Athleisure is a no-no outside the gym. Maybe you’re picturing a perfectly tailored designer dress, elegant high heels, and a chic silk scarf around their neck. In more formal contexts, or when speaking to an older person, as well as on websites that specialize in various different kinds of shoes adapted to different sports, chaussures de sport is used. These are just the basics when it comes to talking about clothes, of course. (Corsairs were French privateers who wore trousers similar to capri pants.). My daughter needs a new school uniform—a blazer, a skirt, a turtleneck and wool tights. soldé(e) – on sale, marked down. Prêt à faire du lèche-vitrines? French people do dress like this, especially in big cities. You might also hear this garment referred to as des thermolactyls, which is a brand name for thermal clothing made by the French company Damart. (I’d rather wear jeans and a hoodie, Mom. Trust me on this. You can also get a glimpse of actual French people (especially, in this particular example, Frenchmen) wearing scarves as they go about their day, in this somewhat voyeuristic video. ). Keep that in mind, and it may make learning and talking about clothes in French a little easier! Col roulé by itself refers to the style of collar, which is called a roll-neck or polo neck in British English. (She’s so rich that she only wears designer shoes. Your inconnu (blind date) will be able to pick you out of la foule (the crowd) at the café, and your romantic rendez-vous will get off to a good start. An online store like Zalando is a great place to find adjectives and specific terms for particular types and styles of dresses. The clothes are modeled by a lady who periodically ducks back into her dressing room to change clothes for the next round of play. (I’ll be wearing a burgundy shirt and a dark blue hat.). un soutif’ – slang for soutien-gorge (bra). (I would like to update my beachwear. un sac (à main) – a purse/handbag. ), La vendeuse: Pas de problème. In English, a fashion victim is someone who blindly follows trends and doesn’t really have an innate sense of fashion. Once he’s dressed, he’ll come find them! Le collant d’homme are leggings, as in Shakespearian hose or tights for men. The verb is reflexive here for clarification reasons. For instance, I might see one of my friends wearing a pretty sundress and say, simply, Quelle jolie robe! For more French expressions that involve clothing, check out this list. ), Marie-Claire: Les pistes de ski sont glaciales! A débardeur is also a name for a longshoreman or stevedore. To quote Oscar Wilde, a dandy from another culture and era, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” If you’re a fan of Solange Knowles, you’ve probably seen sapeurs without realizing it – a real group of sapeurs from South Africa are in the video for her song “Losing You”. When it comes to putting on clothes, you’ll most often hear this in the imperative – for example, Fous ton pantalon et on y va – on va être en retard! Preview. You’ll find some of them accessorized with helpful facts and additional information. ), Pauline: J’aimerais mettre à jour ma tenue de plage. If the weather is cooler, you can wear a fitted jacket or nice cardigan with it. Ex: Sara n’aime ni les robes, ni les jupes. Sac  is the general word for “purse”, and you’ll often see it used on its own, but sometimes if you need to specify that you’re talking about a purse, you’ll use un sac à main, even if the bag in question is a big bag you wear on your shoulder, not a handbag per se. This can be used on its own or with de and another word to specify what kind of outfit. French comedian Michaël Youn made la cagoule notorious in a different way, by creating a funny rap song about it that became a hit. Garage sales (vides-greniers) are also a big thing in France. des boucles d’oreille – earrings. The clothes sold here come from clothing donation drops throughout the city and are available at very low prices, which makes it possible for people of any income to have nice outfits and accessories. Les sous-vêtements. It’s really up to you. faire du shopping – to go shopping. Topic Vocabulary >> Lesson 11: Clothes and Fashion. For a woman, a very easy solution when you’re traveling is to wear a dress. The latter two are international brands, but their French websites are, of course, adapted to the French market. Here are the words you should know if you want to have a basic conversation (or shopping experience) involving French clothes. The song is about little people (in this version, animals), who are happy to be in the forest since the wolf isn’t there and won’t eat them. This somewhat old-fashioned term still crops up quite a lot, especially in book titles (my personal favorite: Les souliers du mort (The Dead Man’s Shoes),a book starring the notorious thief Fantômas), poetry, song lyrics, and proverbs (as you’ll see a little further on), un blouson – a thick jacket (usually used when talking about bikers). habillé(e) comme un sac – poorly dressed. Whether or not you faire du shopping en France,  if you like the French style and outlook on clothes, why not try to incorporate them into your everyday life, wherever you live? Choose from 500 different sets of french describing clothes flashcards on Quizlet. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. Whether you’re shopping for clothes, food, or souvenirs, you can use the following phrases in any French-speaking country to help you find just the right thing. Good news: Even if you have a basic level of French vocabulary, you already have lots of different ways to describe clothes and accessories! Today, this word mostly means women’s underwear. For example, you probably already know how to use words like grand(e) and petit(e). Or maybe it’s a more low-key look, like impeccably fitting jeans, a blue-and-white striped shirt (une marinière) and a trench coat. You can watch this scarf-tying tutorial by a Frenchwoman for some ideas. Although they’re becoming more popular, shoes like flip-flops and UGGs are generally frowned upon by the mainstream French population, as well. – you’re well on your way to describing and discussing clothes in French! Let’s have some fun: Personnellement, je préfère une démarque aux vêtements de marque. Usually this term is only used for women’s boots – men’s are usually bottes regardless of height. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning and play the mini-games found in the dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank.". (No problem. In general, either de or en can be used before the name of the material. Here are some other helpful words: ringard(e) – a slang and sort of rude way to say démodé(e). Say it’s springtime but the temperature suddenly skyrockets into the 30’s (around the 80-90’s Fahrenheit) – it doesn’t matter; most French people will still wear long sleeves and a light jacket. But even then, they probably won’t pull out a winter sweater. les baskets(m)/tennis(m OR f)/chaussures de sport(f) – sneakers/trainers/gym shoes. If you said Je n’ai rien à mettre, there’s this sort of lingering question of “Put what, where?” Â. foutre – to throw on. An easy casual solution for a man is a somewhat fitted pair of jeans that’s flattering to your body type, with a fitted t-shirt and relatively close-fitting jacket. Talking About Summer Clothes in French. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to talk about clothes in French. This is the word I see most often on French clothing websites, in French fashion/celebrity gossip magazines, and hear on TV, to describe this garment. This is a rare exception to the two-leg holes-is-singular rule. un imperméable – a raincoat/mackintosh. Thanks for subscribing! Go ahead. It’s a fun song to sing or act out with kids, and also a great way to practice your French clothes vocabulary – you can even add in clothing items you find particularly tricky. ), Geneviève: Quel est le meilleur genre d’écharpe à porter quand on fait du ski? She’s just thrown any old thing on. Whether we like it or not, our clothing is one of our most defining features. The classic, bourgeois buttoned-up look is favored by, well…classic, bourgeois, buttoned-up people. (I’m going to “Time for Spring.” It’s my favorite shop. In the context of clothing, the French word collant means “clingy,” “skintight” or “close-fitting.”. En fait, je crois qu’ils ont un polo et un pantalon en sergé en vente qui seraient parfaits pour toi! ), prêt à porter – ready-to-wear; in other words, mass-produced, off-the-rack clothing – the opposite of sur mesure. Bravo – or, rather, Chapeau! Although this word is used when talking about old-fashioned women’s headwear and baby bonnets, nowadays  you’re more likely to come across it as the equivalent of knit hat/beanie. Quelle taille faites-vous? For example: -Tu vas porter quelle tenue ce soir ? “Sweat” is short for the English word “sweatshirt,” an article of clothing developed in the mid-1920s. le peignoir – bathrobe/dressing gown. (No, a bikini isn’t modest enough for me.). se faire remonter les bretelles – to pull yourself up by the bootstraps – in other words, to compose yourself and toughen up and face whatever challenge is before you. ), Justine: Non, un bikini n’est pas assez pudique pour moi. NEVER say Je n’ai rien a foutre to express “I’ve got nothing to wear”, because that particular phrase means “I don’t give a fuck” (I told you foutre) was a versatile word! Our friends in Québec use espadrilles to mean running shoes. One of the first things you’d probably tell them would be something like: Je porterai une chemise bordeaux et un chapeau bleu foncé. un tailleur – a women’s suit. The following phrases will be useful no matter what kind of shopping you plan on doing. (Ready to do some window shopping? For example, une chemise en lin (a linen shirt). Learning French clothing vocabulary will help you appreciate that aspect of French culture better. Part 1 of 2 - How to Talk about what you did during your vacation in French. (Why is it your favorite? Just like in most countries, there’s actually a big variety of styles in France. The French are specialists in great clothing and shoes.They differentiate them endlessly according to shape, texture and more. An iconic part of private school uniforms, blazers are also a versatile part of an autumn wardrobe. ), Marie-Claire: Bien sûr! That being said, there are two constants for dressing in France: You could be wearing sweatpants, trainers, and a hoodie, but they’ll fit properly and be clean and neat. Moi, j’aimerais trouver un maillot une pièce. (Literally, “like bum and shirt”) For a bit more of an explanation of this expression (Why not say comme cul et slip? In the 19th century, Eisenberg began manufacturing sleeveless shirts for dock workers, and the style came to bear his name. “ Les vètements ” means “clothes or garments” in general, and the following short list of essential items will give you shopping power when it comes to asking for what you want. In areas with a global population, you’ll also see immigrants wearing styles from their native place of origin. It’s a real art, and one I fear I’ll never get the hang of, no matter how much I enjoy wearing a scarf now and then, myself. Here is a longer list which will help you master French clothing … We’ve broken the list down into several categories including men’s and women’s clothes, clothes for men and women only, accessories, materials and useful verbs. (The ski slopes are freezing! Alone, this word is used for glasses you use to see. Website complementing the multimedia BBC course and TV series to learn French, The French Experience. You’ll often see one of these phrases on reviews or descriptions of clothes you can buy online. There are lots of vintage (sometimes overpriced) and secondhand shops, in France, too. Describing people, especially in another language, requires some skills. (Yes, as usual. Grab your shopping bags and let’s get underway. So, if you want to buy a pair of shorts in French, you want un short, not des shorts. Or you’ll stay on the cutting edge of fashion news and keep up with designs from les marques émergentes (the up-and-coming brands). From vocabulary, to how to dress like a local if you come to France, here’s everything you need to know about clothes in French! Le grand homme qui porte un costume gris en laine avec un gilet rouge? You may also notice that la mode pudique (modest fashion) is becoming more recognized and catered to by clothing brands. les godasses (f)– an informal term for shoes. les bottines (f)– boots that go roughly to mid-calf, rather than just below the knee. J’y vais chaque avril. You’ll learn French as it’s actually spoken by real people. I would say the dressing up one is far more important than the dressing for the season one. (Let’s go, Andrea! In other words, even if you choose your normal size, this particular clothing brand might fit smaller/larger. Say there’s a sudden, unexpected heatwave in winter. Be sure to pronounce the gilet with a soft “g.”. Clothing is important because it comes up at home, when you’re shopping, and when you’re talking with other people, so it is an easy boost to your vocabulary, and one that will definitely be useful for anyone. In that case, you can say un sweat à capuche (a hooded sweatshirt). To hear many of these words pronounced, with pictures, try Frencheezi’s “Les Vêtements D’Hiver” (“Winter Clothing”) video. It could be life-changing! Nous devons t’acheter un nouveau uniforme scolaire. la robe – a dress or gown. Geneviève: Marie-Claire, tu es venue faire du ski plusieurs fois. 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