Sources of new terminology
Names for new styles or fashions in clothing are frequently the deliberate inventions of fashion designers or clothing manufacturers; these include Chanel's Little Black Dress (a term which has survived) and Lanvin's robe de style (which has not). Other terms are of more obscure origin.
Personal names
Clothing styles are frequently named
after people
often with a military connection:
- The Garibaldi jacket and Garibaldi shirt were bright red woolen garments for women with black embroidery or braid and military details popular in the 1860s; they are named after the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi who visited England in 1863.
- The Eisenhower jacket is a waist-length, military jacket based on the World War II Army "Wool Field Jacket, M-1944" introduced by General Dwight Eisenhower.
Short forms
A notable trend at the turn of the twenty-first century is "cute" short forms: camisole becomes cami, hooded sweaters or sweatshirts become hoodies. Learn about college sweatshirts.
The much-older term shimmy for "slip" is most likely a false singular from chemise.
References
Oxford English Dictionary
Picken, Mary Brooks: The Fashion Dictionary, Funk and Wagnalls, 1957. (1973 edition ISBN 0308100522)