Coco Chanel
COH´-coh shuh-NELL´ If you know the name of only one fashion designer, let it be Coco Chanel (1883-1971). Though she passed away half a century ago, her name still packs […]
French
bon chic, bon genre
bōng SHEEK´ bōng ZHANG´-hruh (French, ‘good style, good type’) Bon chic, bon genre is a French fashion adjective similar to ‘preppy.’ The term also applies to a lifestyle. As applied […]
dernier cri
dehr´-nyay CREE´ (literal French, ‘last cry’) The dernier cri is the newest fashion, whether in the field of fashion itself or in another discipline. For example, “gauchos” for women were […]
couturier
coo-CHUR´-yay At its most basic level, couturier is the French term for male dressmaker, though it’s often applied to designers, manufacturers, and merchants of women’s clothing in general, male or […]
haute couture
oht´ kwi-TYUR´ (literally ‘high cutting’ or ‘high dressmaking’ in French) Haute couture is custom-made women’s clothing by top fashion designers, as well as the system that creates such clothing. This […]
chaise longue
shez LOAN´-guh A chaise longue is a long upholstered chair designed to allow a single person to recline. (We’re not talking about La-Z-Boys—chaises longues have no moving parts.) Chaises longues exist […]
chinoiserie
sheen-WAHZ’-ree Chinoiserie is a decorative style in which Chinese motifs, authentic or dreamed up by Westerners, are applied to furniture, wallpaper, porcelain, and other decorative accessories. The style was especially […]
passementerie
poss-MAHN´-tree Remember the tassels and fringe on your grandmother’s curtains? Those decorative elements—including braiding and other types of trim used on bed canopies, upholstered furniture, and throw pillows—are collectively called […]
trompe l’oeil
trohmp LAY´ (French, ‘deceives the eye’) The term trompe l’oeil refers to a visual illusion that tricks the viewer into seeing flat, painted detail as three-dimensional. While the technique […]
ancien régime
ahn-syahn ray-ZHEEM´ (French for ‘old rule’) The term ancien régime refers to the sociopolitical system in France prior to the French Revolution (1789-99). In a design sense, the term refers […]