Day to day fashion

Vocabulary and expressions

1. Fashionista- a devoted follower of fashion

“Lila is a fashionista who loves to go shopping for the latest styles, trends and
accessories.”

2. Fashionable, stylish, trendy, chic - popular at a particular time; having a special

quality that makes a person or thing seem different and attractive

“I like your haircut - it's very chic”

“He writes for some trendy magazine for the under-30s.”

3. Unfashionable, old-fashioned -not modern or popular;belonging to or typical of a

time in the past

“They paid less for the house because it was in an unfashionable part of town”
“She's very old-fashioned in her outlook.”
“ He's very old-fashioned and thinks that women should not work outside the home.”

4. Frumpy-(of a person or their clothes) old-fashioned and not attractive

“In the color episodes, she discards her frumpy wardrobe and steps into more stylish
attire”

5. Fashion faux pas- a significant or embarrassing error or mistake; one of the

biggest sartorial sins one can make when getting dressed. Whether it's wearing
something that should be ironed, well, unironed, or allowing your underwear to show
through your outfit, a fashion faux pas can ruin an otherwise on-point outfit. ( by
MarieClair Fashion Magazine)
“Normally, turning up to a big style event in the same outfit would be a major fashion faux
pas”
“I have in the past made such fashion faux pas, but not any more.”
“Some would call it a fashion faux pas (we're not even going to mention the colour —
turquoise), others a compliment — great minds and all that.”

6. In style, in fashion-popular and considered to be attractive at the time in

question;popular or fashionable.

“Short skirts are currently in fashion”

7. Go out of style -to no longer be trendy or fashionable

“If skinny jeans ever go out of style, I'll have no pants to wear.”
“I'm sorry, Grandma, but shag carpeting has definitely gone out of style.”

8. Have a sense of style-to be aware of what is tasteful or fashionable

“These guys have a sense of style to make a man weep(cry) — high boots, poncho, beret,
and a nasty silver knife hidden in the belt”
“She had a chic sense of style”
“It ‘s important that they find their sense of style”

9. Trend-a new development in clothing, make-up, etc.

“Whatever the latest fashion trend, you can be sure Nicki will be wearing it.”
“The trend at the moment is for a more natural and less made-up look.”

10. Trend setter-a person, organization, etc. that starts new fashions, especially in
clothes; having the effect of starting or helping to popularize a new trend, fashion, style,
movement, etc.

“Although celebrities are known and admired for their sense of style and trendsetting
taste, there's a fine line between appreciation and appropriation that social media users
continually debate, define and defend.”
“A trendsetter in cartooning, he has won several awards.”
11. Fad, craze- a style, activity, or interest that is very popular for a short period of
time;

“There was a fad for wearing ripped jeans a few years ago.”
“The craze for healthy foods has become big business.”
“Cycling shorts were the latest craze that year.”

12. Must have-a must-have product is a fashionable one that a lot of people want to
own.

“The iPod quickly established itself as a must-have device.”

“The brand's style is geometric and sober, sophisticated yet urban, with some lasting
characteristics such as black dresses, must-have bags and the use of bows.”

13. Make a fashion statement- clothes that you wear or something else that you own
in order to attract attention and show other people the type of person you are.

“I thought I'd be bold and make a fashion statement.”

“The shape, color, and design can denote social position or ethnic affiliation or may
simply be a fashion statement.”

14. Apparel, attire, wear-clothes of a particular type when they are being sold in a
shop; clothes, especially of a particular or formal type.

“sports apparel”
“The store specializes in plus-size apparel”
“I hardly think jeans are appropriate attire for a wedding.”
“Casual wear”

15. Garment-a piece of clothing

“The designers follow each other, trying to predict trends and create similar but distinctive
garments, and paying little attention to the consumers.”
“Many of the garments have the customers' name tags on them”
16. Outfit-a set of clothes worn for a particular occasion or activity.

“I'm going to wear my vampire outfit for Halloween”

“Susan wore a black outfit”

17. Garb, get-up - clothes of a particular type

“prison/clerical/military garb”

18. Second hand clothing- not new; having been used in the past by someone else.

“This bike is second-hand but it's still in good condition.”

“She buys all her clothes second-hand”

19. Hand-me-down-a piece of clothing given to a younger family member or friend

because the person who owns it no longer wants it or it no longer fits

“Claudia had three older sisters, so she wore a lot of hand-me-downs”

20. Accessories -something added to clothing that has a useful or decorative

purpose.

“She wore a green wool suit with matching accessories (= shoes, hat, bag, etc.).”
“Sunglasses are much more than a fashion accessory.”

21. Accessorize- to add an accessory or accessories to something.

“She was wearing a little black dress, accessorized simply with a silver necklace”

22. Sharp, smart - to dress sharp or smart is the dress very well typically in formal
attire.
“You are looking very sharp today”

23. Dressed to kill -If someone is dressed to kill, they are wearing very smart or
fashionable clothes because they want people to notice them and think they are
attractive.
 Let’s practice!

Watch the TedTalk video below and answer the questions.

Question 1: What is the main purpose of digital fashion?

a) To experiment with their outfits

b) Let people fully express themselves
c) To save money

Question 2: What are the benefits of digital fashion?

a) Zero waste
b) Gender neutral
c) Unlimited opportunities
d) All above

Question 3: Write a paragraph (you can do it in the comment section) about your
fashion preferences, your style (the one you have and one you used to have), favorite
outfits, etc. Try your best to use as much of the vocabulary from the lesson as you can!
Answer Key:
1-b
2-d