Style glossary
The words stylists, shops and dress codes use, explained in one or two plain sentences, each with a link to where it matters.
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- 60/30/10 rule
- A proportion guide: one colour for about 60% of the outfit, a second for 30%, an accent for 10%. See it in use →
A
- A-line
- A skirt or dress that is fitted at the waist and widens gently towards the hem, like the letter A. See it in use →
- Accent colour
- The one colourful piece in an otherwise neutral outfit. See it in use →
- Analogous colours
- Colours next to each other on the colour wheel, such as navy and teal; they blend into a calm, tonal look. See it in use →
- Ankle boot
- A women's boot that ends at or just above the ankle. See it in use →
- Athleisure
- Sportswear worn as everyday clothing: joggers, hoodies, sneakers. See it in use →
B
- Bias cut
- Fabric cut diagonally to the weave so it drapes and skims the body; typical of slip dresses. See it in use →
- Black tie
- Formal evening dress code: a dinner jacket (tuxedo) or a floor-length or very elegant dress. See it in use →
- Blazer
- A tailored jacket worn without matching trousers. See it in use →
- Break
- The fold where the trouser hem meets the shoe. No break means the hem just touches the shoe; a full break folds over it. See it in use →
- Business casual
- Office dress without a suit: tailored trousers or chinos, a shirt, blouse or knit, leather shoes. See it in use →
- Business formal
- The most formal office dress: a dark suit, dress shirt and tie, or a suit or tailored dress. See it in use →
C
- Capsule wardrobe
- A small set of clothes chosen so nearly everything goes with everything else. See it in use →
- Chelsea boot
- An ankle boot with elastic side panels and no laces. See it in use →
- Chinos
- Cotton twill trousers, smarter than jeans and softer than suit trousers. See it in use →
- Chroma
- How clear or muted a colour, or a person's colouring, is. Bright colouring suits clear colours; soft colouring suits muted ones. See it in use →
- Cocktail attire
- Dressier than business, less formal than black tie: a suit and tie, or a knee-to-midi dress. See it in use →
- Colour analysis
- Finding the colours that flatter you from your undertone, depth and chroma; usually expressed as one of 12 season types. See it in use →
- Colour blocking
- Wearing large, solid areas of different colours together. See it in use →
- Complementary colours
- Colours opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and orange; high contrast, best with one of them muted. See it in use →
- Contrast (in depth)
- The difference in lightness between pieces. Clear contrast looks deliberate; similar depths blur together. See it in use →
- Cool undertone
- Skin with pink, red or blue hints; silver jewellery and blue-based colours usually flatter it. See it in use →
- Crew neck
- A round neckline that sits close to the base of the neck. See it in use →
- Cuff (turn-up)
- A folded band at the bottom of a trouser leg, or a rolled hem on jeans and chinos. See it in use →
D
- Denim wash
- How dark or faded denim is: raw and dark washes read smarter, light and distressed washes more casual. See it in use →
- Derby
- A lace-up shoe with open lacing, slightly more relaxed than an oxford. See it in use →
- Double denim
- Wearing denim on top and bottom; works when the two washes are clearly different. See it in use →
- Drape
- How a fabric falls and moves; good drape makes wide trousers swing and dresses skim the body. See it in use →
- Dress code
- The level of formality an event expects, written on the invitation. See it in use →
E
- Earth tones
- Warm, natural colours: brown, camel, tan, olive, rust, khaki. See it in use →
F
- Fit-and-flare
- A dress fitted through the bodice and flaring from the waist. See it in use →
- Formality
- How dressy a piece is, from gym wear to black tie. Pieces far apart in formality clash even when the colours match. See it in use →
- Front tuck (French tuck)
- Tucking only the front of a top into the waistband to mark the waist. See it in use →
G
- Gabardine
- A tightly woven, smooth fabric that sheds rain; classic for trench coats. See it in use →
H
- High rise
- Trousers or jeans whose waist sits at or above the navel; lengthens the leg. See it in use →
J
- Jewel tones
- Deep, saturated colours like emerald, sapphire, ruby and amethyst. See it in use →
K
- Knitwear
- Clothes made by knitting yarn: sweaters, cardigans, turtlenecks. See it in use →
L
- Lapel
- The folded front edges of a jacket; notch lapels are standard, peak lapels dressier. See it in use →
- Layering
- Wearing pieces over each other so each shows: a tee under an open overshirt, a knit under a coat. See it in use →
- Leather rules
- Conventions for leather shoes and belts: black trousers take black shoes, brown shoes never go under black trousers. See it in use →
- Loafer
- A slip-on leather shoe without laces. See it in use →
M
- Maxi
- Ankle or floor length, for skirts and dresses. See it in use →
- Merino
- A fine, soft wool that layers well and regulates temperature. See it in use →
- Midi
- A hem that ends between the knee and the ankle, usually mid-calf. See it in use →
- Mini
- A hem well above the knee. See it in use →
- Monochrome
- An outfit in one colour, often in different shades and textures. See it in use →
- Muted colour
- A colour softened with grey; the opposite of a bright, saturated one. See it in use →
N
- Neutral colour
- A colour that pairs with almost anything: black, white, grey, navy, beige, camel, brown. See it in use →
- Neutral undertone
- Skin that shows neither clearly warm nor clearly cool hints; both gold and silver usually work. See it in use →
- No-show socks
- Socks cut below the shoe line, so loafers and sneakers look sockless. See it in use →
O
- Overcoat
- A long, tailored wool coat worn over a suit or knitwear. See it in use →
- Overshirt (shacket)
- A heavy shirt worn open like a light jacket. See it in use →
- Oxford cloth
- A slightly textured basket-weave cotton used for oxford shirts. See it in use →
- Oxford shoe
- A formal lace-up with closed lacing; the shoe for suits. See it in use →
P
- Palette
- The set of colours that suit you or that an outfit is built from. See it in use →
- Pastel
- A light, soft colour with a lot of white in it: lavender, light blue, blush. See it in use →
- Pleats
- Folds sewn into fabric: at the front of trousers for room, or all around a skirt for movement. See it in use →
- Pocket square
- A folded handkerchief in a jacket's breast pocket. See it in use →
- Polo shirt
- A knitted cotton shirt with a collar and a short button placket. See it in use →
- Proportion
- How the volumes of an outfit balance: a fitted top with wide trousers, a loose top with slim ones. See it in use →
R
- Rise
- The distance from the crotch seam to the waistband; decides where trousers sit. See it in use →
S
- Saturation
- How intense a colour is; highly saturated colours are bright, low saturation colours are muted. See it in use →
- Season type
- One of 12 colour-analysis groups (Light Spring to Bright Winter) that describe which colours suit you. See it in use →
- Semi-formal
- In practice the same as cocktail attire. See it in use →
- Shade
- A darker version of a colour; also used loosely for any variation of a colour. See it in use →
- Shirt dress
- A dress cut like a long shirt, with a collar and buttons. See it in use →
- Silhouette
- The outline an outfit makes: slim, straight, A-line, oversized. See it in use →
- Slip dress
- A bias-cut dress on thin straps, usually satin or silk. See it in use →
- Smart casual
- Tailored but relaxed: chinos or dark jeans, a collared shirt or fine knit, clean shoes. See it in use →
- Suede
- Leather with a soft, napped surface; more casual than smooth leather. See it in use →
T
- Tailoring
- Structured, cut-to-fit clothing: suits, blazers, dress trousers. See it in use →
- Taper
- A trouser leg that narrows from knee to ankle. See it in use →
- Tonal outfit
- An outfit in close shades of one colour family, such as cream, beige and camel. See it in use →
- Trench coat
- A belted, double-breasted cotton gabardine coat for spring and autumn. See it in use →
- Turtleneck
- A fitted knit with a folded high neck; can replace a shirt and tie under a blazer. See it in use →
U
- Undertone
- The warm, cool or neutral hint beneath your skin's surface colour; the key to which colours flatter you. See it in use →
V
- V-neck
- A neckline that dips to a point; shows a shirt collar underneath. See it in use →
- Value (depth)
- How light or dark a colour, or your overall colouring, is. See it in use →
W
- Warm undertone
- Skin with golden, peach or yellow hints; gold jewellery and warm colours usually flatter it. See it in use →
- White tie
- The most formal dress code: tailcoat and white bow tie, or a floor-length gown. See it in use →
- Wide-leg
- Trousers cut wide from hip to hem. See it in use →
- Wrap dress
- A dress that crosses over the front and ties at the waist. See it in use →
Verdicts and outfits come from published colour and dress-code rules, not paid placement; garment images are AI-generated illustrations of generic pieces. How we decide