A-line silhouette
A dress, skirt or coat shape that is narrower at the top and widens toward the hem like the letter A.
Fashion, explained
A little language for getting dressed.
What is a silhouette? What makes a wardrobe a capsule? Find clear definitions, real outfit examples and useful next steps—without needing to speak fashion fluently.
A
B
Bias cut
A way of cutting woven fabric diagonally to its threads, often giving a garment softer drape and movement.
C
Capsule wardrobe
A deliberately useful group of clothes that makes enough outfits for your real routine—not a fixed number of items.
Circular fashion
An approach to clothing that keeps garments and materials useful for longer instead of treating disposal as the default ending.
Color palette
A set of colors you choose to use together in an outfit or across a wardrobe.
Cost per wear
The purchase price of a clothing item divided by the number of times you wear it.
D
Dopamine dressing
A fashion phrase for choosing clothes that feel joyful or expressive, often through color, print or playful details.
E
Empire waist
A raised waist seam or gathering point that sits just below the bust, with fabric falling from there.
F
Fast fashion
A high-speed clothing business model that turns new styles into frequently changing, widely available products.
G
Gorpcore
A fashion label for wearing outdoor gear—such as fleeces, shell jackets and hiking shoes—in everyday outfits.
H
Hemline
The lower edge of a garment, especially the visible ending line of a skirt, dress, coat or trouser leg.
I
Ikat
A textile-patterning technique in which selected yarns are bound and dyed before they are woven into cloth.
J
Jacquard
Patterned fabric whose design is woven into its structure, commonly using a Jacquard loom or mechanism.
K
Knitwear
Clothes made from interlocking loops of yarn or thread, from fine jersey tops to chunky sweaters.
L
Layering
Wearing pieces over or under one another so an outfit works for temperature, comfort and visual interest.
M
Monochrome outfit
An outfit built mainly from one color or close variations of it, using shade and texture for interest.
N
Normcore
An intentionally ordinary-looking style built around familiar casual clothes rather than conspicuous statement pieces.
O
Outfit formula
A repeatable combination of clothing roles that helps you make different outfits without starting from zero.
P
Proportions
The visual balance between the lengths, widths and volumes of pieces in an outfit.
Q
Quiet luxury
A style label for restrained clothes, subtle details and polished materials without prominent logos.
R
Ready-to-wear
Finished clothing sold in standard sizes, rather than made from scratch for one person's measurements.
S
Silhouette
The overall outline or shape an outfit makes when seen as a whole.
Slow fashion
An approach to making, buying and using clothes that values longevity and care over a constant turnover of new styles.
Smart casual
A flexible dress code between everyday casual clothes and more formal dressing.
Street style
Fashion as worn and photographed in public spaces, often offering ideas beyond a runway or catalog.
Streetwear
A casual fashion culture and style language shaped by everyday city dress, sneakers, graphics and subcultural influences.
Sustainable fashion
An umbrella term for efforts to reduce fashion's environmental harm and address the conditions in which clothes are made.
T
Tailoring
Making or altering clothes to shape their fit and construction, especially structured garments.
U
Upcycling
Turning an existing garment or leftover textile into something newly useful, often by changing its form or purpose.
V
Vintage clothing
Previously made clothing associated with an earlier style period, rather than a newly made piece that merely imitates one.
W
Woven fabric
Cloth made by crossing lengthwise and crosswise sets of yarn, as in many shirts, jeans and coats.
X
X-line silhouette
An outfit outline with width above and below a clearly defined waist, suggesting the shape of an X.
Y
Y2K fashion
A loose fashion label for late-1990s and early-2000s style references, often revived and remixed today.
Z
Zero-waste fashion
Clothing design that aims to avoid textile offcuts, especially when pattern pieces are planned and cut.
See an idea in an actual outfit.
Definitions are a starting point. The blog puts these terms into practice with clothing, weather and occasions you recognize.
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