The article is focused on the components of professionalism as a system of knowledge and values which is inherent to a specific professional community. The linguistic material was obtained from a literary work, namely: “The Vogue Factor” novel by K. Clements published in English. The novel is an insider’s description of the fashion industry realia. The goal of the research is to reveal the linguistic means which represent the “old-school” professionalism concept in the novel under study. The system of knowledge on the profession specifics is considered as a concept which comprises several layers containing information on professional requirements, work arrangements, profession characteristics, personal traits, background knowledge, contemporary trends. Thus, the concept is analyzed in terms of Russian and Post-Soviet linguistics. It is understood to be a mental structure containing data on the results of a person’s activities and the accumulated knowledge of the world. The study of the linguistic material makes it possible to reveal lexical means which represent the concept in the English language. Epithets having a positive connotation prevail among these means. The “old-school” epithet is among the key adjectives used in the novel to describe the traditional values, characteristics and work approaches which are highly appreciated. The article touches upon issues of professionalism which specialists from various spheres are concerned about. This paves the way for further interdisciplinary research.