Clothes & Accessories

English Vocabulary

English vocabulary about clothes and thing you wear. We have included some footwear, underwear and accessories.

A list of clothing and accessories with a description of each item:

belt: a strip of leather or material worn around the waist to support clothes (hold them in place) or used as decoration. Sometimes belts are used to hold tools or weapons.

bikini: a bikini is typically worn by women when swimming or sunbathing. It consists of two separate parts, the top part and the bottom part.

blouse: a piece of clothing for women and girls that is worn on the upper part of the body. It is more elegant or formal than a shirt and sometimes made of lighter or finer material. It typically has a collar, buttons, and (short or long) sleeves.

boots: a sturdy item of footwear covering the foot, ankle, and sometimes the lower part of the leg. There are many different types of boots, each with their own function such as hiking boots, cowboy boots, and work boots.

boxers (boxer shorts): men’s underwear that generally fits loosely and is similar in shape to shorts. They are made of a lighter fabric than those used for shorts.

bra: women’s underwear that supports the breasts. It comes from the word brassiere (formal, not common).

cardigan: a cardigan is usually made of wool and is similar to a jumper/sweater though with the difference that it can be opened at the front by undoing buttons. It covers the upper part of the body and arms and is worn over other clothes such as a shirt.

cap: A type of soft, light hat that has a curved part sticking out at the front of it. Sometimes it is called a baseball cap.

cargo pants: loose fitting pants (trousers) with large pockets on the outside of the legs. These are mainly used for outdoor activities.

coat: an outer piece of clothing that is worn over the top of other clothes for extra warmth. It typically covers the top of part of a person and goes below the hips. It is usually open at the front and can be closed with buttons or a zip (zipper) and sometimes has a belt around the waist.

dress: a piece of clothing (typically for women or girls) that covers the top half of the body and hangs down over the legs. It is similar to a skirt and top joined together as one piece.

evening gown / evening dress: a long flowing dress worn to a formal event or special occasion that usually takes place in the evening.

gloves: a piece of clothing worn on the hands (and wrists) for warmth or protection. Gloves have separate parts (individual covering) for each finger and thumb. There are different types of gloves such as gardening gloves (for gardening) and fingerless gloves (which have part of the glove’s fingers cut off so the person’s fingers are exposed). Note: boxing gloves don’t have individual fingers and have thick padding.

G-string: a type of underwear that consists of a narrow strip of cloth between the person’s legs that covers their private parts. It is attached to a waistband or string around the waist. Sometimes it is called a thong.

hat: a covering for the head which is worn for warmth, as a fashion item, or as part of a uniform. A hat is not joined to any other item of clothing.

hoodie: a sweatshirt with a hood for covering the head. Sometimes it is written as hoody.

jacket: a jacket is a short coat. It only extends to the waist or the hips. It has long sleeves and a fastening down the front. A coat is usually thicker than a jacket.

jeans: trousers made of denim that are worn informally. Denim is a strong cotton cloth. Traditionally jeans are a blue color.

leggings: leggings are skin-tight garments that cover the legs and hips/waist but not the feet. They are made from a stretchable material and usually worn by women. Tights are similar but cover the feet and must be worn under another garment.

mittens: a type of glove with one section for the thumb and one section for the other four fingers.

overalls / dungarees: a piece of clothing that covers both the upper and lower parts of the body and is usually worn over other clothes in order to protect them from dirt, paint, etc. They have straps going over the shoulders to hold them in place. Overalls (American English) – dungarees (British English)

pajamas / pyjamas: Soft loose clothing that is worn in bed. They consist of trousers (pants) and a type of shirt. Pajamas (American English) – pyjamas (British English)

panties / knickers: Panties are short underpants worn by women and girls. They cover the area from the waist to the tops of the legs. Panties (American English) are known as knickers (British English). The version for men is called underpants.

pants / trousers: an outer piece of clothing that covers the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles. They consist of separate sections for each leg that are joined at the top. There are different types of pants such as cargo pants and dress pants. Pants (American English) – trousers (British English). In British English pants can refer to underpants or knickers.

pantyhose: Thin translucent legwear that women use to cover the body from the waist to the toes. They are often worn under short dresses to hide visible veins, scars, and blemishes. They are often made of nylon or sometimes silk. In British English they are often called (sheer) tights.

polo shirt: a casual shirt with short sleeves, a collar, and buttons at the front near the neck. Note: the buttons don’t go all the way down the shirt, just from the neck to around the middle of the chest.

pullover: see sweater / jumper.

raincoat: a long coat made from waterproof / water-resistant fabric to protect the wearer from getting wet in the rain.

scarf: a length of fabric (usually wool) worn around the neck (or head / shoulders) to keep the person warm.

shawl: a large piece of cloth / fabric worn by women over the shoulders, upper body or head.

shirt: An item of clothing that covers the upper part of the body. A shirt has a collar, buttons down the front of it and can have long sleeves or short sleeves.
There are many types of shirts including Hawaiian shirts, polo shirts, long-sleeve shirts, short-sleeve shirts, flannel shirts, etc.

shoes: coverings for the feet. They are typically made of leather and have a sturdy thick sole (sole = base of the shoe). Most shoes have shoelaces to make the shoe fit tighter to the foot. A shoe doesn’t normally cover the ankle. When they cover the ankle or lower leg, they are called boots.

shorts: a type of trousers that are short with the leg sections only reaching above the knees.

skirt: a woman’s outer garment that hangs from the waist and does not have individual sections for the legs. It normally hangs to around the knees though can be longer or shorter. A short skirt is called a mini-skirt.

slacks: a pair of casual pants / trousers.

socks: an item of clothing made from soft material (wool, cotton, etc.) that covers your foot and sometimes the lower part of the leg. Sock make your shoes more comfortable to wear. Socks come in pairs and you often lose one of them when you do the washing.

suit: a suit is generally used on formal occasions or when doing business. A suit contains a formal pair of trousers (pants) and a jacket of the same material. People usually wear a long-sleeved shirt and a tie with a suit.

sweater / jumper: a sweater / jumper is usually made of wool and you wear it over a shirt to keep you warm in winter. They have long sleeves. Sweater (American English) – Jumper (British English). You may also hear it called pullover in British English as you pull it over your head to wear it.

sweatpants: soft casual pants typically worn in a gym or for relaxing at home. It has an elastic waist with drawstrings. They are usually loose and keep you warm. Sometimes they are called tracksuit bottoms.

sweatshirt: an informal piece of clothing for the upper part of the body. It is made of thick cotton and has long sleeves. It is generally used for sport or as leisurewear. When it has a hood to cover part of your head, it is called a hoodie.

swimming trunks: shorts worn by men for swimming. The material used for swimming trunks is generally lighter than that of shorts. In New Zealand they are called togs.

swimsuit: a single garment typically worn by women when swimming. When a swimsuit is in two separate parts (top and bottom part) it is called a bikini. A swimsuit can also be called a swimming suit.

tank top: a piece of clothing that covers the upper part of the body. It has no arms and no collar with a U-shaped opening at the neck. It doesn’t have any buttons.

tie: a long, thin piece of material that is worn under a shirt collar and tied in a knot at the front with the rest of it hanging down in front of the shirt. A tie is typically used by businessmen or on formal occasions.

tracksuit: a tracksuit is a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that are usually worn when playing sport or training for a sport. Some people like to wear a tracksuit at home because they are comfortable. In American English they are called sweats.

trench coat: a loose long coat with a belt. Usually one side of the front of the coat goes over the other side to create a double layer.

T-shirt: an informal cotton shirt with short sleeves and no collar. It is typically used in summer. Notice how the word is normally written with a capital T as this form of this letter shows the basic shape of a T-shirt.

tuxedo: a man’s black (or white) dinner jacket worn at formal social events, usually in the evening. It is worn with matching trousers / pants and a box tie.

underpants: a piece of underwear (a garment that is used under clothes) covering the area between the waist and the tops of the legs. Sometimes they are called briefs. They are mainly worn by men. Women wear panties or knickers.

wedding dress: a dress worn by the bride at her wedding. It is traditionally long and white.

windbreaker: a wind-resistant jacket. The cuffs usually have elastic that fit closely to wrists to stop the wind from going up the sleeves. A windbreaker helps protect the wearer from feeling the wind.

vest / waistcoat: a piece of clothing that covers the upper body but has no arms or collar. It is worn over a shirt and usually has buttons or a zipper down the front. vest (American English) – waistcoat (British English).

Clothes in English - Summary Chart

Here are the names of basic items of clothing.

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