Fashion & Personal Adornment, COR-IS
Looking to make a statement without ever saying a word? Fashion designers know that clothing and accessories can speak volumes about the wearer, affecting both how the wearer is perceived by others and how the wearer perceives of him- or herself. The fashion industry has become a multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes; it thrives by being diverse and flexible enough to gratify any consumer's desire to embrace or reject fashionability, however that term might be defined.
Fashion & Personal Adornment Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Corset
Corset, article of clothing worn to shape or constrict the waist and support the bosom, whether as a foundation......
Cosmetic
Cosmetic, any of several preparations (excluding soap) that are applied to the human body for beautifying, preserving,......
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan, monthly magazine for women, with more than 50 international editions. The advertisement-heavy magazine......
costume, ballet
ballet costume, clothing designed to allow dancers freedom of movement while at the same time enhancing the visual......
CourrÚges, André
André CourrÚges was a dress designer who first made a reputation in the Parisian fashion world of the 1960s for......
Crakow
Crakow, long, pointed, spiked shoe worn by both men and women first in the mid-14th century and then condemned......
Cravat
Cravat, the name given to the neck scarf worn by Croatian soldiers in the service of the French army during the......
Crawford, Cindy
Cindy Crawford is an American fashion model and television personality who first gained fame in the 1980s and was......
Crinoline
Crinoline, originally, a petticoat made of horsehair fabric, a popular fashion in the late 1840s that took its......
Crown
Crown, from the earliest times, a distinctive head ornament that has served as a reward of prowess and a sign of......
crown jewels
crown jewels, adornments and regalia that are used during a monarchâs coronation and that can be worn by members......
cuff link
cuff link, small ornamental device, generally a pair of linked buttons or one button that fastens with a bar or......
cultured pearl
cultured pearl, natural but cultivated pearl produced by a mollusk after the intentional introduction of a foreign......
cymophane
cymophane, variety of the gemstone chrysoberyl...
Dandy
Dandy, term, dating to England in the late 18th century, that describes a man who pays fastidious attention to......
Daymond John
Daymond John is an American entrepreneur and investor. As the cofounder and chief executive officer of the apparel......
de la Renta, Oscar
Oscar de la Renta was a Dominican-born American fashion designer whose work, blending European luxury with American......
DeFeo, Jay
Jay DeFeo was an American painter, sculptor, and jewelry maker associated with Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.......
Delaunay, Sonia
Sonia Delaunay was a Russian painter, illustrator, and textile designer who was a pioneer of abstract art in the......
Demorest, Ellen Louise Curtis
Ellen Louise Curtis Demorest was an American businesswoman, widely credited with the invention of the mass-produced......
Depp, Lily-Rose
Lily-Rose Depp is a French-American model and actress known for her emotionally expressive performances in the......
Dhoti
Dhoti, long loincloth traditionally worn in southern Asia by Hindu men. Wrapped around the hips and thighs with......
diamond
diamond, a mineral composed of pure carbon. It is the hardest naturally occurring substance known; it is also the......
diamond cutting
diamond cutting, separate and special branch of lapidary art involving five basic steps in fashioning a diamond:......
Dior, Christian
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer whose New Lookâcharacterized by ultrafeminine and highly sculptured......
Dirie, Waris
Waris Dirie is a Somalian fashion model, author, and womenâs rights activist known for her efforts to eliminate......
Does perfume expire?
Yes, perfume can indeed expire. Perfumes are complex mixtures of various ingredients, including essential oils,......
Dolce & Gabbana
...
Doublet
Doublet, chief upper garment worn by men from the 15th to the 17th century. It was a close-fitting, waisted, padded......
dravite
dravite, a brown, magnesium-rich variety of tourmaline. See...
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, hairstyle consisting of ropelike strands of knotted hair formed by methods including twisting, backcombing,......
Dress
Dress, clothing and accessories for the human body. The variety of dress is immense. The style that a particular......
- Introduction
- Mesopotamian, Sumerian, Babylonian
- Ancient Greece, Tunics, Robes
- Ancient Rome, Tunic, Toga
- Pre-Columbian, Americas, Styles
- Middle East, 6th Century, Clothing
- Medieval, Europe, Fashion
- European Fashion, 1500-1800
- Colonial America
- 20th Century, Fashion, Styles
- Eastern, Cultural, History
- Japanese Kimono, Yukata, Haori
- Function, Fashion, Culture
- Regulation, Laws, Customs
- Rebellion, Gender, Fashion
- Cultural Variations, Textiles, Styles
drop cut
drop cut, method of faceting gemstones into a pear shape suitable for pendants, earrings, and other jewelry. A......
dĂszmagyar
dĂszmagyar, ceremonial dress worn by Hungarian nobility and later by other public figures. It evolved in the second......
earplug
earplug, type of ear ornament usually inserted in pierced and distended earlobes. Earplugs were the direct forerunners......
earring
earring, a personal ornament worn pendent from the ear, usually suspended by means of a ring or hook passing through......
Elle
Elle, womenâs fashion magazine founded in France in 1945 by Pierre Lazareff and his wife HĂ©lĂšne Gordon and owned......
emerald
emerald, grass-green variety of beryl (q.v.) that is highly valued as a gemstone. The name comes indirectly from......
emollient
emollient, any substance that softens the skin by reducing water loss. Emollients contain ingredients that either......
Erté
Erté was a fashion illustrator of the 1920s and creator of visual spectacle for French music-hall revues. His designs......
Evangelista, Linda
Linda Evangelista is a Canadian fashion model perhaps best known as a face of the cosmetics company Revlon and......
Fabergé, Peter Carl
Peter Carl Fabergé was one of the greatest goldsmiths, jewelers, and designers in Western decorative arts and jeweler......
facet
facet, flat, polished surface on a cut gemstone, usually with three or four sides. The widest part of a faceted......
Famous Mustaches in History
Since antiquity, the wearing of mustaches, like the wearing of beards, has reflected a wide range of customs, religious......
Fan
Fan, in the decorative arts, a rigid or folding handheld device used throughout the world since ancient times for......
Farthingale
Farthingale, underskirt expanded by a series of circular hoops that increase in diameter from the waist down to......
Fashion
Fashion, in dress and adornment, any mode of dressing that is prevalent during a particular time or in a particular......
Fashion week
Fashion week, series of scheduled runway shows and presentations during which designers introduce upcoming collections......
Fast fashion
Fast fashion, a business model that focuses on the rapid design, production, and promotion of low-cost clothing......
Fendi
Fendi, Italian luxury fashion house founded in Rome in 1925 and known for its fur, leather goods, and fashion.......
Fibula
Fibula, brooch, or pin, originally used in Greek and Roman dress for fastening garments. The fibula developed in......
filigree
filigree, delicate, lacelike ornamental openwork composed of intertwined wire threads of gold or silver, widely......
fire
fire, in gems, rapidly changing flashes of colour seen in some gems, such as diamonds. Some minerals show dispersion;......
Fishermanâs Ring
Fishermanâs Ring, the signet ring that is presented to the popeâthe leader of the Roman Catholic Churchâat his......
Fogarty, Anne Whitney
Anne Whitney Fogarty was an American fashion designer, best known for her original dress design. Fogarty created......
Ford, Tom
Tom Ford is an American fashion designer and film director who was credited with reviving the fashion house Gucci......
Fortuny, Mariano
Mariano Fortuny was a painter, inventor, photographer, and fashion designer best known for his dress and textile......
Galliano, John
John Galliano is a British fashion designer known for historically inspired, technically accomplished clothing......
garnet
garnet, any member of a group of common silicate minerals that have similar crystal structures and chemical compositions.......
Gaultier, Jean Paul
Jean Paul Gaultier is a French fashion designer whose iconoclastic collections in the late 20th and early 21st......
gemstone
gemstone, any of various minerals highly prized for beauty, durability, and rarity. A few noncrystalline materials......
Gernreich, Rudi
Rudi Gernreich was an Austrian-born American avant-garde fashion designer of the 1960s. Gernreich immigrated to......
GhesquiĂšre, Nicolas
Nicolas GhesquiĂšre is a French fashion designer who, as creative director of Balenciaga (1997â2012) and as artistic......
Giannini, Frida
Frida Giannini is an Italian fashion designer who was the creative director of the world-renowned Gucci fashion......
gigaku mask
gigaku mask, stylized wooden mask worn by participants in gigaku, a type of Japanese dance drama. Gigaku masks......
Gipon
Gipon, tunic worn under armour in the 14th century and later adapted for civilian use. At first a tight-fitting......
Girdle
Girdle, a band that encircles or girds the waist either to confine the loose and flowing outer garments so as to......
Givenchy, Hubert de
Hubert de Givenchy was a French fashion designer noted for his couture and ready-to-wear designs, especially those......
Glove
Glove, covering for the hand with separate sections for the fingers and thumb, sometimes extending over the wrist......
GonzĂĄlez, Julio
Julio GonzĂĄlez was a Spanish sculptor and painter who developed the expressive use of iron as a medium for modern......
Gordon, Lucy
Lucy Gordon was a British model and actress best known as a âfaceâ of CoverGirl cosmetics and for her appearance......
GQ
GQ, menâs fashion magazine that was started as a trade publication in New York City in 1931 and became available......
granulation
granulation, in jewelry, type of decoration in which minute grains or tiny balls of gold are applied to a surface......
Great Star of Africa
Great Star of Africa, the largest (530.2 carats) gem cut from the Cullinan...
Gregory, Rogan
Rogan Gregory is an American fashion designer and sculptor known for his environmentally and socially conscious......
Gucci
Gucci, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Founded in 1921 by Italian entrepreneur Guccio Gucci, the company......
Hadid, Bella
Bella Hadid is an American model best known as the face of the fashion company Dior. Bella Hadid was born in Washington,......
Hairdressing
Hairdressing, custom of cutting and arranging the hair, practiced by men and women from ancient times to the present.......
Halston
Halston was an American designer known for his elegant, streamlined fashions. He was widely considered the first......
Hat
Hat, any of various styles of head covering. Hats may serve protective functions but often signify the wearerâs......
Hatpin
Hatpin, long, ornamental pin used for decoration and for fastening a womanâs hat securely to her hair. In the late......
hawkâs-eye
hawkâs-eye, variety of the semiprecious quartz tigerâs-eye...
Hei-tiki
Hei-tiki, neck pendant hand-carved in the form of a stylized human and worn by the MÄori people of New Zealand......
HermĂšs
HermĂšs, French luxury goods company established by Thierry HermĂšs in 1837 and stewarded by subsequent generations.......
hessonite
hessonite, translucent, semiprecious, reddish-brown variety of grossular (q.v.), a garnet...
hijab
hijab, garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their hair. By the 21st century this meaning had become more......
Himation
Himation, mantle or wrap worn by Greek men and women from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods (c. 750â30......
Holbein, Hans, the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German painter, draftsman, and designer, renowned for the precise rendering of his......
Hoop skirt
Hoop skirt, garment with a frame of whalebone or of wicker or osier basketwork. Reminiscent of the farthingale......
Hosiery
Hosiery, knit or woven coverings for the feet and legs designed to be worn inside shoes, particularly womenâs stockings......
How are diamonds made?
In nature, diamonds are created within Earthâs mantle at depths exceeding 120 kilometers (75 miles) where temperatures......
How did Giorgio Armani change fashion?
Giorgio Armani himself defined the way he changed fashion when he described his approach to design, saying, âI......
How Did the Tradition of Wedding Rings Start?
When Taylor Swift said yes to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in August 2025, it seemed as if all the......
How do hand warmers work?
Hand warmers work by utilizing an exothermic chemical reaction to generate heat, providing warmth to cold hands.......
How do oysters make pearls?
The pearl-making process begins when a foreign particle, like a grain of sand or a tiny parasite, finds its way......
How do you get an invite to the Met Gala?
The Met Gala, held on the first Monday in May, is notoriously exclusive. The guest list is limited to about 450......
hyacinth
hyacinth, a red, orange, or yellow variety of the gemstone zircon...
industrial diamond
industrial diamond, any diamond that is designated for industrial use, principally as a cutting tool or abrasive.......
Inro
Inro, in Japanese dress, small portable case worn on the girdle. As indicated by the meaning of the word inrĆ (âvessel......
Is diamond the hardest substance on Earth?
Yes, diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth. It is a 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness,......