Categories of clothing terminology

At its broadest, clothing terminology may be said to include names for:

Classes of basic garments: shirt, coat, dress, suit, underwear

Contemporary and historical styles of garments: frock coat, t-shirt, doublet

Parts of garments: sleeve, collar, lapel

Styles of these: juliette sleeve, Peter Pan collar

Clothing details: pocket, french cuff, zipper

Traditional garments: cheongsam, kilt, dirndl

Fashions and "anti-fashions": preppy, New Look, hip-hop, rational dress

fabrics: denim, wool

Colors and dyes: madder red, indigo, isabella

Sewing terms: cut, hem, armscye, lining

Patternmaking terms: sloper

Methods of manufacture: haute couture, bespoke tailoring, ready-to-wear

Retailers' terms:

• Size ranges: missy, plus size, big-and-tall
• Retail seasons: back-to-school, holiday, resort
• Departments: special occasion, sportswear, bridge fashion
• Degrees of formality: formal wear, bridal, business casual

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.

• The cardigan is a knitted jacket or button-front sweater created to keep British soldiers warm in Russian winters. It is named for James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, who led the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War (1854).

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.

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)