About My Blog

Welcome to 500 Days of Style! After a recent trip to my fashion capital of the world, Paris, I decided to amp up my style, and chronicle it on this blog!
Hope you enjoy it, and it inspires you to be super stylish (even on a low budget, like me!)
<3, Alix

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Fashion Glossary


On Friday at work, a fellow sales associate came running over to me and told me a customer asked for a “body-con” skirt and she didn’t know what it was, but thought I might “because [I] know a lot about that kind of stuff.” Of course I did! After I told her I realized that a fashion glossary, complete with pictures, might be exactly what my blog needs.
Here it is: (many terms come from this source:http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/28252/A_to_Z_of_Fashion_Terms.htm)
I know it's really long, so if you're searching a certain term, try ctrl+f and then the term

A line: the shape of a dress or skirt that is narrower at the top (waist) and flares at the knees.

Accent: (piece or color) a feature that accentuates the look of the outfit or piece, ex. a touch of embroidery or color.
 In this case, the leopard-print jacket is the accent, making the otherwise bland black and white look.

Androgynous: a look that is not gender specific; a combination of both female and male traits.
 A fine example of this is womenswear; when women wear typically thought of as masculine suits.

Body-con: standing for “body-conscious,” this details a shirt or skirt that is form-fitting and clings tight to the body. It’s great for accentuating curves.
Not to give a shameless plug, but Love Culture has some great body-con dresses! Here’s a link: http://www.loveculture.com/Item/ItemDetailView.aspx?StyleId=1044877

Bubble Skirt: a “voluminous” skirt; used to be very trendy but is now falling out of the fashion scene.

Cap Sleeves: A short sleeve that fits tight to the shoulder and sits right on top of it; popular in wedding gowns.

Cigarette Pants: narrow pants that taper at the ankles. Super cute. Also called Drainpipe pants.
 My favorites are those from Urban Outfitters!  You can browse all their cigarette pants at this link:http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/search.jsp?q=cigarette+pants
I especially love these!
(You can buy those here: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=24945644&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS) 

Cowl Neck: a neckline of a dress or shirt with the material loosely falling down the front of the chest in folds. It could also hang in the back of the shirt or dress. I usually don’t like this trend.
 It’s more flattering for those above the age of 25.

Empire Waist: shirts and dresses can have this feature where the waistline is just below the bust. It is especially flattering for those with a smaller chest. This is super popular for prom and wedding dresses. This last prom season saw tons of this style.
          

Haute Couture: High fashion, extremely expensive pieces. Ex. Chanel and Armani. French for “high fashion.”

Kitten heels: the younger sister of stilettos; a short heel about 1 ½ - 2 inches high

LBD: stands for “Little Black Dress,” this is a classic and timeless short black dress that has been around for centuries.  It was first introduced by Coco Chanel and has been reinvented numerous times.

Mary Janes: a type of shoe styled after traditional children’s school shoes. Traditionally, it has a rounded toe and a flat heel, as well as a strop on the top of the foot.

Maxi Dresses: it always surprises me how many people don’t know what “maxi” is. It’s a dress that goes all the way down to the floor; same goes for maxi skirts.
 This is actually a trend report from June of 2007!

NYFW: anything in all caps ending in “FW” stands for a special location of a “fashion week” event. NYFW is New York Fashion Week. Another example is PFW for Paris Fashion Week. New York Fashion Week, since 2009 has been dubbed MBFW for “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week,” after the sponsor of the event.

Oxfords: Originally shoes for men, these are laced up shoes with small heels and typically a distinct pattern on the toe.
I love these, but I don't find them very comfortable. :( 

RTW/Pret-a-porter: these both mean “Ready to Wear,” for example a collection on the runway that is at a lower price and can be purchased immediately by the public without having to go through multiple fittings and paying an exorbitant price.
 Here’s a Marchesa RTW from the Fall 2012 collection

Ruching: a style of clothing stitching where the cloth gathers to create a more flattering effect. Perfect for anyone who wants to appear thinner.

Tube Top: a short top with no sleeves
                
Hope you find this helpful!

Talk to you later today!
Alix

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