Style Glossary

A cable knit is a knit stitch that is extra-thick, warm, and produces a look that resembles two cords, or cables, wrapping around each other.

If you were a soldier in ancient Rome, the caliga was what you would have worn while 'Roman' around! With their thick soles tacked by iron hobnails for traction, reinforcement, and defense, these strappy sandals could soldier on through many a terrifying trek.

http://blog.modcloth.com/2010/08/02/top-10-seriously-cool-historic-shoe-styles/

Category: Shoes

A medallion depicting a three-dimensional profile over a background of a contrasting color. Commonly used as charms or pendant pieces in jewelry.

Category: Jewelry, Necklaces

A thick, plain weave fabric typically constructed of unbleached cotton, linen, jute, or synthetic fibers. Originally used for constructing garments, it is more commonly used today in tote bags, shoes, linings, and as a base material for embroidery due to its durable qualities.

A very short sleeve that covers the shoulder, but doesn't extend down the arm

Introduced in the late 1800s and a hot item in the 1960s and 1980s, the carpet bag is a large satchel made of heavy tapestry or patterned carpet.

Category: Bags | Photo: Vintage The Cute Carpet Bag

A fluttery collar style in which a circular-cut ruffle is attached to the neckline of the garment.

A cascade collar is a circular-cut ruffle that is attached to the neckline of a garment. The ruffle can extend as far down as the waistline in a straight or diagonal line, or team up with another ruffle to add even more visual interest!

http://blog.modcloth.com/2010/08/30/fashion-dictionary-cascade-collar/

Created from fired clay, may feature a rough, unfinished surface or a colored glaze.

A series of interconnected metal rings commonly used in jewelry and bag straps.

Category: Jewelry, Necklaces

Chambray is a 100% cotton fabric made with a white weft thread and a color warp thread, often in blue to resemble denim. This on-trend fabric is as essential as a plain white T-shirt!

Chambray is a lightweight, breathable fabric, made with a white weft thread and a colored warp thread (often blue). It's usually made of cotton, though rayon and silk are sometimes blended in.

http://blog.modcloth.com/2009/05/20/chambray-mimosa/

A dangling, oversized earring style made to look like crystals hanging on a decorative chandelier.

Category: Jewelry, Earrings

A fine bobbin lace, which has a 6-sided mesh ground often of a floral or scrolled design with scalloped edges. Term's first known use was in France in 1848.

French term for a hat or head covering.

Category: Hats

A chatelaine, or equipage, is a decorative clip of long chains used to hold important household items. Functioning like pockets or purses, chatelaines were worn by women of the 18th and 19th centuries. The word "chatelaine" derives from the term for the mistress of a castle or mansion, and literally means "keeper of the keys"in French.

Also called an equipage. A decorative clip of long chains used to hold important household items. Functioning like pockets or purses, chatelaines were worn by women of the 18th and 19th centuries. The word "chatelaine" derives from the term for the mistress of a castle or mansion, and literally means "keeper of the keys" in French. Chatelaines were worn by both housekeepers and ladies of the manor in the 19th century, and were made of silver, brass, steel, leather, or fabric, depending on the household's financial status.

http://blog.modcloth.com/2010/07/27/would-you-hop-on-the-chatelaine-train/

Category: Jewelry, Necklaces | Photo: Corvus Noir

A collar with a low, V-shape that ends in long, triangular points.

These nutty-looking contraptions were, thankfully, not worn as everyday footwear. Rather, they were used in 19th-century France to, as the name implies, separate acorn and chestnut shells from the nut meat, and subsequently grind the nut for flour or feed.

http://blog.modcloth.com/2010/08/02/top-10-seriously-cool-historic-shoe-styles/

Category: Shoes

A slimming textile pattern composed of repeating V shapes.

A sheer, plain-woven fabric, which appears transparent. It is often used for decorative layering or garment accents.

A necklace which fits snugly around the base of the neck.

With roots in 15th-century Venice, these unbelievable platforms—which could tower up to a height of 30 inches—were symbolic of a wearer's rank; the higher the platform, the higher the status the wearer. A similar shoe, the Manchu chopine, was a prevalent part of ancient Chinese womenswear.

http://blog.modcloth.com/2010/08/02/top-10-seriously-cool-historic-shoe-styles/

Category: Shoes

A cloche hat fits closely to the head, with a deep crown and a narrow, or nonexistent, brim. French for "bell," the cloche hat style was first made popular in the 1920s.French for "bell", a cloche hat is characterized by a deep crown, with a narrow brim or no brim at all, and fits the head closely. It was first made popular in the 1920s and is usually worn with the brim below the eyebrows, almost over the eyes.

Category: Hats

A shoe, sandal, or overshoe having a thick, typically wooden, sole.

Category: Shoes

A medium- to small-sized bag without a handle or shoulder straps. Worn 'clutched' in hand or carried under the arm.

Category: Bags

A coat style worn open or held clutched together because there are no fasteners in the front.

Category: Outerwear

Also known as a change purse, the coin purse is a petite, kisslock- or zipper-closed pouch used to carry coins. You’ll be surprised to know coin purses date back to 3,300 BC, one having been purportedly found with the belongings of the mummified Ötzi the Iceman.

Category: Bags | Photo: Finch by Finch Pouch

A durable, woven textile composed of tiny twisted fiber cords which lie parallel to one another, creating the fabric's textural surface.

A lightweight, flexible, porous material made from Cork Oak trees.

Actually made by or suggestive of the style, quality or work of a high fashion designer.

A neckline style in which excess fabric attached to the collar elegantly drapes down the front of the bodice.

Crape, or "crepe," is a fabric made from silk, wool, or polyester, woven with a crimped appearance. Also, a seriously delicious French food.

A handicraft in which yarn is made up into a patterned fabric by looping yarn with a hooked needle

Photo: Finch by Finch Pouch

A shirt style in which the top's hemline extends above the natural waistline.

Category: Tops

From the French for "sketch," a quick drawing of a figure used for further work. In fashion, multiple croquis may be prepared with different poses before a final garment and rendering are made.

A stiff, oval-shaped bracelet, which is worn by slipping one's wrist through the opening at its back.

Category: Jewelry

A wide sash belt fastened at the back natural waist. Modernly worn by men in western culture as part of black tie attire, its origin dates back to the 19th century in India and Persia. Women's cinch belts are of a similar structure.

Category: Accessories