Clothes

Let’s start with clothes. Whenever we say ladies’ clothes, the first thing that comes into our mind is a dress. We all know what a dress is, right? And there are mini, midi and maxi dresses.

When it comes to styles there are a lot of them: sheered, raffled, ruched, high neck, cold shoulder, tie neck, fitted and so on.

        If you’re not the dress type, you can wear a skirt and those come in mini, midi and maxi too.

The main styles you can find a skirt are:  

Pencil - the formal knee-length skirt which ladies often wear in the office.

Hem - is a more casual style.

Pleated - made of lots of pleats/folds.

Knitted – made of knitted yarn.

Wrap around – it comes as a big piece which you have to wrap around your waist to form a skirt.

Ruched – in tight elastic folds.

Ruffle – with strips of material gathered on one side to give extra details.

      Some of my students think that suit is a word only used for menswear, but it’s not. Women wear suits too. Of course, they are more feminine, and they come in different combinations, like:

Trousers + blazer = Suit

Shorts + blazer = Suit

Skirt + blazer = Skirt suit

Blazers are very popular these days and you can wear them as a part of a suit or with more casual clothes like a t-shirt and jeans. Here are some styles of blazers:

Tailored blazer- fitted, it hugs your figure.

Oversized blazer – looks too big, too loose, even though you got the right size on because it’s styled that way.

Double-breasted blazer – it has buttons on each side of the blazer.

 Buckle blazer – has buckles instead of buttons.

Trousers for ladies could be worn as a part of a formal or informal outfit. It all depends on the style of the trousers and what you wear them with. Here are some popular styles:

Cigarette - very straight and slim.

Tapered - reduced in thinnest at the end.

Wide leg – wide and straight cut.

Skinny - very tight fitted.

Flared – when the wideness is increased towards the end.

Shorts are short trousers which could be:

Buckled - have a buckle at the waist.

Belted – have a belt at the waist.

Bermudas – casual knee-length shorts.

Jeans are probably the most popular clothes on the planet. They are made of denim and they are often called denim jeans. Here are some styles:

 Straight – the wideness of the legs is the same, it’s just straight.

Skinny – figure-hugging.

Flared – wider at the bottom.

Ripped /distressed – intentionally torn to give that worn-out look.

Mom jeans – Ideal jeans for moms, just a little bit loose and comfortable.

High-waisted, mid-rise, low-rise are three expressions you must know if you ever buy jeans online.

Leggings – The most comfortable piece of clothing ever.

Jegging – something between jeans and leggings. They look like jeans but are comfortable like leggings.

Joggers/ tracksuit bottoms- they are loungewear or exercise wear.

 Tops

Top is a general word for things you wear on the upper part of your body. Here are a few tops ladies wear.

Vest – simple, sleeveless top.

Fitted bodysuit – a tight top that hugs your figure and fastens between your legs.

 REMEMBER!

A T-shirt and a shirt are very different.

A shirt must have a collar( that extra piece around your neck), otherwise, it is a blouse.

A t-shirt is a short-sleeved top, usually made of cotton and very comfortable and casual, but a shirt can be very smart.

So, a shirt with short sleeves is not a t-shirt, it’s a short-sleeved shirt.

Blouse –  it's very similar to a shirt, but it doesn’t have a collar and it’s a more feminine version of a shirt. You can find them in different styles, like:

High neck – which goes all the way up to your neck. Suitable for colder days.

 Tie-neck – has two longer pieces on each side tied together to make an elegant bow for extra detail.

Cold shoulder – there are holes around your shoulders, so your shoulders are visible.

Ruffled – with pieces hanging loosely for extra details around the neck, on the sleeves, or anywhere on the top.

 Cropped – noticeably shorter in length.

  Also rushed, sleeveless and so on. Men DO NOT wear blouses.

Warmer tops

Hoodie- it has a hood( a piece of material attached to the top to cover your head)

Sweatshirt – very similar to a hoodie, but it does not have a hood.

Jumper and cardigan- Nice thick winter tops. Cardigan is usually with buttons and it’s easy to put on over a dress or a shirt.

Tights – when it comes to tights denier is the word you need to know because that’s how you can understand how thick the tights are.

20 denier - very sheer and see-through.

60 denier - thick and not see-through.

120 + denier materials are used for a corset or extra thick shaping tights.

Socks

Trainer socks – socks usually worn with trainers. They have the same length as the trainers, so you can’t see them.

Ankle socks – come up to your ankle.

Knee-high socks – long socks up to your knee.

Fluffy socks – lovely warm winter socks.

Underwear

Pants( panties) are the underwear that we wear under our trousers, and different styles have different names: knickers, briefs, brazilians, thongs or G-strings, etc.

 Bra – underwear used to support of cover women’s breasts. Here are some styles: push-up bra, strapless bra, wired bra, padded bra, sports bra, maternity bar, etc.

Nightwear

Pyjamas – comfortable sets of bottoms and tops worn in bed.

Kimonos – long, loose clothing tied around your waist.

Nightgown – nightwear in a form of a dress.

Bathrobe or robe?

A robe is a long, loose garment we use to wear on the top of our pyjamas and a BATHrobe is the same thing, but made out of similar material to a towel, so we use that when we walk out of the shower.

Shoes

Shoes – is the general name used for anything you wear on your feet, but here are some more specific names for shoes.

Flat shoes – Shoes that have no heels like ballerinas, plimsolls, loafers, etc.

Sports shoes - trainers/running shoes.

Boots – ankle, biker boots, knee-high, over the knee, etc

Wedges – shoes that have a sole in the form of a wedge.

Sandals – footwear we wear in the summer.

Heels - footwear with a heel, such as high heels, chunky heels, court shoes, etc.

Slippers – comfortable slip-on footwear we usually wear around the house.

Coats and jackets

Jacket  -  Leather jacket, denim jacket.

Blaser – the jacket we usually wear as a part of a suit, but it could be worn with jeans or a dress too.

Coat- padded, gilet, puffer,  quilted,

Parka or raincoat (coat we wear when it rains).

Shacket – there are words in the clothing industry that come and go, it could be just the trend of the moment, but a shacket has been the word of last winter’s trend and it looks like they are not going anywhere this year too, so a shacket =shirt + jacket – it’s a jacket that looks like a thick shirt.

Accessories

Bag/handbag – The accessory we try to match with our shoes, which carries our most valuable things, like our phones, purse, keys, and so on.

Scarves- are pieces of material we use to tie our hair -headscarves, or to wrap it around our neck in the winter - winter scarves.

Gloves – are what we use to keep our hands warm in the winter. They could be woolen or leather gloves.

Hat-is an accessory we use to protect our faces from the sun – sunhat or a cap, to keep our head warm in the winter- beany and other hats used as a fashion item or as part of a uniform.

Purse – where we keep our money and cards. ( wallets are for men) 

Belt – what we use to keep our trousers in place or wear over our dress for some detail.

Watch – is a kind of clock we wear on our wrists.

Necklace /bracelet– is the accessory we wear around our necks and our wrists to complete our look.

Rings/Earrings – accessories we wear on our fingers and our ears.

Choker - the little necklace that comes around your neck and you feel like it is choking you, is called chokers. (English is quite straightforward)

Sunglasses – are multitaskers. I use them to keep my hair off my face, like a hairband rather than to protect my eyes. This is wrong, but it all started from my first crush telling me that my eyes were too pretty to cover with cheap sunglasses.

Adjectives to describe clothes

Baggy/ loose – too big, not tight enough

Comfy – comfortable, clothes that are not too tight or too short.

Casual/ everyday clothes – clothes like jeans, t-shirt, sweaters, etc.

Smart – more formal wear like shirts, blazers, suits, etc.,

Wide fit – describes clothes that come wider than normal. It’s a term often used for shoes – wide-fit shoes.

Plus size  (clothes of sizes larger than those found in standard ranges)

Petite ( for ladies 1.62cm tall or shorter)

Maternity – clothes suitable to wear during the pregnancy.

 Mini-me and twinning are terms that are being used in the fashion industry to describe the identical outfits that you can get for yourself and your little one.  Different brands call them differently, but these two are very popular.

Materials

Denim, leather, faux leather – artificial weather, wool, cotton, silk, sheer mesh nylon( very thin see-through material, lace, suede, etc.

Patterns

 Plain, plaid, checked, polka dots, stripes, patterned, colour blocks, floral print, leopard print, tartan, etc.

Now that you know a lot of new words to describe what someone is wearing do you know how you could use them together? Which one goes first?

The order of adjectives

      Opinion – beautiful, stunning, awful, nice, cute.

      Size / length- short, long, small, extra large.

      Colour/pattern – black, white, beige, nude, floral print, polka dots.

      Material - leather, suede, cotton, silk, lace.

      Type/style – mini, midi, pencil, high heeled, buckled, oversized, ruffled.

      Noun – dress, shirt, top, shoes.

She was wearing a beautiful red lace mini dress, stunning suede ankle boots and a cute little leather bag.

 When we want to talk about what someone is wearing in English we use present continuous tense.

 I'm wearing a long dress, my favourite high heels and a blazer.

I'm not wearing any tights because it's hot but I'm wearing a lot of accessories. I'm wearing a pair of earrings, a big chunky necklace and a belt that matches my dress.

 I love the skirt you're wearing today.

Verbs and phrases 

Verbs and phrasal verbs that you must know that are related to clothes are to put on (to wear), to take off (remove your clothes), to try on ( wear it to see if it fits), to return ( taking clothes back to the shop after buying them), to exchange ( changing the clothes you have bought for a bigger, smaller size, or a completely different clothing item) to borrow( wear someone else's clothes for a special event)  to rent ( hire an outfit for an event), to fit (to be the right size ), to suit( to look good on you) to order ( to request something)  to purchase( to buy).

And some more important vocabulary related to clothes.

Alternations - adjustment, reshaping, remodeling. If you’re anything like me, you need this service every time you buy new jeans or a long dress. They just happen to be longer than I need them. In the UK some brands offer alternations for free on their products, but you can also find this service at the dry-cleaners.

Dry-cleaners– dry cleaners are shops where you can pay to get your clothes washed, dried and ironed.

Laundry  - washing, drying, ironing, sorting and putting the clothes back in the wardrobe is known as doing laundry.

Before you go

Here are some idioms that use clothes vocabulary. 

Wear the trousers – be in charge

Who wears the trousers in your family?

 Tighten the belt – cut the spending.

We must tighten our belt this month. Your birthday cost us a fortune.

At the drop of a hat – without notice in advance.

My mum is always happy to babysit for us at the drop of the hat.

Below the belt – beyond what is fair or acceptable.

Telling everyone my secret was a hit below the belt.

Fit like a glove – fits perfectly.

How is it? Great! It fits like a glove.

Birthday suit – wearing exactly what you were wearing when you were born.

She was wearing her birthday suit. 

Put my thinking hat on- think long and hard to solve a problem.

We’re stuck here. What are we going to do? Don’t worry! I’ve got my thinking hat on.

Take one’s hat off – show respect and honour them.

I take my hat off to my friend for raising four kids.

Do not forget!  You're never fully dressed without a SMILE!