STYLEFocus

Tis for Tie Dye

A method of decorating a garment or fabric by tying string or other material around pre-selected areas in order to prevent dye from being absorbed by these areas. The unprotected area takes up the dye, the tied area does not. To get multicolored effects, the fabric can be tied in other areas and dipped in another colored dye. This process can be repeated as often as desired.

Uis for Unstructured

A garment that is unstructured means that it has no structural design support such as boning and padding. An unstructured garment, when hung, should drop instead of appearing stiff.

Vis for Vintage

Fashion items that are at least 20 years old are considered vintage. The act of buying vintage can be seen as the most environmentally friendly way of buying fashion. And if something has been in pristine condition for the past 20 years or so, it would probably last much longer.

Wis for Watteau Back

The back of a garment in which box pleats are placed at the center back and the fabric released by these pleats falls loosely to the bottom of the garment. The name of this style derives from Jean Antoine Watteau, a French artist of the 18th century, in whose paintings women wore dresses with this design feature. The name was not applied to these designs until the 19th century. Today the style continues to be popular, especially in nightgowns and robes.

Xis for X

In fashion, X denotes a collaboration between two brands. It is incorrect to refer to the X as ‘by’, since in a collaboration, there shouldn’t be one party that’s more significant than the other.

Yis for Yoke

A yoke is a shaped pattern piece which forms part of a garment, usually fitting around the neck and shoulders, or around the hips to provide support for looser parts of the garment, such as a gathered skirt or the body of a shirt.

Zis for Zip

A zip is a fastener formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding the edges of an opening of fabric or other flexible material, such as on a garment or a bag.