Clothing terms

[Arnold Zwicky]

On May 23, 2010, at 2:39 PM, Rick Barr wrote:
>
> I recently came across the poster for the movie The Joneses. Wiki presents
> it here:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joneses_poster.jpg
>
> Some of the specific clothing items mentioned there were new to me. When
> I've come to the subject of items of clothing, especially with women, I've
> often felt at a loss with many words that pop up in conversation. It seems
> sartorial innovations, small or big, constantly produce names that are not
> always easy to catch up with. Something like MW's Visual Dictionary
> (available online: http://visual.merriam-webster.com/clothing-articles.php)
> is of limited use precisely because of that dynamism; note, e.g., that "tank
> top" is shown as an item of children's clothing in that dictionary.

some postings of mine on clothing categories and terms for them:

CLOTHING

AZ, 3/27/05: Underwear sociolinguistics:
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002015.html

http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/lifting-shirts/

http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/hybrid-underwear/

What IS that garment?
http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/what-is-that-garment/
the "swim brief"

DEFINE “SCRIMMAGE T-SHIRT”
http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/define-scrimmage-t-shirt

http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/wife-beaters/

> Does anybody on the list know of a reliable dictionary for clothing terms,

> which would be even better if it had images to go with the names?

there is tremendous variability in conceptualization and vocabulary -- changing over time (sometimes rapidly, with changhes in fashion), varying from place to place and from one community of use to another -- a variability that my postings just barely touch on (a situation very similar to that in the world of foodstuff and food names).

> Or are
> store catalogues the most reliable source for that terminology?

not really, though they're useful.  store catalogues show a mixture of ordinary-language vocabulary (with all its complexity) and terms of commerce (the jargon of manufacturers and sellers -- in effect, a technical vocabulary for this community of use, but also showing variability).  there is some back-and-forth traffic between ordinary-language usage and technical vocabulary, of course, which contributes further to variability.

arnold



>
> Thanks,
>
> -- Rick
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org