BASIC FASHION TERMINOLOGIES

It is so important to know basic terms and appropriate terminologies of fashion. In the workplace, you probably don’t wanna use casual words instead of using professional language. So, Let’s start here by learning these terms that will up your game!

Fashion Apparel Terminologies

The fashion industry of a country is a part of the global fashion industry. Here, the hierarchy of different departments of the Fashion Industry is put together below.

1. Haute Couture

Haute Couture is a French word that means “High Dressmaking”. This refers to a high quality of apparel fashioning techniques for custom clothing. Couture includes clothing, accessories, and Haute refers to a particular type. Each apparel is high quality, expensive, must be made with extreme attention and exclusive, that is Haute Couture. These are highly time-consuming, hand executed, made for special clients. Some famous French couture houses are Chanel, Christian Dior, Saint Laurent. 

2. Pret-A-Porter

Pret-A-Porter means ready-to-wear (RTW). This term refers that clothes being produced in standardized sizes as per order. Clothes are tailored to the specific measurements of the individual client. As these clothing are made in limited quantities, exclusivity exists, and therefore these are also highly-priced. Fashion houses also organize events for RTW collections of each season are known as Fashion week. Fashion weeks are bi-annual: Spring-Summer or Autumn-Winter seasons. Such Fashion houses are Polo by Ralph Lauren, Miu Miu by Miuccia Prada, Indian brands like AND by Anita Dongre, Label by Ritu Kumar, which are examples of designer prêt-à-porter.

3. Mass Fashion

Mass Fashion items are created for a wide range of customers as the name suggests. Design houses here make their version of products at a lower price. These brands may use cheaper fabrics and non-quality items comparatively than Haute Couture for faster production and keep the price low. These mass fashion brands are H&M in Sweden, Zara in Spain.

4. Avant Grade

The French word Avant Grade means “Advance Guard” which refers to experimental and drastic work that extends boundaries of widely accepted designs. Avant Grade is seen in the movies, dramas, arts, and significantly in fashion shows. Avant Grade outfaces the norms and consciously drifts from common to illustrate an extraordinary path of extreme innovation that questions and combats mainstream aesthetics. The examples are  Barbara Gongini’s, Carol Christian Poell’s,  Amit Aggarwal’s designs.

5. Bespoke

Bespoke is made-to-measure tailored suits for men, also called bespoke suits. Bespoke menswear is customized for the individual client keeping sharp attention to the high quality of fabrication. These are usually expensive. Some of the best bespoke tailors in the world are British bespoke tailors. Savile Row in London is a professed place for the best bespoke tailoring and is the byword for unbeaten quality.

6. Vouge

A very particular style is said to be in vogue. Which means in style. In the Cambridge dictionary, Vouge is defined as “The state of being popular, stylish, fashionable for some time”. So, be Vogue 😉

7. Knock Off

Knock-off means a copy of another brand but not with the original label. Knock Off or Counterfeit is a dummy version of clothing, accessories, footwear of popular brands to confuse consumers. These are unauthorized cheap products sold mainly on footpaths. There are many examples of these kinds of Knock-Off designs. Lakme cosmetics, Maybelline, even Luis Vuitton handbags are available in the knock-off markets.

8. Silhouette

Silhouette means the basic outline or shape of an outfit. Some common silhouettes are discussed below.

• A-line: This is a one-piece outfit that flares out gently from the waist up to the length.
• H-line: This silhouette is a rectangular-shaped one-piece. The dress will be straight hanging from shoulder to end of the length, often with a detailed waistline.
• Y-line: This silhouette is the inverted version of an A-line dress. Y-line dresses have a wider, patterned shoulder or collar and fitted bodies.
• Empire line: In an outfit, a fitted bodice end just below the bust line, which adds a high waist look to the outfit.
• Mermaid: The silhouette of a mermaid style dress is, it will be all fitted from the shoulder up to below of the knee, and then it will be dramatically flared at the down. In a full-length garment, the silhouette is fitted up to the knee.
• Sheath: The silhouette of a sheath-style garment that is a slim fit from top to down. It subtly accentuating the natural contours of the body.
• Shift: This is a knee-length dress with a body-skimming silhouette that has more ease at the bust, waist, and hips.

Fashion (Business) Terminologies

1. Fashion Seasons

Fashion collections are presented in Fashion weeks like Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter. The Spring-Summer fashion season starts in January and runs till June. The Fall-Winter fashion season starts from July, runs till December. These two seasons can also be extended into four seasons. Existing two, additionally Resort and Pre-Fall. In Paris, London, New York fashion weeks, fashion professionals come from all over the world to see designs planned for the next seasons. After this buyers decide what to buy for their stores. As per the order the fashion brands need to produce.

2. Fashion Forecasting

Fashion forecasting is a highly professional way to find out or predict upcoming trends for different seasons and occasions. Some of the Forecasters are WGSN, Nelly Rodi, Trendshop, etc. Fashion forecasting predicts trends next two years that help small businesses for the upcoming seasons.

Fashion (Consumers) Terminologies

1. Fashion Influencers

Fashion agents, leaders, influencers are those who adopt or create a particular style first before it spreads. They inspire, influence the opinions of the public, and encourage them to buy. Influencers can be a celebrity, fashion leaders, supermodel even a blogger, Instagrammer, or YouTubers who has an adequate amount of traffic.

2. Fashion Followers

Those who follow Fashion leaders, influencers are Fashion followers. Fashion followers always try to be in trends so they adopt exactly what is promoted by influencers.

3. Fashion Victims

In the fashion followers category, some people slavishly follow trends without thinking about how it looks on them. And they are Fashion victims.

In the modern era, we should always remember to be ourselves. Following the fashion out of your comfort zone, irrespective of your style will make you Fashion Victim, not a fashion follower.

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That's all for today! I hope you liked it(❁´◡`❁)

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