All the rage: clothes and fashion

VOCABULARY IN USE (advanced)

scruffy

untidy [noun: scruff = person who dresses in an untidy way]

dress codes

accepted way of dressing in a particular social group

attire

clothing; formal

reveal

show

cleavage

space between a woman’s breasts

midriff

part of the body between the chest and the waist

fabrics

materials

frumpy

old-fashioned and boring

outfits

set of clothes for a particular occasion

suits

jacket and trousers in the same material

invaluable

extremely useful

accessories

extra items added to clothing for useful or decorative purposes

cufflinks

decorative objects used to fasten the cuffs on men’s shirts

dress-down days

days when people wear less formal clothes

overalls

(plural noun) piece of clothing covering all the body, usually worn over other clothing to protect it when working

safety helmets

hat to protect the head

revealing

showing a lot of flesh

skimpy

short, using little material

baggy

loose, e.g. a sweater

clingy

close-fitting

chic

modern, stylish

smart-casual

clothes that are informal but clean, tidy and stylish

to be dolled (up) / dressed up / done up to the nines

to be dressed in a very fashionable or very formal way.

designer (label) clothes

quần áo thiết kể riêng, nhãn hiệu

on the High Street

from ordinary, much less expensive shops

made-to-measures

made especially for them

off the peg/rack

ready-made

all the rage

[very fashionable]

the very latest fashion

an extremely fashionable way

the height of fashion

[very fashionable] 2

up-to-the-minute

[dealing with the most recent trends]

set a new trend

started a new fashion

a trend-setter

a person whose style is followed by others

on trend

[fashionable]

must have item

[thing that everyone wants]

catches on

becomes popular

slave to fashion

someone who is strongly influenced by fashion. [used in a disapproving way]

suits

[looks good on you]

off the cuff

without having prepared anything

to be hand in glove with someone

to have a close working relationship with someone

on a shoestring

spending as little as possible

no frills

simple and plain

to put someone in a straitjacket

restrict someone’s freedom

to draw a veil over something

not to talk about something

to have something up your sleeve

to have a secret plan or idea

tighten your belt

to spend less money than you did before because you have less money

Hemmed in

completely surrounded

bursting at the seams

If a place is bursting at the seams, it has a very large number of people or things in it

cloaked

kept secret

a feather in someone’s cap

an achievement to be proud of