Must Know Dress Terms

What is fashion? This can be defined in so many different ways that all the words can become a whirl of confusion. An eye opening moment was when the following terms were segmented and defined in a college course. It helped compartmentalize different ideas to grasp the art of dress. The following terms will therefore help you navigate the language needed to better understand the art of dress.

Clothing:

it is any material covering on the body

Example: Kaunakes used to wear skirts made by sheepskin and were worn by men and women in c.3500- 2500 BCE in Mesopotamia. A current example are hijabs worn for religious reasons.

Costume:

a term typically used by historians to describe a style of clothing relevant to a certain period

Example: Egyptian men were known to wear linen loincloths which served as either under or outer garments. Also, in the 70's garments consisted of a unique style of vibrant colors, flower prints and extoic fabric cuts.

Fashion:

it is a taste that many people share for a very short time in certain place or period

Example: A Mesopotamian boy had written a letter to his mother requesting that she make him some new clothes that weren’t so ugly and old because all the other boys had new clothes. He preferred that wool be used for his new set of clothes. This funny story is quite similar to what's happening nowadays. Fast fashion demands humans to constantly purchase clothing to keep up with the ever changing trends, which is most followed by young adults.

Dress:

a term used to define anything a person may do to their body that either modifies or supplements their appearance

Example: Egyptian men and women used to decorate their eyes, skin and lips with henna which is a reddish hair dye. Nowadays, people can tattoo their body's with endless amounts of images and words that their imagination can come up with.

Style:

a term used to address the distinguish one person with another through the usage of silhouettes, fabrics and details found in each.

Example:

Assyrian royal figures used elaboration of decoration, costlier materials, and emblems to distinguish themselves. A modern example is when a bride can be distinguished by a white dress and/or veil during a wedding ceremony.

Appearance:

this term is used to describe how someone looks

Example: Mesopotamian men in c. 3500-2500 BCE were both clean shaven and beaded and some had bald heads. Now, all sorts of hairstyles, makeup and apparel can be used to distinguish different ideolgies and religious affiliations.