Fashion Concepts, Trends, and Sustainability

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering clothing styles, silhouettes, fashion timelines, haute couture, mass fashion, and sustainability considerations.

Fashion

A style of clothing that a specific group of people accepts and wears in a specific place at a specific time, communicated to consumers through advertising, music videos, and films.

Fashion Style

The differences or additions—usually formed by lines—whereby similar products are distinguished from one another, reflecting personality, culture, and aesthetic preferences.

Silhouette

The overall shape or outline of a clothing style shown by its outer lines (such as cylinder, triangle, bell, A-line, hourglass, and straight cuts), which directly impacts fabric consumption.

Three Basic Silhouettes

The fundamental outer shapes of clothing classified into cylinder, triangle, and bell.

Fashion Trend

The general direction that fashion style takes, characterized by popular styles that dominate a particular season, such as oversized jackets or pastel palettes.

Contemporary Fashion (Standard Fashion)

Clothing that is currently accepted and worn by the public, mass-produced, sold at chain stores, and remains in fashion for 2 to 3 years.

Haute Couture (High Fashion)

A French term literally meaning "fine sewing," referring to custom-fitted, high-end garments crafted with luxurious materials and intricate techniques by major fashion houses for fashion leaders.

Fashion Fads

Items with a sudden burst of popularity and great appeal for a short period of time (usually lasting only one season) that fade rapidly and often feature extreme or poor designs.

Classic Styles (Timeless Fashion)

High-quality, durable garments—such as little black dresses, denim jeans, tailored blazers, suits, and button-down shirts—that satisfy a basic need and remain in fashion over decades.

Fashion Revival (Retrospective Fashion)

A reinterpretation or adaptation of clothing styles from previous eras (such as 1970s bohemian or 1990s grunge) given a modern slant, including the practice of wearing vintage or antique garments.

Fast Fashion

The rapid and inexpensive production of clothing designed to quickly replicate current trends with frequent collections, contributing heavily to pollution, synthetic textile waste, and carbon emissions.

Mass Fashion

The production of garments in large quantities for broad public consumption, focused on affordability and accessibility while contributing to water use, chemical runoff, and resource depletion.

Bohemian Style

A specific fashion style that uses flowing fabrics, earthy tones, and handcrafted accessories to symbolize individuality and artistic expression.

International Fashion Shows

Major events that serve as a primary influence determining contemporary fashion by introducing new fashion styles twice a year, in summer and winter.