Tag: Clothing

Clothing

The Very Basic Wardrobe List

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There have been so many posts, blogs and tv segments on your wardrobe.  There are capsule wardrobes, French influence wardrobe, monochrome wardrobes, and daily uniforms. I have always had a basic wardrobe list.  A good place to start to build any closet.  You can turn this into a capsule wardrobe or any other type of style you want.  What would you put in your basic wardrobe?

Here is my list:

Dark Jeans :I like that they look more dressed up.

Trench Coat: Classic style and practical.

Cardigan:

Button down shirt

Leather Jacket

Car coat

Suit

Pencil Skirt

Dress

T-shirt

I usually prefer one color.  For a long time it was black, then charcoal grey.  Currently, I seem to wear a lot of navy.  I think I would prefer all charcoal.  Unfortunately, there is not a lot of the things in that shade of grey. Do you have a basic foundation color?  What is it?    Have you tried a capsule wardrobe before? Let me know how it has gone.  I’ve been giving it some serious thought since I gained some significant weight from medication.  It’s so hard to find plus sized clothes that look good and I like.  Have you had any problems with clothing yourself?

Clothing

April Fashion Terms to Know

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It’s April and time for another installment of Fashion Terms to know.  I try to give definitions to common used and unique fashion items for your enjoyment.  You may think you know the definition but sometimes you may be surprised.  Enjoy!

Loom: A machine on which cloth is woven not knitted.  Yarns are raised and lowered to produce the desired weave.

Lycra: Trademarked by the DuPont company.  A filament spandex fiber.  Fabric is not 100% Lycra, used for stretch and recovery.

Macaroni: Not the pasta!  Pronounce Mack-a-roo-knee. Used to describe a fashionable man (the term used before Metrosexual) in the time of King George the third.  Refers to members of the Macaroni club formed in England.  The style of dress came later. Trademarks include tight clothing, colorful clothing, large boutonniere, enormous buckles and decorative buttons with a tricorn hat.  Remember the nursery rhyme “Yankee Doodle Dandy?”  A dandy is also another name for a Macaroni.  So when you get to the line “stuffed a feather in his hat and called him Macaroni.”  It’s not the pasta pronunciation but the clothing one!

Macrame: Two, three, four or more strands of cord, string or yarn knotted in groups to form patterns.  Popular in 1970’s to make clothing, and other accessories.

Made-To-Measure: Dress or suit made according to an individual’s measurement often with not fittings.

Magenta: Purplish-red color, first chemical dye to be used for dress fabrics.  Named after a town in Italy where it was developed.

Moire: A fabric finish that achieves a wave-like watered effect by heated rollers. A stiff fabric made with rayon, silk, acetate.  Used in evening fabrics.

Moleskin: A cotton fabric known for being durable and suede like in touch.  Made with a satin weave.

Pompadour Bag:  A drawstring bag in a round or oval shape that was common in the 1880’s and was made of velvet, satin or another fine fabric with floral embroidery and use of gold and silver thread.

Mackintosh Raincoat: Most commonly plastic yellow, a style of waterproof coat combined with a cape worn by Fire or police.  British slang also used for all raincoats.

Slicker: Also another type of raincoat commonly in a yellow hue.  It is made of oilskin or another rubber fabric and fastened with clips in the front.  First used by sailors and today commonly used in children’s coats.

Clothing

10 Fashion Words to Know

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Afternoon Dress: A term used to indicate type of dress suitable for a garden party or afternoon formal tea, includes a hat.

Bikini Chain: A belt of fine gold chain worn with bikini and hip exposing pants.  Origin in the 1960’s.

Bench Wig: Tightly curled wig with flaps that hang down over the ears.  Often seen worn by judges in Great Britain.

Betrothal Ring; A ring commonly used in the 16th century which was broken in half and each half given to the bride and the groom.

Go-Go Boots: A white boot that comes up to the calf on your leg.  Originally worn by Go-Go dancers.

Godet:  A triangular piece of fabric set into a skirt or sleeve to give fullness.

Gossamer: While it has multiple meanings it is most commonly used to refer to a veiling fabric made of silk.  Think of the phase “On gossamer wings.”

Herringbone: A pattern made of short slanting parallel lines adjacent to other rows that slant in the opposite direction.  Creates a V shape design.

Karat: Describes the quality of gold used in jewelry.  24K means gold with no alloys added, but often too soft for jewelry. Not to be confused with Carat which is used for weight of gemstones.

Legwarmers: Knitted leg covers which stretch from ankle to knee.  Was a huge fashion trends in the 80’s.

See you next month for more fashion terms!

 

Clothing

10 Fashion Terms to Know

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So many terms, so little time.  Here is this month’s installment of 10 Fashion Terms to know. Learning different fashion terms not only enables you to discuss fashion on a whole new level, but can give you new clothing ideas and a history lesson to boot.  Enjoy!

Aglet:  The plastic or metal tag at the end of a shoelace tip at the end of lacing.  Can be ornamental.  Used to join clothing in earlier periods.

A-line: A term created in 1955 by Christian Dior to describe the style of dress where the dress starts out close to the shoulders and then slowly falling away from the under arm area to the hem.  It resembles the letter A.

Alpaca: An animal that is related to camels but has a sheep like coat.  It is native to South America.  While related to the Llama, it should not be confused with it. It’s coat is used to spin yarn which has a lustrous sheen.

Bagheera: A fine uncut velvet characterized by short, close loops.  It is known to be crush resistant.

Bandanna: A scarf made of cotton, calico fabric on a red or blue background.

Blouson Blouse: A blouse that has fullness at the waist that is gathered into a band.

Bow Blouse: A blouse with a band around the neck with two long ends you can tie in a bow.

Gypsy Blouse: A blouse with a drawstring neckline and short or long sleeves that puff out.

Peplum: A shirt or jacket with a separate seam at waist to which a ruffle or circular piece cut on the bias is added for fullness. Can also be a blouse that is long and full with an elastic waistline.

Snake bracelet: A bracelet made in the form of a serpent coiled around the arm. Dates back to the ancient Greeks.

 

 

Clothing

10 Fashion Terms to know.

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It’s time for the monthly installment of ten fashion terms to know. Some of them are obscure, others common knowledge.  The fashion/clothing industry never disappoints and is always evolving.  Thus, making sure I will have endless words to define for you.

Basket Handbag- Originally a term used for a bag woven from reed to resemble a basket. Now may be made from a variety of materials but still resemble a basket.

Canteen Handbag- A bag in a circle shape that has a zipper and shoulder strap. Made to resemble a canteen used to carry water in desert climates.

Carpet Bag- A bag made of a patterned heavy fabric such as carpeting or tapestry in a large style.

Change Purse-A small bag that closes by a snap clasp on a rigid frame.  Usually carried inside of a handbag to hold coins.  Also called a coin purse.

Envelope Bag- A long narrow handbag made in the shape of a letter envelope.  Often it has no handles.

Feed Bag- A bag made of a cylindrical shape of leather or canvas materials.  Made to resemble a horse feed bag.  It copies the round flat bottom and top handles.

Knapsack-A bag made of heavy fabric, square shaped, with webbing that forms a handle. Originally used in hiking and now used for a school bag.

Manbag- Handbag, usually a shoulder bag style, carried by men.

Newsbag- A tote bag with a seperate section on the outside to slip in a magazine or newspaper.

Saddle bags- Two soft leather bags joined to a central strap.  Originally made to throw over a horse to carry provisions.

I hope you enjoyed the handbag themed fashion terms!

 

 

 

 

 

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Vintage vs Antique vs Retro

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Vintage, antique, retro, words we hear constantly.  We see them in store windows, on online postings and when grandma tells us about her candy dish from the world’s fair.  What does it all mean?  Many use the definitions as interchangeable words.  But are they?  Can misuse represent fraud?  It may not rise to that level hopefully, but it can create confusion.  So after looking at multiple sources and speaking with several people I hope the following can help you to know what you are looking at and what you should look for when shopping.

Vintage is the most common word that gets used for a variety of meanings.  Vintage is actually supposed to be used for wine only.  Yup, vintage refers to the year a wine is made.  It is not supposed to apply to anything else.  However, like everything in society, somethings don’t always follow what they are supposed to.  When the word vintage is used in conjunction with anything other than wine it is meaningless.  You will hear many people say that vintage means from 50 to 100 year old but not less than 20 years.  Having read in many chat rooms that this is the “common” usage.

What is antique?  An antique item is anything over 100 years old.  This is an industry standard.  Easy, and straightforward.

Then, that leaves retro.  What does retro mean?  Retro is imitative of a style, fashion, or design from the recent past.  Something that is outdated but becomes fashionable again. Remember bell bottoms?  They became popular again for a brief time in the 1990’s.  Retro can also apply to furniture, art and other forms of design and art.

I hope this brief tutorial helps you when shopping at your local flea market or on ebay.

 

 

Clothing

10 Fashion Terms To Know

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Each month I like to list ten different fashion terms and their meanings.  Sometimes, the terms are historical, some are modern, some are even no longer in use.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  There are so many things to know!

1. Shirting- A term for any of a number of fabrics used for men’s and women’s shirts such as broadcloth, chambray, madras, oxford, and poplin.

2. Secondary Line- A version of a company’s popular main line that is produced at a lower cost out of lower priced materials.

3. Ultramarine- Rich deep purple-blue color made from powdered lapis lazuli, or chemicals to reach the same color.

4. Tyrian Purple- Red-Purple Color originally obtained from shellfish found off the shores of Tyre in ancient Palestine.  It was reserved for royalty.

5. Bias Slip- A slip cut on the diagonal of the fabric to give a more body conscious fit, it can stretch to conform to the movements of the body.

6.Silk- Fiber from insects that is produced when they spin their cocoons (a silkworm).  It is strong, resilient and elastic.

7. Cocktail Ring-  A large, noticeable ring that can be real or costume.

8. Lapel Pin- A woman’s pin originally worn on the lapel of a suit.

9. Peignoir- A loose wrap or jacket and skirt set worn by a woman for informal bed clothes or coverings.

10. Millefiore- An Italian word that means thousands of flowers.  Used to describe a tiny flower print in clothing and jewelry.