Come across some unfamiliar fashion terms? Since everything in fashion is recycled during one season or the next, you might be surprised when an old phrase is used on a new trend. Scroll down the list! Chances are every important fashion term has been covered. If not, please let me know!

A-line: A skirt or dress which flares from the waist or bust, forming an ‘A’ shape.
Alpaca: formerly made from the wool of alpaca. Today it describes a rayon crepe fabric.
Angora: hair of the Angora goat or rabbit. It is usually mixed with fabrics such as wool and used for knitwear.
Appliqué: a technique of creating surface decoration by stitching or gluing motifs, trimmings or other fabric onto the ground fabric.
Argyle: a block of diamond patterns, commonly seen on knitwear.
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Baguette: a precious stone cut in an oblong shape with facets.
Bandeau: a strapless bodice, usually made from stretch fabric.
Barathea: a fine woolen cloth used for suiting.
Barege: fine, silky gauze, usually made from silk and wool. Usually used for veils and headdresses.
Batiste: a term for a fine, sheer, lightweight fabric made from cotton or linen.
Bias-cut: fabric construction in which panels are cut across the grain, 45 to the edge of the cloth, giving it natural elasticity and drape.
Boat/bateau neck: straight, boat-shaped neckline extending from shoulder to shoulder with the same depth at front and back.
Boater: a simple circular hat with a flat top and brim. Bolero jacket: waist-length jacket open in front, with or without sleeves.
Boot-cut: trousers cut slightly wider at the hem that can be worn over boots.
Bouclé: French for ‘buckled’ or ‘curled’. A fabric of yarn, which has a looped or knotted surface.
Box pleat: a pleat consisting of two parallel creases turned inwards towards each other.
Braid: a narrow, decorative band used for trimming or binding.
Brocade: a heavy dress and furnishing fabric woven with a jacquard loom, in which all-over patterns of flowers and foliage are raised from the surface cloth.
Broderie Anglaise: a type of traditional embroidery consisting of petal shapes and eyelet holes cut out and finished with buttonhole stitching at the edges.
Bugle beads: long, tubular-shaped glass beads in black, white or silver often used as dress trimming.
Bust bodice: a heavily boned, padded and taped undergarment based on the camisole that was replaced by the bra.
Bustier: a close-fitting, boned bodice.
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Cable knit: a raised knitted pattern resembling twisted rope or cable.
Caftan: a rectangular-cut, ankle-length garment with a front opening and side splits. At times it has a cummerbund.
Calico: a coarse cotton fabric named after the city and port.
Camel hair: fabric made from the soft undercoat of the camel.
Camisole: formerly an undergarment, based on the bodice, with fine stripes, it is now also worn as an outer garment. Generally made from lightweight silky fabrics and often trimmed with lace or ribbon.
Capri pants: close-fitting trousers that taper to the mid-calf.
Cashmere: the undercoat hair of the Kashmir goat, an expensive fiber often mixed with wool to reduce its cost.
Challis: a lightweight, soft woven fabric usually made from a blend of wool, cotton and rayon. Mainly used as a dress fabric.
Chamois: supple, fine, yellow-hued leather from the skin of the chamois goat, used for gloves.
Charmeuse: lustrous lightweight fabric made from synthetic or silk fabrics of satin weave.
Chenille: made of silk, rayon, cotton or wool, the yarn can be knitted or woven. It has protruding, velvety tufts.
Chiffon: a lightweight, gossamer-sheer fabric, printed or dyed, made of silk or synthetic fibers.
Chinoiserie: an embroidered or brocaded pattern showing Chinese motifs or qualities.
Circular cut: a skirt or cape pattern piece cut in one curve or circle.
Cloche: a soft, felt hat with a deep crown and narrow brim occasionally pushed back to frame the eyes.
Cloque: treated fabric with a blistered surface appearance, obtained by weaving a double-cloth consisting of yarns with varying degrees of shrinkage.
Cravat: a scarf tied round the neck in front with its ends tucked inside a shirt.
Crepe: a fabric given crinkled texture. Made of silk, cotton, rayon or wool. It has a draping quality that makes it suitable for most formal day dresses or eveningwear.
Crepe de chine: very soft China silk crepe.
Satin-back crepe: crepe fabric with a smooth satin surface on the reverse side.
Cut velvet: a variation of velvet, where the pile pressed in one direction to create a lustrous, smooth appearance.
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Décolleté: a deep neckline revealing the cleavage, neck and shoulders.
Devoré: a technique used on velvet to create a patterned.
Diamanté: fake jewels or decoration that imitate the sparkle of diamonds.
Dolman sleeve (Batwing): a wide sleeve cut in one piece with the bodice, creating a deep armhole that reaches from the waist to a narrowed wrist.
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Emo: short for emotional, it is a style of hardcore punk. For males and females, is stereotyped with tight jeans, long fringe bangs, dyed balck, straight hair, tight t-shirts that often have emo band names, studded belts, canvas sneakers, and thick, black horn-rimmed glasses.

Empire line: where the skirt gathers underneath the breasts, a low neckline and occasionally tiny, puffed sleeves.
Epaulette: a decoration on the shoulder of a jacket, originated from military jackets.
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Faconne: French for ‘fancy weave’; patterned fabrics with scattered motifs or patterns woven into the cloth.
Faille: close woven cotton, rayon or silk with a slight sheen, identified by the rib effect in the cross grain of the fabric.
Fedora: felt hat with a tapered crown and medium-sized brim, and a centre crease.
Fichu: small lace scarf or shawl knotted loosely around the shoulders with the points falling onto the chest.
Foulard: a soft, twill weave silk used for making plain or printed scarves.
Frogging: a decorative fastening of long, braided or corded loops and buttons.
Frieze: a warm, coarse woollen fabric with a shaggy or ‘friezed’ pile for jerkins and overcoats.
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Gabardine: hardwearing twill worsted fabric.
Gauze: a thin, sheer fabric, made of cotton, silk, linen or rayon.
Gingham: a checked, striped or solid color cotton fabric of plain weave, using pre-dyed yarns.
Gossamer: extremely fine gauze or silk fabric.
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Jacquard: a raised motif weave.
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Khadi: handspun Indian cotton yarn, or rough-surfaced Indian paper.
Kid leather: leather made form the skin of a baby goat.
Kimono: a Japanese garment formed by a wrap over, chinoiserie satin or silk gown with extremely long sleeve cuffs, fastened by an obi.
Kimono Sleeve: Extremely wide sleeves, with long cuffs. The seams run on the outer and inner edge of your arm.
Kitten heel: a low sculpture heel curved sharply inward along the sides and back, then flared slightly at the base.
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Lamé: any fabric interwoven with (not necessarily real) gold or silver threads.
Leatherette: imitation leather, produced by treating cloth to produced the grain and texture of real hide.
Loafer: tailored low-heeled slip-on shoe fashioned after moccasins.
Lounge suit: an informal, plain style suit with no waist seam, single or double-breasted.
Louise heel: named after Louis XIV of France. Refers to the method of making the sole and heel in one section. Otherwise known as a thick heel, often covered, that curves in at the mid-section before flaring out.
Lurex: metallic thread that can be woven into fabric for a shimmer effect. It is produced in various colors by thinly coating plastic sheets with aluminum on both sides.
Lycra: two way and three way stretch fabric.
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Mantilla comb: a Spanish hair decoration in the shape of a high tortoiseshell or ivory comb with four very long teeth.
Mantle: a loose cloak or wrap, usually without sleeves.
Matte jersey: plain or ribbed fabric with a dull surface as it is knitted from crepe yarns.
Melozine: a rabbit-hair fabric, with a texture similar to camelhair.
Mesh: a woven fabric made semi-transparent by its open-mesh texture.
Microfibre: very fine synthetic fiber, approximately sixty times finer than human hair.
Minaudière: small metal evening bag. Usually set with jewels or hand-engraved and carried either in the hand or on the short chain.
Mohair: fiber from the hair of the Angora goat, usually mixed with cotton, silk or wool to produce a distinctively hairy texture.
Moiré: a fabric with a gleaming water ripple effect, made of silk or synthetic silk.
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Obi: a traditional wide Japanese kimono belt, usually made of embroidered or brocaded silk or satin.
Ombre: weaving term for fabric woven or painted, with graduated hues of color.
Organdie: sheerest plain-weave muslin fabric made of 100% cotton yarn that has been stiffened slightly.
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Pailette: a metal or plastic circular spangle, slightly larger than a sequin. Used as a trimming for evening clothes and accessories.
Palazzo pajamas: loose evening trousers that resemble pajamas.
Parachute silk: a light, airy, tightly woven silk used for ultra-light summer clothes. Formerly used for parachute canopies.
Pin-tuck: technique where the fabric is pinched vertically or horizontally and the pinch sewn into a fine, uniform, decorative fold.
Pique: a firm silk or more commonly cotton fabric, used for shirts, which gives a ribbed or corded effect.
Poncho: a square of woolen fabric worn as a cape with a neck opening in the centre.
Prince of Wales check: wool fabric that consists of black check against off-white, with a larger windowpane over check in red or blue.
Princess line: cut of women’s clothing defined by continuous vertical panels shaping the waist, and lengthening through the torso without a waistline seam.
Pump: a simple, low-cut, flat show without fastenings.
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Raglan sleeve: a full sleeve that extends to the neckline instead of stopping at the top of the arm.
Ready-to-wear: designer clothes manufactured in a range of sizes, colors and shapes.
Reefer jacket: double-breasted, thigh-length boxy jacket with a small collar, thin lapels and three or four sets of brass buttons.
Retro: a term used to describe a trend or culture of the past.

Robe de style: a dress with a tight fitting bodice, an ankle- or floor- length bouffant skirt, and short or non-existent sleeves.
Ruching: a technique or tightly crimping lace or gauze causing it to ruffle on both sides. Used as trimming or to add a decorative texture to a fabric.
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Satin: fabric made of silk, rayon or synthetic silk fibers, closely woven to give it its distinctive sheen.
Duchesse satin: a thick, heavy, extremely glossy satin, suitable for formal evening gowns.
S-curve: female silhouette of the Edwardian period. A corset was developed to push out the bust and derriere, leaving a tiny waist and forcing the wearer’s figure into an imposing ‘S’.
Sheath dress: a figure hugging, straight, ankle-length evening dress, popularized by film stars in the 1920s and 1930s.
Shibori: a varied fabric-making technique, generally used in Japan, combining tie-dye, stitching and pleat-resistance.
Shawl collar: a long, continuous collar, without peaks or notches, that wraps around the coats, dress or blouse it is attached to like a shawl.
Silk gazar: stiffened organza used mainly in evening dresses.
Slip dress: a silky, lightweight dress with fine straps resembling and undergarment.
Smoking jacket: a type of lounge jacket in brocade, velvet or other dark-colored fabric, trimmed in braid. Spangles: tiny pieces of metal designed to catch the light and used as fabric decoration.
Stove pipe/cigarette legs: straight legged, ankle length fitted pants.
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Taffeta: Plain, closely woven stiff silk fabric that is slightly lustrous.
Toggle: a wooden button secured to the cloth by a cord loop, which is pushed through another cord loop on the opposite edge for fastening. A common feature on duffle coats.
Toile: a calico or muslin mock-up of a garment.
Toque: a small, round, brimless woman’s hate, made of jersey or any other fabric that drapes well.
Trilby: soft, felt hat of Alpine shape, with a plush-like texture, a dented crown and a flexible brim.
Tulle: a very soft silk, cotton or synthetic net.
Tussore: a type of wild, strong silk that includes pongee and shantung. It is made from the tussah silkworm of India.
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Ultra suede: synthetic suede fabric of polyester and polyurethane mix which is crease resistant and machine washable.
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Vichy check: chequered fabric woven with two different colored threads, made of cotton or linen.
Voile: a sheer, semi-transparent, plain fabric of a right weave, made from cotton, silk, rayon or wool.
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Wedged heel: a heel merged into the sole in one graduated shoe layer, flat on the ground from heel to toe. Can be made of wood, cork or rubber.
Windsor knot: a fat, complex knot that juts out from the throat, best worn with a cutaway shirt collar.
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Yoke: a fitted portion of a garment covering the back between the shoulders, or an extended waistband curving downwards.