jan., Feb., March, April, May.
Spell out when using alone or with a year alone.
Example: Jan. 2, 1994, or January 1994
Time
“am” and “pm” should be lowercase without periods when used after a specific time. Write “am” or “pm” twice when time spans are used, and use the en dash to signify “to.”
Examples: 8am–10am, 8am–5pm.
Exception: “am” and “pm” should be in all caps when they are used to replace a general time of day such as “in the morning,” “afternoon,” or “in the evening” or when the sentence in which they appear is in all caps.
Example: Outfits to take you from AM to PM
Time Zones
Capitalize the full name of the time zone in question. The RealReal uses Pacific time. PT is the correct abbreviation.
No need to write PST or PDT.