Glossary of Fashion Terms

A lot of people think that fashion is all about clothes. But there are many other aspects to it, such as the terminology. Fashion termnologies can be used in a variety of ways, from helping you understand what your friends may be talking about when they mention “blue jeans” or “peacoat,” to help with your studies if you’re looking at fashion design or management courses.

Glossary of Common Fashion Terms A-Z

Common Fashion Terms

Are you one of the many people who have been hearing a lot about fashion lately? If so, this article should help clear up some misconceptions. You’ll learn the meaning of common fashion terms such as “boho,” “festival,” and “bohemian.”

• Bohemian – Wearing “hippie” style or causing controversy.
• Festival – A term for wearing clothes with lots of sequins, glitter, and bright colors.
• Similarity – Having a similar fashion sense to someone else’s.
• Formal – Formal attire is the clothing that you wear for special events such as weddings, funerals, and job interviews etc.
• Casual – Clothing that you wear on a regular day to day basis
• Fashionable – A word used to describe something “in” at the moment; also related to how something looks.
• Activewear – Clothing that is made to be worn while doing active sports or some type of exercise
• Bespoke – This refers to custom made clothing where the measurements are taken for something that will be made specifically for the customer.
• Capsule wardrobe – A capsule wardrobe consists of 28 items, which are all new and never worn before. It’s meant to be a complete wardrobe for one person.
• Corporate – Corporate attire is what you wear when at work in an office setting, usually consisting of business-appropriate suits and dress clothes. The term can also mean any clothing that’s appropriate for an office environment such as skirts and blouses with jackets.
• Designer – Designer brands such as Prada, Gucci Louis Vuitton etc., tend to be more expensive than their less well-known competitors.
• Eveningwear – Clothing that’s worn to formal events such as balls, theater performances and operas etc., or for a night out clubbing or bar hopping.
• Haute couture – Refers to the highest level of fashion design where the clothing is made by hand using exquisite material and techniques. It will also likely be one of a kind.  
• Juniors – This term refers to women who are petite (a dress size between 0 and 6) with smaller proportions like legs that end above the knee, short necks, shoulders that end before the elbow, and waists no bigger than 24 inches around. 
• Misters – Refers to woman who wear dresses size 6 to 14 with proportionate body types.
• Misses – Refers to women who wear dresses size 4 – 10 with proportionate body types.
• Oversize – Clothing that is loose fitting in order to hide weight or for style/comfort
• Petites – Refers to women under 5’4″ (163 cm) and shorter than average proportions like legs that end above the knee, short necks, shoulders that end before the elbow, and waists no bigger than 24 inches around.
• Pockets – Pockets are usually found on jackets but can also be found on both dress pants and skirts; they’re great for holding cellphones, keys, wallets etc., while keeping your hands free.
• Reversible (Double-faced) – This refers to a garment that’s reversible, which is a good thing because it means you have two garments for the price of one.
• Sportswear – Clothing made from special fabrics and materials designed for active sportspeople, but can also be worn as casual wear.
• Vintage – A word used to describe something that’s been around long enough that it’s now considered an antique or collectable due to age or particular circumstances.
• Women’s – Refers to clothing made exclusively for women with female-specific fits.
• Androgynous – Androgyny describes someone who doesn’t fit traditional gender roles.
• Boho – Bohemian fashion typically consists of bright colors, loose shapes natural fibers like cotton and linen, and earthy patterns. This type of clothing comes from a bohemian style or lifestyle similar to hippies, consisting of an artistic personality and a free-spirit. Bohemian is a term often used for people who aren’t conforming to traditional society with their looks, but it can also be used to describe unique/bizarre fashion choices.
• Festival – Clothing that’s comfortable, loose fitting and colorful which is worn while attending festivals , raves, concerts etc., where the main goal is to have fun in your clothes without caring so much about how you look.
• Flared – Refers to jeans, pants or skirts that are wider at the bottom than what would normally be considered “normal”
• Cruise Wear – Clothing that’s made for vacations or cruises which are typically loose fitting with large, over-sized pockets
• Eclectic – Eclectic describes something made up of a wide variety different elements usually found in no other single source.
• Edgy – This refers to clothing that’s modern, unconventional and will likely be seen as controversial or risqué. It is most commonly associated with punk rocker fashion such as ripped clothes and lots of black leather.
• Elegant – Refers to clothing that’s refined and tasteful usually displaying high class/taste level and expensive materials like silk, lace etc., often paired with classic style jewelry for understated bling.
• Glam – Refers to clothing that is shiny and sparkling worn by celebrities like Rihanna, Lady Gaga etc., whether it’s for attention-getting or simply out of pleasure.
• Gucci – Italian designer brand.
• In Vogue – Refers to clothing that is popular and fashionable at the moment.
• On Trend – Clothing that’s fashionable right now but will likely change due to the fickle nature of fashion.
• Preppy – Clothing designed with clean lines, bright colors and often made of cotton which is worn by people who attend prep school like students from boarding schools in New England. It can also be used as an adjective e.g., “preppy shirt”.
• Punk – A subculture known for its love of loud music, dirty clothes and piercings/tattoos; style varies but can incorporate safety pins and chains.
• Sporty – Refers to clothing that promotes an active lifestyle like tracksuits, sweatpants, polo shirts.
• Tailored – Refers to clothing that fits well and is in good proportions mostly used with suits and formal wear.
• Relaxed – Relaxed describes a fashion where seams are intentionally left unfinished and lets the fabric drape naturally allowing for maximum comfort/movement; common fabrics include denim, twill etc., this style of fashion is more often associated with men but is becoming more popular among women as well.
• Sophisticated – Sophisticated refers to a high class or expensive look achieved through elegance or refinement of materials which usually involves tailored pieces or embellished looks.
• Appliqué – Refers to fabrics that are cut apart and sewn back together in a new pattern/shape.
• Appliquéd – An adjective describing when an item is made with appliqué.
• Asymmetrical – Usually refers to the style of clothing which has different parts of the garment cut and placed on either side of the center line where they would normally meet therefore causing one half to be longer or wider than the other, often giving clothes a lopsided look; it can also refer to anything where there is asymmetry like buildings, furniture etc., though it’s most commonly used in reference to fashion.
• Bugle beads – Bugle beads describe tiny cylinders used making jewelry or sewing buttons or sometimes used to decorate fabrics.
• Dolman sleeve – Dolman sleeves are a type of long sleeve that resembles a large rectangle or triangle shape with excess fabric gathered at the elbow and very little seam definition around the armholes so there is no armhole curve. This style originated from a Turkish military jacket called a “dolman”.
• Embroidery – Refers to any type of art where yarn, thread or ribbon is sewn onto clothing, often seen in casual wear when flowers, hearts etc., are stitched on tops and dresses
• Empire waist – Empire waists usually refer to lines in women’s clothes that come together below the breasts making sort of an upside down triangular shape; it can also refer to men’s clothes in the late 18th century who sported skirts with waistlines dropping to about navel level.
• Ensemble – A group of clothing items worn together like a suit, dress shirt and tie or earrings, necklace etc., for men or women; it can also describe the instruments used by an orchestra.
• Eponymous – Refers to anything which is named after a person like an eponymous label is one that bears the name of its founder usually used when referring to fashion brands e.g., Helmut Lang, Christian Lacroix etc., but can be used more generally as well e.g., “eponymous band”.
• Fashion press – Fashion press refers to articles written by journalists who report on breaking fashion news like upcoming trends, new designers etc., they are often read by people who work in the fashion industry to stay updated on news while consumers read them for advice.
• Sampling – Refers to items of clothing that were handmade or sewn with excess fabric that can be cut out and used as templates for future designs; some brands also sell their excess fabric samples.
• Silhouette – Refers to the outline of an object e.g., silhouette of a person wearing a dress means it can’t be worn without anything underneath because there is no curve at the waistline which would indicate otherwise.
• Slipover – A slipover is usually made with stretchy material like jersey or spandex most often used in sports but they are sometimes seen in casual wear too.