From chic-sauvage to glothic

Fall’s Fashion Vocab
In-the-know words and phrases to keep you in the loop

For those who have ever been stumped by fashion lingo, you have nothing to fear. We’ve defined in-the-know words and phrases to keep you in the loop—so when someone compliments your chic-sauvage look, you’ll know it’s your fur belt they’re loving.

al•mond toe The “it” shoe shape of the moment, designed with an oval toe instead of a pointy one. A handful of designers, including Gucci, had this fashion-forward footwear striding on their runways, hinting that the arrow stiletto may be replaced for good this season.
Overheard: “Those almond-toe heels from Miu Miu are so much easier to walk in.”

ba•roque•ry Clothing that is heavily inspired by the early 17th to mid-18th centuries. Typically clothes that hold bold, curving forms and extravagant ornamentation, as seen in fall collections by Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander McQueen.
Overheard: “Kate Moss was sporting head-to-toe baroquery at that after-party.”

chic sau•vage Marked by the wearing of clothes and/or accessories designed with wildly elegant fur and/or leather. Such undomesticated glamour was presented on Fall ’06 runways via fur-trimmed coats (Prada), sleeves (Dsquared) and skirts (Louis Vuitton). The look is influenced heavily by the costuming in films such as Barbarella and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Overheard: “Jennifer Lopez’s mink eyelash extensions are so chic sauvage.”

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con•ver•ti•ble bag The versatile “it” bag for the season. Designed with a double-handled satchel and a longer shoulder strap, this accessory can be slung over the shoulder like a traditional duffel or carried over the wrist; it comes in both satchel and tote form.
Overheard: “I’ve been on the waiting list for this fab green convertible bag for five months!”

glo•thic A mix of gothic style—a haunting, mysterious and vampiric aesthetic taken from the 13th–15th centuries—with glamorous 1950s vamp-like tailoring and trend.
Overheard: “Dita Von Teese’s glothic gowns are just as fascinating as her marriage to Marilyn Manson.”

luxe grunge An updated and chicer version of Marc Jacobs’ controversial 1992 Perry Ellis collection of grunge (which was first motivated by Seattle’s groundbreaking rock scene in the 1990s); an unkempt approach to wardrobe (à la Olsen twins). Jacobs’ update contains all the mainstays of yesterday’s grunge (flannel, plaid, layers and leg warmers) alongside today’s sophisticated pieces, including capes, shawls and jackets. Designers such as Karl Lagerfeld have also interpreted the term.
Overheard: “Keira Knightley’s red-carpet wardrobe is the epitome of luxe grunge.”

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re•tro fu•tur•a•ma Clothing inspired by what designers from the 1960s predicted the future of postmillennial fashion would look like. Design houses such as Balenciaga have taken these past-future archival references from their ’60s predecessors and amalgamated them into their collections this season.
Overheard: “Gemma Ward looks like Twiggy when she puts on those retro-futurama 3-D bubble skirts.”

Va•ssar girl A style based on the dress of female students who attended New York’s Vassar College in the late 1930s and ’40s whose look dominated the Fall ’06 runways of a barrage of designers, including Emporio Armani and Celine. The Vassar uniform, consisting mostly of ’40s-era tailored suits and skirts, correlates to the same sharply dressed Ivy League life(style) associated with the uptown-intelligentsia look of private schools.
Overheard: “Anne Hathaway’s wardrobe makes her very Vassar girl.”

Vic•tor•i•a•na Clothes that are derivative of the Victorian age (1837–1901) and inspired by the English monarchy—namely, Queen Victoria. Pin-tucked blouses, velvet, buttoned-up vests and skinny pants are just a few of the many pieces designers such as Dolce & Gabanna, Alberta Ferretti and Rochas have delivered this season.
Overheard: “Kirsten Dunst worked the red carpet at Cannes in this gorgeous Victoriana dress.”

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