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Fashion Words in French. Any True Fashionista Should Know their Meaning – Check them Out!
Do you speak Prada? I bet you heard this line thousands of times before, in fashionable conversations. But we are not talking about Prada’s fashion identity and the fact that it actually has its own identity, language, but more about the international language of fashion, French.
We’ve are talking about fashion a lot, using words that are more or less interesting and guess what?
Most of the times we speak French without knowing. There are so many French related fashion words that we use daily and maybe it’s time to learn a bit more about them.
Here is a complete list of french fashion related words that you need to know more about
- Avant-garde– talking about fashion, it refers to something very innovative, eccentric, never seen before.
- Azure – it’s the color halfway between blue and green
- Barrette – you probably used it before but never known her real name. It’s that clasp that keeps your hairdo in place.
- Bouclé – You probably know the iconic Chanel blazers that are made of boucle yarn. The fabric is textured, like nubby with little circles and loops of yarn at its surface.
- Boutique – known as a small fashionable shop with unique designs that are also expensive
- Cerise – is a color between red and pink, like a cherry.
- Chartreuse – named after the famous French liqueurs, this color is a yellowish green.
- Chantilly – is a precious originally a handmade lace that was first produced in Chantilly, France.
- Chignon – comes from the French expression “Chignon de cou” , meaning: nape of the neck. It’s that cute small bun at the back of the head.
- Cliché – is an overused expression, artistic view, or even an idea that starts to lose it’s original meaning or effect.
- Cloche – a special hat in the shape of a bell invented in 1908. It can also be referring to a cloche skirt.
- Couture – translated from French, it means sewing, now used for high-fashion designs, with handcrafted details.
- Crêpe de Chine – a type of fine silk that has a light creped texture. It can be made of natural fibers or mixed.
- Culottes – first worn by french revolution men, then women. These are the fancy flare trousers that look like a skirt.
- Décolletage – commonly known as the neckline that emphasizes cleavage
- Eau de Toilette – is a scented cologne. In the perfume industry it describes the concentration of a fragrance weaker than eau de parfum.
- Fuchsia – a purplish –red color often mistaken with a deep pink.
- Mélange – it refers to a mixture, combination of things, elements or trends when related to fashion.
- Minaudiere – we basically call it clutch but it’s more than that. It’s a precious little bag that you wear only at special events. Often embellished with fine jewelry like adornments.
- Motif – is a reoccurring idea, action and when referring to fashion, a design or pattern.
- Ombré – is actually the gradual blending of one color into another
- Parka – it’s a type of jacket with a hood often trimmed with fur. You will find it mostly in khaki, army green, beige or black.
- Pantalon – it’s where we got the “pants” term from, since they we’re imported by the British from the Normandy region, which as well was imported from the German lands.
- Tulle – a netted yet soft fabric used for fancy dresses and skirts. P.S. – Tulle skirts can look awesome if they are worn correctly, but that is for another post.
Check out our Gallery of French Fashion Words to see what all the french fashion words are all about
Read the previous article if you would like to know how to pronounce ombre, or haute-couture.
