Sartorial Jargon: Fashion, Clothing, Apparel, Costume And Dress

Quick & Easy Illustrations by Mai Manaloto

www.instagram.com/MaryAnnClothing

As we go further in this intellectual discourse on fashion, it is imperative for a certified fashionista to be able to comprehend terminologies used in the industry. In this blog post I will discuss a few, but highly essential, terms used in this ever growing and evolving trade.

How do terms such as fashion, clothing, apparel, costume and dress differ from one another? Each word is found to be very similar to the others but their difference is definite. Each term has a level of appropriation of use for various scenarios in the fashion industry. Some terms are simply more general whereas the others are more unambiguous.

There is a difference between clothing and fashion. Clothes are tangible material products while fashion is a symbolic product. Therefore, clothes are the output of fashion. Fashion involves branding, marketing, merchandising, lifestyle and storytelling while clothing is generally used for protection, modesty and aiding in identity formation.

The term apparel on the other hand is used in the industry to describe cutting-edge fashion and/or basic garments such as a shirt, uniform, active wear and so on. In a nutshell, apparel is any textile item for the body, unlike clothing which is a more general term in fashion. Clothing is anything attached or altered on the body which is thoroughly discussed in my previous blog post entitled Misguided Fashion: The Misconception in Clothing.

Costume pertains to the history of clothing and appearance during a particular period. For example, the finely woven linen and invention of purple dye during the ancient Egyptian civilization, the draped and gathered silhouettes of the ancient Greeks, the togas, strophium (bra) and subligar (panty) of the ancient Romans, the sartorial excess or the heavily ornamented clothing filled with geometric/Arabic patterns of the Byzantine empire during the middle ages, the ruff collar and elaborate layered dressing with slashes during the Renaissance period, the romantic frills and ruffles of the rococo period and the dark hues and bustle of the Victorian period.

Dress is more of an anthropologist term when referring to all forms of attire. From an anthropological perspective, dress is a function of complex set of motives that is interdependent in factors such as the physical environment/form, psychological state, and social conditions and norms. Whereas in fashion dress is a form of clothing where the upper bodice is attached or connected to the free flowing lower bodice creating a skirt hem.

As shown, all these terms have varying concepts but they have a common goal. That is to describe and lead to a better understanding of the past, present and future of the fashion industry.

Couture Trade: The Universal Benchmark Of Fashion

Quick & Easy Illustrations by Mai Manaloto

Instagram.com/MaryAnnClothing

Couture provided a standard for impeccable universal sartorial taste. It was marketed as the peak of advanced style or commonly defined as high fashion.

Couture designs are kept up to date by the infusion of new trends that are shown in extravagant fashion shows.

It exists to serve as a role model to all fashion designs explaining why a silhouette can be theatrical, attention-grabbing and extreme. It was meant to be vulgar and merely conspicuous.

Wearable choices of couture on the other hand were made for two audiences, the general public and private clients. But what is it that would make a woman spend a fairly large amount for a couture made dress?

A couture piece must first captivate a woman and make her feel flattered by its design. Then it must meet various requirements such as longevity, appropriateness and value in terms of price. Expensive clothing is expected to be well-made and stresses the importance of serviceability to a woman. Exclusivity and the design itself also plays a role in the decision making process of acquiring couture wear.

Couture does not only exist as a benchmark in fashion design but serves as something desired by women. A symbolic purchase of a well-earned triumph established overtime.  As Alexandra Palmer, who has a Ph.D. in design history and a fashion costume senior curator, put it "Couture wardrobes symbolized and highlighted the status of the social elite and implied that the wearers were knowledgeable, cultural and social professionals who practiced connoisseurship in many fields" (2001).