Fashion A-Z

From applique to zippers, a comprehensive dictionary with definitions and
meanings of key fashion vocabulary, written by Camilla Morton.

Dégradé

Dégradé is where a fabric’s colour, or the fabric itself, fades like a sunset, from the densest pigment or thread to the finest. It is a popular technique in couture, with all the colours of the spectrum, from the deepest to eh lightest, are often used in velvets or silks. But in a barber’s shop, un dégradé (coupe de cheveux) is the light layering of hair.

Diamond Smocking

Diamond Smocking is the diamond shaped form of smocking, which is an embroidery technique used to hold gathered cloth in even folds. Smocking was used to create a stretch long elastic was invented and enabled fabric to be fitted as well as flexible. It dates back to the cuffs, bodices and collars of the Middle Ages.

Dirndl

Dirndl is a country-inspired fashion. It is the traditional dress worn by women in Southern Germany to accompany the gentlemen in their lederhosen. The dirndl itself consists of a bodice, blouse, and full skirt — think Maria from ‘The Sound of Music’. A dirndl skit is part of a light, circular cut dress, which is gathered at the waist and falls below the knee.