General Clothing Terms and Examples

General Clothing Terms and Examples

• anorak - If you're hiking in cold weather, you'll need an anorak.
• belt - I've lost weight, so I need a new belt to hold up my trousers.
• blouse w - That's such a pretty blouse. I love the checked pattern.
• cardigan - Put on a cardigan and turn down the heat to save money at home.
• dress w - Anna wore an elegant red dress to the reception.
• gloves - I prefer to wear gloves to mittens because my fingers need to be free.
• jacket - Let me put on a jacket and let's go for a walk.
• jeans - I only wear jeans on the weekend as I have to wear a business suit during the week.
• jumper - That's a cute jumper. Where did you buy it?
• overalls - Overalls have been out of fashion for a very long time.
• overcoat - When dressing formal, it's best to wear an overcoat.
• pullover - I'm cold, so I need to put on a pullover.
• raincoat - Raincoats won't keep you warm, but they will keep you dry.
• scarf - A scarf is a beautiful accessory to add a touch of elegance.
• shirt - You should wear a dress shirt to work today.
• sweatshirt - I put on a sweatshirt and went to the gym to work out.
• T-shirt - He usually wears a t-shirt to work. He's a slob.
• tie - On the west coast people don't usually wear ties. However, ties are quite common on the east coast.
• skirt w - She wore a skirt and blouse to the job interview.
• mini-skirt w - Mini-skirts were introduced in the 1960s and were considered very provocative.
• shorts - It's summer. Why aren't you wearing shorts?
• socks - If you don't wear socks, your feet will stink!
• suit - Some professions require men to wear a suit to work.
• sweater - I pulled on the warm sweater and drank a cup of cocoa.
• trousers - Everyone puts on their trousers one leg at a time.

Sportswear

• jogging suit - Alice got into a jogging suit and ran three miles.
• tracksuit - In some countries, people like to wear tracksuits when lounging around the house.
• bikini w - Sports Illustrated features a bikini issue every year. Some think beautiful women in tiny bikinis don't have much to do with sports!
• swimming costume / swimming-suit w - Get your swimming-suit on and let's go to the beach.
• swimming trunks m - In the USA, most men wear swimming trunks rather than speedos.

Footwear

• boots - If you're going for a hike, you'll need to wear boots.
• sandals - During the summer, I usually wear sandals on the weekends.
• slippers - I sometimes like to get in my pajamas, put on my slippers and spend a quiet evening at home.
• shoes - The heels on my shoes have worn out. I need a new pair.
• sneakers - We're just getting some groceries, put on your sneakers and let's go.

Underwear

• bra w - Victoria's Secret has made the bra into a fashion statement.
• knickers w - Don't get your knickers twisted!
• panties w - She bought three pairs of panties with her bra.
• tights/pantyhose w - My sister doesn't like to wear dresses because she hates pantyhose.
• boxers m - She thinks boxers look better on men than briefs.
• briefs m - Briefs are also called "tightie whities" in idiomatic American English.

Hats and Caps

• beret - Men in France seem to love wearing berets.
• cap - Americans wear a lot of baseball caps.
• hat - Men used to wear hats in the 1950s. Everything has changed since then!
• helmet - Soldiers could be recognized during the war by the type of helmet they wore.

Natural Materials

• cotton - Cotton breathes and is an excellent all-around fabric.
• denim - Denim is the cloth used to make jeans.
• leather - Leather jackets are considered quite stylish by some.
• linen - Linen sheets are very comfortable during hot summer nights.
• rubber - The souls of boots are often made out of rubber, or rubber-like materials.
• silk - Silk sheets are considered a luxury in most parts of the world.
• suede - "Don't you step on my blue suede shoes" is a line from a famous Elvis Presley song.
• wool - I prefer to wear a traditional wool coat to keep warm in winter.

Artificial Materials

• plastic - There are many plastic components in today'sporting shoes.
• nylon - Nylon is used to make rain jackets.
• polyester - Polyester is often mixed with cotton to make a shirt "iron-free".

Fashion

• designer - Designers are often outlandish people.
• fashion - The latest fashions come from Paris and London.
• fashion-conscious - Fashion-conscious people spend thousands on clothes every year.
• trend - I can't keep up with the latest trends.
• unfashionable - That jacket is quite unfashionable.

Patterns

• checked - The checked shirt is quite popular in Portland.
• flowered - She likes to wear flowered dresses.
• patterned - I generally stay away from patterned shirts.
• plain - I prefer a plain blue shirt.
• polka-dots or spots - Spotted blouses are fashionable this season.
• pinstriped - A dark blue pinstriped suit can be very elegant.
• tartan - The Scottish are known for their tartan clothes.

List of words for fashion and clothes vocabulary

Accessories: In fashion industry, the word accessories refers to item that we use in our dressing in accordance with usefulness and decoration. The word accessories include various items as Bridal Veils, Footwear, Eyewear, Belts & Suspenders, Handbags, Neckwear, Jewelry, Headwear, Handkerchiefs, Shawls & Wraps, Legwear, Watches, etc.

Anti Fashion:  A dressing and fashion style that is different from the prevailing fashion trends and showing an indifference to fashion of that time.

Antique style: Antique style is a style that is old and refers to past fashion trends.

Army look: Wearing of a dress that resembles to a military uniform.

Accessory: Refers to an individual item like,  jewellery, hats, neckwear, shoes, belts, scarfs, gloves, etc that is used to make dressing more fashionable.

Apparel: An alternate word used for clothes and garments.

Attire: Alternate word used for clothing.

Body clothes: A word used for underclothing or undergarments.

Beachwear: Clothing used at beach during bath or taking sunbath.

Boutique: Boutique is a home base dress selling shop or industry to design or stitch clothes.

Bulky clothing: A word used for loose fitting clothing.

Casual wear: Informal wear, everyday garments, or sleeping dress, normally people use at home.

Catwalk:  A platform along which models walk to present new clothes in fashion shows.

Chic:  Stylish

Collection: Events usually held twice a year in spring/summer and fall/ winter for sale.

Classic: A universal style that looks timeless.

Continental style: This term refers to the European clothing style.

Contrast: In fashion, we use this term for opposite colors that are in stark contrast to each other and both have individual look.

Conservative styles: Conservative style is a traditional dressing style; people use it in negative sense mostly.

Cosmetic colors: Cosmetic colors are those colors that resembles to colors used in makeup/cosmetics.

Cosmopolitan: It is a universal dress style rather than a localized.

Craze: Craze in an extreme popular fashion for a short time.

Composite style: A combination of different styles; simple and refined; feminine and flirtatious; cool and feminine.

Dead stock:  Dead stock is clothing that has never been worn and stored at home.

Earth colors: Colors that falls in the brown family

Ethnic: Traditional, native

Designer: A person (male of female) who makes design for extremely characteristic garments

Fad: A short-lived fashion

Fashion show: Displaying proper collection of fashion styles by designers to the customers or merchandisers.

Fashion house: A fashion house is a company involved in fashion design

Fashion icon: A term used for those who become popular for being extremely fashionable

Fashion sense: Awareness of how to wear a dress fashionably.

Fashion tribe: People of a tribe who share a common fashion of dressing.

Fashion victim: A person who follows current fashion with keen interest.

Florals: Floral is a fabric that has floral pattern prints.

Hosiery: A garment that is tight fitting knitted worn on the leg and feet. It is generally made of very stretchable fabrics like spandex.

Imitation: A duplicate or copy; generally used for describing fur of sleeves and jewellery.

Monotone clothing: single color clothes

Motif: It is a design (usually a flower or fur) in a pattern/ print / embroidery etc.

Print on print: Vibrant and colorful clothing with lots of different prints mixed in.

Ready to wear or RTW: Factory made clothing that is in standardized sizes.

Slim fit: Clothing that is fitted tightly to the body.

Trend: Trend is a general way in which something is prevailing or changing.

Trendy: It is an adjective for describing a person who is very stylish or fashionable.

Unisex style: It is clothing  suitable for both sex (male and female). Androgynous style is an alternative name for unisex style.

Utilitarian clothing: It is a practical/purposeful clothing rather than decorative; Clothes that serve up a practical purpose. Usually we wear at work place.

Vintage: Vintage is a style of clothing that is inspired from a previous era or more than 20 years ago.

Warm colors:, Yellow, orange, and red and in between colors in the color wheel