prêt-à-porter
pwhay´-tap-oh-TAY´ (French, ‘ready to wear’) Prêt-à-porter is clothing purchased off the rack, as opposed to custom-made haute couture items. While most prêt-à-porter is moderately priced and sold in malls and […]
fashionista
fash´-uhn-EEST´-uh A fashionista is a person obsessed with fashion, be it a designer, promoter, journalist, or simple follower of the latest sartorial trends. The term was coined in the 1990s […]
étagère
ay-tah-ZHAIR´ An étagère is a piece of furniture consisting of a number of open shelves. Etagères are used to display small precious objects such as ceramics, curios, and other objets […]
boiserie
BWAHZ´-ree (French for ‘wood paneling’ in general) When used in English, the term usually refers to the various styles of elaborate paneling used to adorn the 17th- and 18th-century palaces […]
gauche
gōsh (French, ‘left,’ as in left-handed, or clumsy) A gauche person lacks grace, social experience, and tact. He or she may also be crude, awkward, and uncomfortable in social situations. […]
outré
ooh-TRAY´ Think of outré as meaning “out there.” It’s an adjective that refers to things that are strange, shocking, and bizarre, or which violate propriety and established conventions. Marcel Duchamp’s […]
Old Master
The term Old Master refers to a group of artists, generally painters, as well as their works. The term is not exact, but roughly encompasses artists and works from the […]
atelier
ah´-tell-YAY´ (French, ‘artist’s studio’ or ‘craftsman’s workshop’) Atelier is not a snooty word in its native language. In fact, in France, where everyone from cobblers and mechanics to world-famous sculptors […]
Word Watch: hector
HECTOR: used by Kennedy on The Five, July 9, 2020 Kennedy said, speaking of the U.S. Supreme Court, “They didn’t want the Congress to be able to hector the President […]
Word Watch: consigliere
CONSIGLIERE: used by host Tucker Carlson on Tucker Carlson Tonight, July 8, 2020 Mr. Carlson referred to socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of aiding the late Jeffrey Epstein in sexually abusing […]