Fashion History, Designers, and Style Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering fashion history, iconic designers, garment silhouettes, textile terms, and regional costumes.

Twiggy

Famous British 1960s fashion icon and model renowned for her gamine features, short haircut, and prominent painted eyelashes.

Gabrielle

The given first name of the legendary French couturière and fashion house founder Coco Chanel.

Depeche Mode

English electronic band formed in 1980 that took its name directly from a French fashion magazine.

Straights

Footwear produced identically for both feet without distinct left or right shapes, standard prior to modern curved lasts.

Tweed

A rough, woollen twill fabric traditionally crafted and associated with County Donegal in Ireland and the Isle of Harris in Scotland.

Compact

A small, portable vanity case containing pressed powder, a mirror, and/or a powder puff.

Paco Rabanne

Iconic Spanish designer known for metallic, space-age creations, including his 1967 aluminium tunic dress displayed at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.

Karl Lagerfeld

German designer born in Hamburg who created an iconic private library with sideways books at 31 rue Cambon in Paris.

Stiletto

A high-heeled shoe featuring a pointed toe and a long, slender, sharp heel of 3 or more inches, named after an Italian dagger.

Palais Galliéra

The historic neo-Renaissance palace home to the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris (City of Paris Fashion Museum).

Fashion (David Bowie song)

Hit track exploring trends and the fashion industry, released on David Bowie's 1980 album 'Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'.

Edwardian Era

Fashion era of the early 20th century characterized by S-bend corsets, ruffled high-necked lace blouses, expansive hats, and floor-sweeping skirts.

Christian Louboutin

Parisian luxury footwear designer renowned for his signature high-heeled stiletto pumps featuring bright red-lacquered soles.

Gingham

A balanced, medium-weight woven cotton fabric featuring duotone checkered or plaid patterns (also known as Vichy check), historically tied to Guingamp, France.

The Big Five

The premier group of elite 1990s supermodels that famously included Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Christy Turlington.

Alcohol

The primary carrier and most prevalent ingredient by volume used in commercial liquid perfumes.

LVMH

The world's largest luxury conglomerate by market value and annual sales, generating approximately $94.9 billion in revenue under CEO Bernard Arnault.

DuPont

The American chemical firm that invented nylon in 1935, inaugurating the mass production of synthetic hosiery.

The New Look

Christian Dior's revolutionary 1947 silhouette featuring structured rounded shoulders, a tiny cinched waist, and a voluminous, flared skirt.

Marimekko

Finnish lifestyle and design house established in Helsinki in 1951 by Viljo and Armi Ratia, celebrated for bold, colorful floral patterns.

Anna Wintour

Prominent fashion media authority, Chief Content Officer at Condé Nast, and longtime head of American Vogue.

Milagros

Traditional Mexican folk charms (also called dijes or promesas) used for physical healing and offered as sacred votive devotions.

Gianni Versace

Italian designer known for opulent, maximalist glamour combining classical Greco-Roman motifs, baroque gold scrollwork, and rock-and-roll sensuality.

Giorgio Armani

Piacenza-born Italian designer who defined minimalist, relaxed tailoring and understated elegance from the 1970s until his death in 2025.

SEX (Boutique)

Influential London boutique at 430 King's Road run by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren between 1974 and 1976 that helped launch punk aesthetics.

Mary Quant

British designer famous for popularizing and naming the miniskirt in the late 1950s and 1960s from her King's Road shop.

Comme des Garçons

Avant-garde Japanese fashion house founded in 1969 by Rei Kawakubo and headquartered in Paris.

Hugo Boss

German clothing manufacturer whose eponymous founder joined the Nazi Party in 1931 and manufactured official uniforms during the Third Reich.

Ray-Ban

Eyewear manufacturer famous for the Wayfarer silhouette and contemporary Meta AI smart camera sunglasses.

Peep-toe Pump

A style of women's dress shoe featuring a small cutout opening over the toe box.

John Galliano

British designer born in Gibraltar who served as creative director at Christian Dior from 1996 through 2011.

Prêt-à-porter

French term translating to 'ready-to-wear,' describing factory-produced garments made in standardized sizes rather than custom haute couture.

Patent Leather

Leather treated with a lustrous, high-gloss plastic or lacquer coating that yields an intensely shiny, reflective finish.

Suffragette Colours

The symbolic tricolor scheme of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU): purple, green, and white.

Nîmes

The southern French city from which the word 'denim' originates (short for 'serge de Nîmes').

Tapered Pants

Trousers that fit loosely through the thighs and seat before gradually narrowing inward toward the hem at the ankle.

Pouffe

An extravagant, towering 18th-century padded hairstyle popularized at the French court by Queen Marie Antoinette.

SoHo

Manhattan shopping district between Houston and Canal Streets famous for cast-iron architecture, flagship boutiques, and luxury retailers.

Tehuana Dress

Traditional indigenous Zapotec costume from Oaxaca characterized by rich floral embroidery, famously embraced and worn by Frida Kahlo.

Broderie Anglaise

French needlework technique incorporating cutwork, eyelets, and embroidery on white fabric, highly popular in 19th-century England.

Kokoshnik

A traditional Russian arched headdress worn by women and girls with a sarafan, originating in 10th-century Veliky Novgorod.

Paisley Pattern

A droplet-shaped textile motif based on the Persian boteh, named after the Scottish textile manufacturing town of Paisley.

Birkin Bag

Exclusive Hermès handbag introduced in 1984 after Jane Birkin; an original prototype sold at Sotheby's in 2025 for $10.1 million.

Kelly Bag

Trapeze-shaped Hermès purse formerly known as the Sac à dépêches, renamed after Grace Kelly shielded her pregnancy with it in 1956.

Bikini Atoll

Pacific nuclear test site after which French engineer Louis Réard named his provocative two-piece swimsuit design in July 1946.

Preppy

A classic American style rooted in elite northeastern preparatory and Ivy League sporting attire such as rowing, tennis, and golf.

Pompadour

Hairstyle featuring hair swept vertically upward from the forehead, named after Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV.

Akubra

An Australian wide-brimmed felt bush hat traditionally crafted from rabbit fur.

Vetiver

An aromatic grass root native to India (also known as khamaré or gongoli) widely used as an earthy, woody base note in perfumery.

Slingbacks

Footwear characterized by an open heel secured with a strap that loops behind the Achilles tendon.

Crinoline

A structured cage or hooped petticoat worn in the mid-19th century to support and expand voluminous skirts.

Rimmel

A generic term for mascara across numerous European languages, named after cosmetic innovator Eugène Rimmel.

Trenchcoat

A heavy-duty, double-breasted belted waterproof coat originally designed for military officers during the First World War.

Kitten Heel

A short, slender stiletto heel, usually between 1.5 and 2 inches in height.

Mohair

A silky, resilient yarn and textile made from the lustrous fleece of the Angora goat.

Perfecto

An asymmetrical, belted leather motorcycle jacket with snap-down lapels and zippered pockets, pioneered by Schott NYC.

Qipao

A form-fitting one-piece Chinese dress (also known as a cheongsam) with side slits, an asymmetrical front closure, and a mandarin collar.

Mantilla

A traditional Spanish lace or silk veil draped over the head and shoulders, typically worn over a peineta comb during solemn events.

Hanbok

Traditional Korean formal clothing featuring flowing silhouettes, vibrant colors, and tied sashes without pockets.

Medusa

The mythological Greek Gorgon whose visage serves as the signature emblem and logo of the house of Versace.

Mursi

An Ethiopian ethnic group of the Omo Valley renowned for the traditional ceramic and wooden lip plates worn by women.

Marina Yee

Belgian fashion designer and member of the renowned avant-garde Antwerp Six collective who passed away in November 2025.

Miuccia Prada

Italian designer who leads luxury label Prada and founded its playful subsidiary brand, Miu Miu.