Fashion steps, by the sound of it (5)
I believe the answer is:
style
'fashion' is the definition.
(I know that fashion can be written as style)
'steps by the sound of it' is the wordplay.
'steps' becomes 'stile' (I've seen this in another clue).
'by the sound of it' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'stile' is a homophone of 'STYLE'.
(Other definitions for style that I've seen before include "Designate" , "Former writer" , "Phraseology" , "Fashion - designation" , "name" .)