The fashion glossary

Every term the lessons use, in plain words — 30 entries and growing.

A

A-line — A silhouette narrow at the top that widens toward the hem, like the letter A — skirts and dresses that skim rather than cling.

Analogous colors — Neighbors on the color wheel, like sage and olive. They read calm and intentional together.

Boucle — Fabric woven from looped, knotted yarn with a nubby surface — the Chanel-jacket texture.

Break — The small fold where a trouser hem meets the shoe. One clean break or none reads tailored; fabric pooling reads unfinished.

Breton stripe — The narrow, even navy-on-cream stripe from French sailor shirts — a pattern so classic it behaves like a neutral.

Capsule wardrobe — A deliberately small set of pieces chosen so nearly everything combines with everything — fewer clothes, more outfits.

Color blocking — Wearing large fields of two or three solid colors against each other instead of patterns — bold by area, not by print.

Complementary colors — Colors across the wheel from each other — terracotta and teal. High energy; best with one as hero, one as accent.

Cost per wear — Price divided by the times you actually wear it — the only price tag that matters over time.

Cropped — Cut deliberately short — a trouser above the ankle, a jacket above the hip. The shortness is the design, not a fit accident.

Double-breasted — A jacket front with overlapping panels and two button columns — more formal and more structured than single-breasted.

Drape — How a fabric falls under its own weight. Silk drapes and flows; cotton poplin holds shape. Drape decides how a cut actually looks worn.

French tuck — Tucking only the front of a top into the waistband, sides loose — draws the waist line without the full-tuck stiffness.

High rise — A waistband sitting at or above the natural waist — moves the visual waist up and lengthens the leg line.

Layering — Wearing garments in deliberate order — thin to thick, short to long — so each stays visible and removable.

Le Smoking — Saint Laurent's 1966 tuxedo for women — the founding statement that sharp menswear tailoring is evening wear on anyone.

Monochrome — One color head to toe, usually in varied shades and textures — the fastest way an outfit reads considered.

Neutral — A color that pairs with practically everything: black, white, cream, grey, camel, navy — and in practice denim.

Oversized — Cut voluminously on purpose. Works when one dimension stays controlled; 'one size up' is not the same thing.

Pattern scale — How large a print's repeat is. Mixing patterns works when scales contrast — one fine, one bold.

Placket — The reinforced strip carrying a shirt's buttons — hidden plackets read minimal, contrast plackets read sporty.

Raglan sleeve — A sleeve running in one piece to the collar with a diagonal seam — sporty, and forgiving across the shoulders.

Rise — The distance from a trouser's crotch seam to its waistband — low, mid or high. Rise decides where your visual waist sits.

Selvedge denim — Denim woven on shuttle looms with a self-finished edge, visible at the cuff — denser, ages with character.

Silhouette — The outline an outfit draws around the body — column, hourglass, A-line. The first thing the eye reads, before color or brand.

Smart casual — The working formula: one tailored element, one relaxed element, zero athletic elements.

Statement piece — The one loud item an outfit is built around — a color, a pattern, a shape. One per outfit; two compete.

Tonal dressing — One color family in different shades and textures — camel over cream over tan. Reads calm and put-together.

Undertone — The warm (golden) or cool (blue) cast under your skin's surface — it decides which colors rest the face and which tire it.

Wide-leg — Trousers cut full from hip to hem. They want a fitted top and substance in the shoe — volume answered, not doubled.