There is a well known saying, “knowledge is power.”
Let UWM Men’s Shop help you take your fashion knowledge to the next level. We've put together 23 key words and phrases to help upgrade your menswear knowledge.
1. Collar Gap
An undesired space between the shirt collar and the suit collar, especially in the back, is often referred to as collar gap. Your suit collar should hug your shirt collar. A collar gap is often a sign of other fitting issues, so make sure you close the gap.
2. Break
How much of the bottom of a pair of trousers fold where they meet your shoes. A full break is a lot of gathering; no break is no gathering at all. Breaks are a matter of personal taste, but medium breaks are most common. While less of a break can yield a slimming look, if you're still getting a sense of your personal style, a medium break is a safe choice.
3. Brogue/Broguing
Ornamentation added to a leather shoe through patterns of small holes that are punched through the leather. People sometimes refer to them as “wingtips”.
4. Yoke
The part of the garment around the neckline typically on the back from shoulder tip to shoulder tip.
5. Vent
The slit you see on the backside of sport coats and suit jackets.
6. French Cuffs
Twice as long as regular or “button” cuffs, french cuffs (or “double cuffs”) fold back and fasten with cufflinks or fabric knots. French cuffs lend an air of formality to an outfit, and are usually worn with suits or tuxedos.
7. Rise
Distance from the crotch to the top of the waistband in jeans and trousers.
8. Basted Stitch
Before the suit is tailored to be worn, sometimes the suit is temporarily stitched together with white basting thread. This allows you to try on the suit for the first time you try on your custom suit. A basted fitting allows the tailor to fine tune the suit.
9. Sprezzatura
Sprezzatura is the intentional effort of appearing effortless. The word dates back to the 1500s and remains a hallmark of Italian fashion today.
10. Gauntlet Button
A button placed halfway down the placket of the sleeve. This button maintains the sleeve's tailored appearance, but allows the shirt to be rolled above the elbow when unbuttoned.
11. Drop
The difference, in inches, between your jacket size and your waist size.
12. Canvassed Lining
Traditionally, a suit is “canvassed” if the jacket is constructed with a layer of horsehair canvas underneath the wool fabric shell. This allows for a natural, form-fitting drape.
13. Jetted Pocket
Also called a “besom pocket”, the jetted pocket is a flap-less pocket set into the jacket or trouser. A flap pocket has a bit more material that can be tucked in to mimic a jetted pocket.
14. Gusset
A triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted at a seam to add strength and durability to a garment and reduce wear and tear. In men's formal wear, you'll often see a gusset in the underarm of a dress shirt. On casual shirts, this is the triangular piece present on the bottom side of the hem.
15. Cap Toe
A separate piece of material covering the toe section of a shoe for reinforcement and/or decoration; usually used on oxford-style shoes.
16. Donegal
Dating back to the 1800s, a knit or tweed with coarse, nubby multicolored yarns that are combined with single-colored yarns to produce a mottled effect.
17. Monk Strap
A casual or dress shoe with a single or double strap closure, usually with an adjustable buckle.
18. Super Wools
The story of this thread is the numbering system used to describe the new breed of super-lightweight, high-twist wools. Pioneered by Italian mills, these fabrics are made using high-tech machines that spin wool lighter and finer than it's ever been spun before. The various grades of cloth are referred to as Super 100s, Super 120s, Super 150s and so on, up to Super 200s. Make Super 100s and Super 120s the mainstay of your wardrobe. They are durable, resilient, and today's fabrics are superb. Treat the Super 150s and Super 180s as caviar, wonderful, but not to be worn every day, for these really are connoisseurs' suits.
19. Swatches
Fabric samples from manufacturers that give a glimpse of possible custom options.
20. Wool
A fiber obtained from the fleece of a sheep. It is a resilient and wrinkle resistant fabric. Wool can hold up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet.
21. Vicuna
A wild relative of the lama, inhabiting mountainous regions of South America and valued for its fine silky wool.
22. Merino Wool
A better-quality wool yarn made from the fleece of merino sheep. Merino sheep are said to have the finest and softest wool of any sheep.
23. Cashmere
An extremely soft and lightweight luxury fiber combed from the undercoat of the long-haired Kashmir goat. Cashmere has a soft and silky finish and is most commonly woven or knit to produce sweaters, suits, coats, and other clothing pieces.
Now that your fashion vocabulary has been upgraded, stop by UWM Men’s Shop and test out your new found knowledge today.