The world is your catwalk

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What is your favourite outfit?

2. What is the dress code in a workplace you are familiar with?
3. What would you wear if you had a dress-down day at work?

2. Name the clothes items

From above: From above:

leather jacket blazer
pencil skirt turtleneck
cigarette pants overcoat
chelsea boots shearling jacket
jeans
casual boots

3. Read the paragraph below, paying special attention to the time periods used for describing
the events of change:

“Fashion has changed a lot in some ways over the years, and in others, it hasn’t. Let’s look at
men’s fashion first. They have been wearing suits now for centuries, and only recently, with the
rise of K-pop, have we started to see a change in styling, with men in the high fashion world
aiming for a more androgynous look. On the other hand, women all over the world have worn
dresses for centuries. The more modern look for women, however, is far more masculine. With
the two genders starting to dress similarly, it is a wonder what the next step for the fashion
world will be.”

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 Answer the following questions:

1. How has male fashion evolved, according to the article?

2. How has female fashion evolved, according to the article?
3. What do you consider to be high fashion?

4. A few grammar rules to start. Present perfect simple vs. present perfect continuous

Present perfect simple

We have two main rules when using the present perfect simple:

1. An action that has been completed, but the action has present-day relevance.
For example:
She has designed more than a thousand dresses which are worn by celebrities all over the
world.

2. How many times something has happened so far.

For example:
I have been to Japan three times.

Present perfect continuous

We also have two main rules for the present perfect continuous:

1. When we are not sure if the action is or isn’t finished, but the action is more important
than the result.
For example:
She has been designing more than a thousand dresses.
- We don’t know if she has finished.
- The focus is on the activity, not on the result.

2. When we are talking about how long an activity has been happening. This activity may or
may not be finished.
For example:
I have been going to Japan for the last three years.
- The action has been happening for some time – the last three years.

5. Fill in the blanks below using the present perfect continuous.

have been deciding / have been looking / has been working / have not been keeping /
have been walking / has been releasing

1. People have been looking (look) towards Asia for fashion inspiration in recent years.
2. Vogue has been releasing (release) magazines in Britain for more than 100 years.
3. Bibhu Mohapatra has been working (work) on his newest collection, and people are more
than excited.

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 4. I have been walking (walk) around this shop for what seems like hours, just trying to find
the perfect outfit for tonight.
5. Honestly, with how fast fashion moves, I have not been keeping (not keep) up to date with
what is in fashion today.
6. We have been deciding (decide) for hours on colors that will inspire our customers on what
we represent, but we’re not even close yet.

6. Read each pair of sentences. Which pairs of sentences have the same meaning and which
pairs have different meanings?

1. I haven’t bought new clothes since my birthday.

I haven’t been buying new clothes since my birthday.
same

2. I have made some changes.

I have been making some changes.
different

3. Have you been working in the fashion industry for a long time?
Have you worked in the fashion industry for a long time?
different
*The first one implies the question is about the effort the person working in the fashion
industry is putting in, whereas the second question is really about how long the person has
been employed in the fashion industry.

7. Choose the correct tense.

I have been working on this project for a very long time, and I have nearly finished/ have
nearly been finishing. For the past nine weeks, I have designed/ have been designing clothes
for the up-and-coming fashion event. It has been difficult, as inspiration doesn’t just come from
anywhere. I have looked/ have been looking at least ten other designers for inspiration. I also
found going to the park and looking at nature helped a lot. I have walked/ have been walking
in the park at least three times a day as the theme is nature.

8. Here is a list of useful adjectives + prepositions we can use for fashion.

Aware of Bothered about

Impressed by Critical of
Adventurous with Mean about
Addicted to Loyal to
Cautious about Jealous of
Hopeless at Decisive about

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9. Fill in the blanks below using the vocabulary we have been learning.

1. I am aware of what is in fashion because I read a lot of blogs.

2. I am easily impressed by designer labels.

3. I am pretty adventurous with my taste in clothes, but I still avoid fur.

4. I am honestly addicted to shopping. I can't stop.
5. I do need to be cautious about spending too much.
6. I am fairly decisive about what to buy. I walk in and purchase the item I know I need.

10. Answer the questions below:

1. What is a piece of clothing you have been jealous of?

2. Is there a brand you are loyal to?
3. Do you think people can be critical of how women dress?
4. Are you aware of the latest fashion trends?
5. What is something you are impressed by when you are shopping?

11. Read the scenarios and make a sentence using one of the phrases that we discussed
earlier to give your opinion:

12. Match both parts of the sentences to make a complete sentence:

1. I have been decisive about what to buy f.

2. She has been addicted to d.
3. I have been bothered about how e.
4. I have never been jealous of a.
5. I have been cautious about buying c.
6. I used to be mean about what b.

a. anyone. I try to focus on myself rather than others.

b. people wore in the past, but thankfully I have changed a lot.
c. from Nike just because of the scandals in the past.
d. buying shoes for a long time. She must have over a hundred pairs.
e. designers pretend to care about animal rights, but still use fur and animal products.
f. my whole life, as I know what I need as soon as I enter the shop.

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13. Look at the phrases that are paired together and explain how their meanings differ.

aware of – loyal to
‘Aware of’ means that you know something exists. ‘Loyal to’ means that you show constant
support to a person or institution.

adventurous with – cautious about

‘Adventurous with’ means that you are open to trying new things. ‘Cautious’ means that you
are rather worried about trying new things as you need to think it over.

mean about – critical of

‘Mean about’ means that you hurt someone’s feelings. ‘Critical of’ is used when you express
your opinion on something that can be used to improve the result.

hopeless at – decisive about

‘Hopeless at’ means to not be particularly good at something. ‘Decisive about’ means to be
able to make a decision quickly.

14. Rewrite the sentences below using the phrases we have been learning:

mean about / loyal to / jealous of / decisive about

1. I think you were nasty about what Jenny was wearing. mean
2. I have always bought Apple products. been loyal to
3. I have honestly never looked at someone else’s things and felt that I needed them or felt
bad towards them. been jealous of
4. I am great at shopping. I walk in and buy what I need. I am decisive about what I buy.

15. Using the list of phrases that you have learned (Point 8), write five questions to ask your
teacher to learn more about them.

Questions

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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16. Look at the answers. What questions would have been asked in order to get the answers
shown?

1. How long have you dreamt of being a designer?

I have dreamt of being a designer for 5 years.
2. Have you ever been jealous of someone else’s work?
I have never been jealous of anyone else’s work.
3. What have you been working on recently?
I have been working on this dress recently.
4. What have you been inspired by for your work?
I have been inspired by the seasons for my work.

17. Make five sentences using the present perfect simple or continuous.
Use the verbs below to make sentences.

buy
work
sell
blog
browse
wear
trade
design
dream
think

18. Read the sentences below and correct the mistakes.

1. I have been going shop all day. shopping

2. She has been to Japan for years to see the latest fashion trends. been going to
3. They have work hard on the latest look. It is important to get it right. worked
4. I have been up all night drawn and I can finally say I am happy with it. drawing
5. We have buying enough clothes to last us all winter. bought

19. Pick a card and answer the questions.

Do you know anyone who is:

addicted to fashion?
aware of the latest fashion trends?
mean to someone about what they are wearing?
critical of people’s fashion sense?
hopeless at shopping?
bothered about what people think when it comes to fashion?

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20. Watch the video below and learn about the five fashion designers that are doing great
things in the modern age.

Top 5 Modern Fashion Designers Explained

What meaning do the following phrases and sentences have in the video?

1. “There is a great variety of beauty.”

Jean Paul Gaultier’s main message to the fashion world.
2. Rei Kawakubo has been working in the Avant-garde style of fashion since the 1980s.
3. Demna Gvasalia has used inspiration from fashion from the past related to the models’
silhouettes. This has resulted in oversized clothing with deliberate simplicity.
4. Iris van Harpen has repeatedly been using 3-D printing, which was a new technique in her
work.

21. What are the trademarks of the five fashion designers?

men’s skirts / feminism / avant-garde / oversizing / layering / plastic / raw seams / shocking
and innovative / corsets / 3D printing / graffiti / deliberate simplicity / ‘40s and ‘50s /
practicality / deconstruction

22. Pick a card and try to talk about the card for one minute. Try to use the present perfect
simple and/or continuous and at least one adjective + preposition.

Not fitting into something.

Buying an expensive clothing piece.
Dressing up for an event.
Window shopping.
Your friend buying something you wanted.
Forgetting a certain clothing item when packing.
Wearing festive clothes.
Not liking a clothing gift.
Shopping for clothes for someone else.

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