Fashion ABCs: A glossary of trendy terms

[harrypothead]

though this might interest some ppl here

A
A-line - adjective: having a flared bottom and a close-fitting top, as in an A-line skirt or dress.
Astrakhan - (AS - tra - kon) noun: a cloth with a pile that is usually wool, curled and looped and resembling karakul, a breed of sheep from Uzbekistan.
B
Balmacaan - (bal - mu - CON) noun: a loose single-breasted overcoat usually having a short turnover collar and raglan sleeves (sleeves that extend to the neckline with slanted seams from the underarm to the neck).
Bateau neckline - (ba - TOE) noun: a high, wide, straight neckline that runs straight across the front and back, meeting at the shoulders, with the same depth in the front and back; also called boat neck.
Bias cut - adjective: cut diagonally across the grain of a fabric to create garments that follow the curve of the body closely.
Blouson - (bloo - SOHN) noun: French, from blouse; a garment (as a dress) having a close waistband with blousing of material over it.
C
Charmeuse - (shar - MUHZ) noun: a fine semi-lustrous crepe in satin weave.
Crystal pleat - noun: any of a series of narrow sharply pressed pleats turned in one direction.
D
Deconstructed - adjective: a style of tailoring marked by frayed, unfinished, uneven edges.
Dotted Swiss - noun: a lightweight, sheer cotton or cotton blend fabric with a small dot, flock-like pattern either printed on the surface of or woven into fabric.
Dropped waist - noun: a waistline that is sewn below the body's natural waistline; also called low waist.
E
Eisenhower jacket - noun: a short, structured, usually close-fitting jacket with collar; originally from a uniform for U.S. Army troops.
Eyelet - noun: a small hole designed to receive a cord or used for decoration (as in embroidery); or a small typically metal ring to reinforce an eyelet, also called a grommet. Also, a type of fabric with small, patterned cut-outs that are stitched or embroidered to prevent unraveling.
F
Flocking - noun: a raised decoration applied to the surface of a fabric in which an adhesive is printed on the fabric in a specific pattern, and then finely chopped fibers are applied by means of dusting, air-brushing or electrostatic charges.
Flutter sleeve - noun: a loose-fitting short sleeve that gathers at top and falls into folds over the shoulder, usually in a lightweight material such as chiffon or silk.
G
Gabardine - (GAB - ar - deen) noun: a tightly woven, twilled, worsted fabric with a slight diagonal line on the right side; wool gabardine is known as a year-round fabric for business suiting.
Gaucho - noun: wide-legged pants or a divided skirt reaching the mid-calf.
Godet - (go - DAY) noun: an inset of cloth placed in a seam to give fullness (as at the bottom of a skirt).
H
Herringbone - noun: a pattern made up of rows of parallel lines which in any two adjacent rows slope in opposite directions to form a zig zag effect; a twilled fabric with a herringbone pattern.
Hobo bag - noun: a soft, large bag that usually has a zip top and shoulder strap and tends to crunch down when carried or laid down.
Houndstooth check - noun: a variation on the twill-weave construction in which a broken check effect is produced by a variation in the pattern of interlacing yarns, using at least two colored yarns.
I
Ikat - (EE - kot) noun: a fabric in which the yarns have been tie-dyed before weaving.
Illusion neckline - noun: any style of neckline such as scoop, heart-shaped or V-neck that is covered with sheer material or netting; typical of wedding dresses.
J
Jacquard - (JAK-ard) noun: woven fabrics manufactured by using the Jacquard attachment on the loom, which provides versatility in designs and permits individual control of each of the warp yarns; examples include brocade and damask.
Jersey - noun: a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon or silk, and used especially for clothing.
Jewel neck - noun: a high round neckline resting at the base of the neck.
K
Kangaroo pocket - noun: a pocket formed by sewing a piece of cloth over the garment leaving two open ends.
Kick pleat - noun: a short inverted pleat (as at the bottom of a skirt) used to give breadth and allow ease in walking.
L
Lame - (la - MAY) noun: a brocaded clothing fabric made from various fibers combined with tinsel filling threads.
Lariat (necklace) - noun: a long, adjustable necklace without a clasp in which one end loops into the other end to form a Y-shape at the neck.
M
Maillot - (mah - YO) noun: a woman's one-piece bathing suit.
Marabou - (MAR - uh - boo) noun: a soft, feathery, fluffy material prepared from turkey feathers used especially for trimming women's hats or clothes.
Muslin - (MUZ - lin) noun: an inexpensive, medium- weight, plain-weave, low-count cotton sheeting fabric. In its unfinished form, it is commonly used in fashion design to make trial garments for preliminary fit.
N
Notched collar - noun: a two-piece collar that can be worn only open, as in the collar of a suit blazer.
O
Ombre - (AHM - bray) adjective: having colors or tones that shade into each other - used especially of fabrics in which the color is graduated from light to dark.
Organza - noun: a crisp, sheer, lightweight plain weave fabric, with a medium to high yarn count, made of silk, rayon, nylon or polyester; used primarily in evening and wedding apparel for women.
P
Palazzo pants - (pa - LOT - so) noun: a style of women's trousers with loose, wide legs.
Peplum - noun: a short section of fabric attached to the waistline of a blouse, jacket or dress
Pique - (pee - KAY) noun: a medium-weight fabric, either knit or woven, with raised dobby designs including cords, wales, waffles or patterns.
Q
Quilting - noun: a fabric construction in which a layer of down or fiberfill is placed between two layers of fabric and then held in place by stitching or sealing in a regular, consistent, all-over pattern.
R
Raffia - (RAF - ee - ah) noun: the fiber of the raffia palm used especially for tying plants and making baskets and hats.
Ready-to-wear - adjective: also called pret-a-porter (pre - ta - por - TAY), the fashion design term for clothing marketed in a finished condition, in standard clothing sizes, off the rack; in contrast to haute couture (oat - koo - TYOOR), these lines are never one of a kind.
Ruche - (roosh) noun: a pleated, fluted or gathered strip of fabric used for trimming.
S
Serge - (surj) noun: a durable twilled fabric having a smooth clear face and a pronounced diagonal rib on the front and the back.
Stacked heel - noun: a heel, usually chunky, made of many layers of leather.
T
Trapeze jacket - noun: cropped, unfitted, A-line waisted jacket usually with three-quarter-length sleeves.
Trompe l'oeil - (tronp - LAY) noun: a style of painting in which objects are depicted with photographically realistic detail.
Tulip skirt - noun: a voluminous bell-shaped skirt that billows at the top near the waist and with fabric either banded, pleated, tucked under or tailored to accentuate a woman's curves.
Tulle - (tool) noun: a lightweight, extremely fine, machine-made netting, usually with a hexagon-shaped mesh effect.
U
Underskirt - noun: a skirt worn under an outer skirt; a petticoat.
V
Victorian - adjective: of, relating to, or characteristic of the reign of Queen Victoria of England or the art, letters or tastes of her time; fashion examples include cameos, lace-up boots and high-neck or ruffled lace blouses.
Voile - (vwal) noun: a fine, soft, sheer fabric used especially for women's summer clothing or curtains.
W
Wedges - noun: a shoe having a heel extending from the back to the front of the shank and a tread formed by an extension of the sole.
Whipstitch - noun: a stitch passing over an edge diagonally.
Windowpane (check) - noun: an even pattern of stripes crossing horizontally and vertically to form large squares, usually in a color contrasting the background fabric.
Y
Yoke - noun: a fitted or shaped piece at the top of a skirt or at the shoulder of various garments.
Z
Zip-out lining - noun: lining, as in a coat, that detaches with a zipper, usually found in convertible winter jackets that can be made lighter in weight for use during warmer weather.---