23   I can talk about clothes and fashion

A    Clothes

1     cap

2     cotton blouse/shirt

3     belt

4     waistcoat

5     denim shirt

6     high-heeled leather boots

7     earrings

8     bracelet

9     silk dress

10   short sleeves

11   collar

12   tights

13   necklace

14   ring

15   V-neck sweater

16   button

17   suede shoes

18   pocket

 

 

spotlight  jewellery and material

Necklace, bracelet, ring, and earrings are all examples of jewellery.

Cotton and silk are types of material. SYN fabric.

Leather and suede are materials made from animal skin.

 

3     Complete the table with words below.

cotton  skirt  waistcoat  vest  bracelet  leather  cap

underpants  ring  necklace  slip  bra  blouse

suede  earrings  silk

Underwear   ► underpants  ____  ____  ____

Jewellery  ____  ____  ____  ____

Material(s)  ____  ____  ____  ____

Clothes  ____  ____  ____  ____

vest, slip, bra

bracelet, ring, necklace, earrings

cotton, leather, suede, silk

skirt, waistcoat, cap, blouse

5     ABOUT YOU  Write your answers to Exercise 4, or ask another student.

Answers from a Polish person

►   No, I don’t think I’ve ever worn a cap.

1     Yes, I wear a ring on my middle finger.

2     I wear a bracelet on my right wrist.

3     I’ve got four leather belts.

4     I’ve got seven pairs of jeans but I rarely wear them.

5     All of my shoes, boots, handbags, and belts are made of leather. I’ve got a few silk scarves, pyjamas, and pillowcases.

6     Yes, I’ve got lots of V-neck sweaters, in various colours.

7     Yes, I often wear short sleeves.

8     My favourite material is linen.

  

6     Test yourself. Look at the pictures and cover the words. Can you name the items? 

B    Fashion

Three golden rules for fashion

Fashion expert Alyson Walsh says that every stylish woman should have a ‘capsule wardrobe’ - a timeless collection of clothes for every occasion. This includes: a little black dress, the perfect jeans, leather handbag, a fine wool jumper, white shirt, knee- length skirt, etc. Being stylish is about what suits you and your figure. Here are three golden rules:

• Spend as much as possible on the basics (your capsule wardrobe) and don’t worry too much about fashionable clothes - you probably won’t wear them after one season.

• Choose neutral colours: black, cream, white, and dark blue. Neutrals look elegant, and are versatile and easy to match. Just think of Armani fashions, year after year.

• A simple outfit can be transformed with the latest fashion accessory, e.g. a belt.

 

Glossary

stylish  attractive and fashionable. style N.

suit  If something suits you, it looks good on you.

figure  the shape of the body, especially that of a woman.

fashionable  popular at the present time. OPP unfashionable.

neutral   (of a colour) not strong or bright. neutral N.

elegant   attractive and well designed.

versatile  having many different uses.

match  look good with something else. matching ADJ.

outfit  a set of clothes that you wear together.

transform sth  change sth completely, usually in a positive way.

latest  new or very recent.

accessory  sth you wear or carry that goes with your clothes, e.g. a bag.

9     Test yourself. Cover the glossary meanings and look at the words. What are the meanings?