Fashion Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve fashion terms, from fabric and hem to silhouette, to their meanings.

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All 36 terms

Fashion basics 12

accessory An extra, such as a belt or scarf, worn with clothes. "A red scarf was her only accessory."
designer The creator who dreams up new styles of clothing. "The designer drew twenty dresses for the spring show."
fabric What a dress or coat is made of, such as cotton. "She chose a light fabric for the summer dress."
garment One item of clothing, such as a shirt or a skirt. "Each garment has a care label inside."
hem The edge of cloth folded over and sewn down. "The hem of the skirt came loose."
outfit Everything a person has on for one occasion. "He picked out an outfit for picture day."
pattern A template showing the shape of each piece to cut. "Pin the pattern to the cloth before you cut."
silhouette The overall outline of clothes on the wearer. "The wide skirt gives the dress a bell-shaped silhouette."
sketch A rough first drawing of a design. "She made a sketch of the coat before cutting any cloth."
tailor Someone who sews suits and adjusts clothes to fit. "The tailor shortened the sleeves of the jacket."
trend The course that styles are taking over time. "Wide pants are the trend this fall."
wardrobe A person's whole stock of clothes. "His winter wardrobe is mostly sweaters."

Show all 36 terms (24 more)

The fashion world 12

boutique A little store for stylish clothes and jewelry. "She found the hat in a boutique downtown."
collection A designer's group of new styles for one season. "The spring collection has thirty looks."
couture The making of costly clothes to a customer's order. "The couture gown was sewn by hand for one customer."
dress code Rules about what may be worn in a place. "The dress code for the banquet is jackets and ties."
fad A style that is wildly popular for a short time. "The neon shoelaces were a fad that lasted one summer."
mannequin A life-size dummy that shows clothes in a store. "The mannequin in the window wears a raincoat."
model Someone hired to wear and show off new clothes. "The model turned at the end of the stage."
ready-to-wear Made in standard sizes, not for one customer. "The shop sells ready-to-wear suits in six sizes."
runway A raised walkway where new styles are paraded. "The first coat came down the runway to loud applause."
stylist Someone whose job is choosing what others wear. "The stylist laid out three jackets for the photo shoot."
swatch A snippet of material showing its color and kind. "She pinned a swatch of blue wool to the drawing."
vintage From an earlier time and typical of its style. "She wore a vintage dress from her grandmother's closet."

Fabrics, prints and trims 12

cashmere Costly soft wool from the undercoat of certain goats. "The cashmere scarf felt as soft as a kitten."
denim The heavy twill, usually blue, that jeans are cut from. "His jacket is made of faded denim."
embroidery Ornamental stitching worked over a finished cloth. "Flowers in embroidery run down the collar."
fringe A row of loose strands hanging from a border. "The jacket has fringe along each sleeve."
paisley An ornate print whose main figure is a curled drop. "The tie has a green paisley print."
pinstripe One of many hair-thin lines running down a cloth. "The banker's suit has a gray pinstripe."
plaid A design of colored bars crossing at right angles. "He wore a red and black plaid shirt."
polka dot A round spot, one of many repeated across the cloth. "Her umbrella is navy with white polka dots."
ruffle A gathered band of cloth added along an edge as trim. "The blouse has a ruffle at each cuff."
sequin A small shiny disk sewn onto clothes to sparkle. "A sequin fell off her costume during the dance."
suede Animal hide finished so it feels soft and fuzzy. "He brushed the dust off his suede boots."
velvet Woven cloth whose short pile feels smooth and plush. "The stage curtain is red velvet."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two dictionaries: the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). All 36 terms stand in both. The sense of fashion was read in Wiktionary for silhouette and in the Cambridge Dictionary for collection and stylist. Details of a meaning rest on articles of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: Denim for the twill weave, Paisley (design) for the teardrop figure, Polka dot for the repeated spots, Fashion design for a collection shown each season, and Ready-to-wear. The answers under the list rest on the articles Tartan, Fad, Haute couture and Paisley (design). The sentence in quotation marks after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This fashion vocabulary worksheet is for a fashion design, family and consumer science or English language class: a dozen terms to join by a line to their meanings. Three sets: fashion basics, the fashion world, and fabrics, prints and trims.

Read the full guide

Fashion basics: fabric, pattern, hem, trend

Set opens on Fashion basics: fabric, pattern, hem, trend, tailor, sketch, garment, silhouette, designer, outfit, accessory and wardrobe. The fashion world prints runway, model, boutique, collection, mannequin, couture, stylist, vintage, fad, dress code, ready-to-wear and swatch.

Fabric, print and trim words

The third set has denim, velvet, suede, cashmere, plaid, polka dot, paisley, pinstripe, sequin, fringe, embroidery and ruffle. Under the tool each term has a sentence that uses it, such as "The wide skirt gives the dress a bell-shaped silhouette."

Seam, selvage, lining and thimble are on the sewing vocabulary worksheet.

Questions and answers

Is plaid the same as tartan?

In North America, yes: plaid is the common word for tartan, a cloth whose colored bands cross one another in a repeating design. Plaid comes from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning blanket and first named a rectangular garment.

What is the difference between a trend and a fad?

Speed and staying power. A fad becomes popular quickly and fades, while a trend grows more slowly and may settle in as a lasting change, even a permanent one. Some people use the two words for the same thing.

What does haute couture mean?

The French words literally mean high sewing or high dressmaking. Haute couture is high-end fashion made exclusively to fit one client, and in France the term is protected by law.

Where does the name paisley come from?

From Paisley, a town in western Scotland that was a center for textiles and reproduced the designs. The fashion for them began with shawls brought from Kashmir.

All 36 terms

Fashion basics 12

The fashion world 12

Fabrics, prints and trims 12

How it works

Fashion basics: fabric, pattern, hem, trend

Fabric, print and trim words

Questions and answers

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