Apparently there are a quarter of a million words in the Oxford English dictionary although many might argue that it’s impossible to count the number of words in a language, because it’s so hard to decide what actually counts as a word. In the fashion industry words are being added as we speak so if you have no room for a dictionary in your novelty clutch to look these words up, allow me to help you out. Commit these terms to memory now and you won’t be caught out at your next fashion party. Let me start with an easy one –
RIBBED – This is the knitwear technique that alternates columns of knit stitches with columns of purl stitches and the only way to wear your woollies this winter as seen at Kenzo.
Shibori –Using the term tie-dye is now so passé –this technique is now being called Shibori. The Japanese technique for dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, folding and twisting it until it releases its true potential. As seen at: Stella McCartney
Lenticular – Lenticular printing is a technology that allows an image to move or change shape from different angles. And thanks to Christopher Kane, now coming to a miniskirt near you.
Bias-cut – fabric which has been cut against the grain to create a body-hugging silhouette famously invented by Madeleine Vionnet in the Twenties, As seen at: Versace or Lanvin
Smocking – A centuries-old technique of pleating and gathering to create stretch in a fabric, smocking is what everyone’s mother learned to do in the Seventies. As seen at: Alexander McQueen, Rodarte
Pagoda shoulder – An Italian form of shoulder construction that follows a concave shape and sweeps up at the outer edge with a puckered effect. As seen at: Maison Martin Margiela, Haider Ackermann
The cruise and new season’s clothes will be in stores and online soon – watch this space for updates on what to wear and how to wear it.
