Fashion Terms — the Apparel Search fashion terminology directory
This section contains concepts and terms that are of interest to members of the apparel industry, fashion industry or textile industry. The goal of this area is to provide information formatted around key topics of interest to the industry in which we work, as well as to the ultimate consumer of fashion products. On this page, you will find areas of interest that begin with the letter “S”. The S terms cover garment making (seamstress, size specs, shade lots), fabrics and finishes (selvage denim, sequins, silver antimicrobial fabric, smart fabrics), retail and resale (sample sales, second hand fashion, specialty stores), and style topics from silhouettes and skater clothing to social media and sneaker NFTs. A second S page continues the list from spaghetti straps to synthetic fibers.
This section contains concepts and terms that we feel are of interest to members of the apparel industry, fashion industry or textile industry.
The goal of this area is to provide you with information that is formatted around key topics of interest to the industry in which we work as well as ultimate consumer of fashion products.
On this page, you will find areas of interest that begin with the letter "S".
The S entries fall into a few natural groups. The making group explains how clothing gets produced and checked: a seamstress sews, alters and repairs garments; size specs are the specification sheets that tell a factory the measurements, points of measure and sewing instructions for bulk production; and shade lots are the color variances that can appear between rolls of dyed fabric and have to be caught in inspection. Closely related are the detail and fabric terms — smile pockets on western shirts, spaghetti straps, sequins used as embellishment, selvage denim woven on shuttle looms, silver antimicrobial fabric that resists odor-causing microbes, and smart fabrics with electronics or responsive properties built in.
A second group belongs to retail and the business of selling clothing. Sample sales clear the samples designers and manufacturers produce during development; second hand fashion covers thrift shops, consignment stores and resale marketplaces; specialty stores and specialty chain stores focus on one category in depth; and the three social pages — social media, social bookmarking and social fashion shopping — describe how fashion is discovered, saved and bought online. Super Saturday sales and supply chain speed continue on the second S page.
The remaining S pages are about getting dressed. Silhouettes are the outlines garments make on the body, from A-line to oversized. Shapewear is the foundation garment category that smooths and controls the figure. Shackets combine a shirt and a jacket, shower slippers protect feet in shared showers, sock sizes translate between shoe sizes and alpha sizes, and seasonal transitions describe how wardrobes rotate through spring, summer, fall and winter. Skater clothing, skate shoes and sleeper fashion cover style movements, while sense of fashion explains the personal judgment that ties an outfit together.
The first S page covers sample sales, seamstress, seasonal transitions of clothing, second hand fashion, selvage denim, sense of fashion, sequins, sexy clothing, shackets, shade lot color variances, shapewear, shower slippers, silhouettes, silver antimicrobial fabric, size specs, skater fashion, skate shoes, sleeper fashion, smart fabrics, smile pockets, sneaker NFTs, social bookmarking, social fashion shopping, social media, and sock sizes — each reachable from the term list on this page. A second S page adds spaghetti straps through synthetic fibers.
Every S term has its own page with a definition and explanation written for the apparel, fashion and textile industries. The list on this page links to each of them, the More S Fashion Terms link reaches the second S page, and the Fashion Terms Directory links onward to the other letter directories.
The terms are written for members of the apparel, fashion and textile industries and for consumers of fashion products who want a plain explanation of an industry concept.