FASHION TERMINOLOGY YOU NEED TO KNOW

When I entered the fashion industry I was so puzzled with the fashion terms that were used so often. I read them in blogs, in product description and even by designers but I could never make sense of it. So I’ve picked a few commonly used words in the fashion industry to simplify it for you so when you read it you know what it means.

 

  • Haute Couture

The French term means high quality clothes made specially to fit an individual that is sewn by excellent artistry. The cost of an haute couture outfit is extremely high with their use of exclusive fabric. It is the most misused word in fashion because, for any designer to be called a couture house their business must belong to The Paris Chamber of Commerce, who own the rights to the word.


 

  • Label Vs Brand

A designer who creates their fashion collection in small scale and caters to a smaller crowd is called a label. A brand is larger and is more popular, nationally among people and usually caters to a big crowd. A label might be in the market only for a few years but a brand usually is more established and running from a long time.


 

  • Fashion Faux Pas

 

During fashion weeks you will often hear someone say that was a fashion faux pas moment. What does it mean? Well it means a fashion mistake, or fashion embarrassment usually occurred in public. The next time you spot a fashion blunder you know it’s a fashion faux pas.


 

  • Faux Fur

Very popularly used by high fashion and luxury brands these days, faux fur. The word ‘faux’ refers to artificial or an imitation. Hence when the fur is not real it is called faux fur, which is synthetically made and not extracted from a bird.


 

  • Avant – Garde

What do you call those crazy experimental outfits that you know can only be pulled off by a few and it’s not everybody’s business? Avant–Garde literally means new and experimental ideas. Lady Gaga’s OTT outfits are the perfect example of avant-garde fashion.


 

  • Pret

Pret, the French word means ready. It is commonly used in many industries like the food joint, Pret-a-Manger. In fashion pret obviously means ready to wear garments, the ones that are made for a mass crowd and are readily available in stores.


 

  • Passé

In the fashion industry when something is out of date and no more fashionable it’s called passé.  Super low waist jeans are a good example for this; thankfully they are not coming back in fashion anytime soon.

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