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A babouche slipper is a soft leather slipper with squared off toes based upon the traditional Turkish heeled slipper of fabric or leather richly decorated with beads, threads and spangles and with a turned up, pointed toe.
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A babushka is a head-scarf made from a square of fabric, folded and wrapped around the head, that ties under the chin and is widely worn by Russian peasant women.
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Baby curl is a term applied to one of the two small curls near the end of the tail of a barrister's wig.
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Baby doll is a style of women's nightwear first introduced during the late 1950's based upon the children's wear of the 19th century. The baby doll is very short, typically reaching to just below the waist, made of a fine material, erotic and frequently trimmed with synthetic lace, bows or ribbons etc.
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Babygro is a trademark brand of stretch coverall invented in America during the 1950's by Walter Artzt for wear by babies. The babygro is made of a stretchy fabric with feet and cuffs and poppers between the legs to facilitate quick and easy changing of nappies.
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A bag sleeve is a garment sleeve which is long, and very full, gathered onto the cuff at the wrist and has the effect of hanging down along the lower part of the arm. Bag sleeves were popular during the 16th and 16th centuries.
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A bag-wig was an 18th century man's type of wig in which the back hair was tied back into an ornamental silk purse.
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The balaclava is a knitted or sometimes crocheted helmet-like head covering, with various degrees of facial covering. Balaclavas are popular for disguising the wearer's identity among criminals and members of the armed forces such as the SAS.
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A balayeuse or sweeper's skirt is a women's long skirt reaching to the feet with an underskirt with a finely pleated border called a dust ruffle.
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Balbriggan is a knitted, unbleached cotton fabric used for making underwear.
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A balconette bra is a cut-away bra designed to reveal the cleavage.
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A baldric is an ornamental belt worn over one shoulder and around the opposite side, diagonally across the body. It was designed to show off the rank of the wearer and be used to support a sword or bugle. Baldrics were often highly decorated and enriched with gems, and used not only to sustain the sword, dagger, or horn, but also for purposes of ornament, and as a military or heraldic symbol. The fashion appears to have reached its height in the fifteenth century.
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A balibuntal is a hat of closely woven fine straw worn in the Philippines.
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A ball gown is an elaborate, formal, woman's evening dress, often a full-skirted gown reaching at least to the ankles. Ball gowns are typically made from expensive fabric, usually satin, silk or taffeta, cut off the shoulder with a decollete neckline, and trimmed with lace, pearls, sequins and embroidery.
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A ballerina skirt is a full skirt that reaches to just above the ankles. Ballerina skirts were popular during the 1950's and have long been popular as an alternative to a ball gown for young women.
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The ballet boot or tip-toe boot is a form of lace-up boot with a very high heel, popular during the late 19th century, so constructed that the wearer is forced on their extreme tip-toes. Ballet boots are not designed for walking in, but rather as a form of fetish wear for sexual games and role playing.
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The balmacaan was a loose-fitting, waterproof, calf-length, flared, gabardine or tweed overcoat with raglan sleeves first worn by men during the 19th century and later by women by the end of the 19th century.
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A Balmoral was a 19th-century long woollen petticoat, worn immediately beneath the dress and showing below the skirt.
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A balmoral hat or bluebonnet is a Scottish brimless hat traditionally of dark blue wool with a cockade and plume on one side.
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A balmoral shoe is a type of laced walking shoe. It is a low heeled shoe with the lace fastening reaching almost to the toe.
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Properly, a bandanna is a silk pocket handkerchief. The name later developed to include cotton handkerchiefs with a dark ground of Turkey red or blue, decorated with a spotted pattern of white or yellow dots. Later the term came to be applied to such a handkerchief worn tied around the head or neck.
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A bandeau is a narrow band or fillet often forming a part of a head-dress.
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Bandoline was a gummy perfumed substance used to impart gloss and stiffness to the hair at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
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A bangle is an ornamental ring worn upon the arm or ankle, originally fashionable in India - where they were made of coloured glass, whence the name which is Hindustani for coloured glass bracelet - and Africa.
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A banjan was a loose-fitting coat made from Indian cloth, fastening in the front with either a clasp or with hooks, and with close-fitting sleeves. The banjan was worn on informal occasions.
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A banyan (banian) is an Indian loose-fitting shirt or jacket. The term originated during the days of the British occupation of India and applied to a loose coat.
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A Barcelona was a piece of velvet for the neck or a small neck-tie commonly worn in England during the first quarter of the 19th century. The term was also applied to a brightly coloured neck cloth.
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Barege is a gauze-like fabric used for women's dresses, made of silk and worsted, or of cotton and worsted.
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Strictly, barracan is a thick strong stuff made in Iran and Armenia of camel's hair, but the name has been applied to various wool, flax, and cotton fabrics.
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A barrel bag is a woman's cylindrical handbag with wrap around handles.
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A baseball boot is a lace-up sport ankle boot made from canvas with a rubber sole and toe. Baseball boots lost popularity with the advent of the trainer.
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A baseball cap is a cap made of mesh fabric, fitted with an adjustable strap at the back and a fabric covered peak.
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A bashlik is a Russian hat comprising a piece of cloth worn wrapped around the head.
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A basque is an item of women's underclothing comprising a bodice which continues below the waist, and resembling a jacket with a short skirt. The term is often incorrectly applied to a bodice.
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A basquine is a form of women's under garment similar to the basque, but with a less defined bust.
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A bath robe is a short, mid-length gown made from towelling material and tied around the waist, for use after bathing.
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Batiste is a fine plain-weave cotton or linen fabric used for making shirts and dresses.
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A batwing sleeve is a garment sleeve with a deep, triangular shaped armhole tapering to a tight wrist.
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A beanie is a small, round, woollen hat worn on top of the head.
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A beard is the hair round the chin, on the cheeks, and the upper lip, which is a distinction of the male sex and of manhood. It differs from the hair on the head by its greater hardness and its form. Some nations have hardly any, others a great profusion. The latter generally consider it as a great ornament; the former pluck it out; as, for instance, the American Indians. The beard has often been considered as a mark of the sage and the priest. Moses forbade the Jews to shave their beards. With the ancient Germans the cutting off another's beard was a high offence. Even as late as 1900 the beard was regarded as a mark of great dignity among many nations in the East, as the Turks.
Alexander the Great introduced shaving among the Greeks, by ordering his soldiers to wear no beards; among the Romans it was introduced in 296 BC. The custom of shaving is said to have come into use in modern times during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France, both of whom ascended the throne without a beard. Until then fashion had given divers forms of moustaches and beards. It is only in comparatively recent times that beards and moustaches have again become common.
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Beauty Culture is the art of improving the physical appearance. The practice of painting the face, of dressing the hair, and of using lotions and perfumes to enhance natural beauty dates back to ancient times. Unguent jars, still fragrant with musk, were found in the 4,000-year old tomb of King Tutankhamen. Cosmetics, oils for the skin, perfumes, and aromatic baths were known to the Egyptians. Henna, which is still used as a hair dye and by the Arabs for painting the hands, was used in the time of Cleopatra to colour the finger and toe nails.
The Greeks used perfumes, many of which were imported from Egypt, and also experimented with hair dyes and bleaches. They introduced cosmetics into the Roman Empire, and by the time of Nero it was common for Romans of both sexes to use perfumes, and to indulge in luxurious baths. Kohl (still used by the Arabs) was used for painting the eyes, pumice powder for whitening the teeth, and fucus as a rouge for the lips and cheeks.
Cosmetics were first used in Britain at the time of the Roman occupation, but they were uncommon until many centuries later. During the 11th and 12th centuries the Crusaders brought all kinds of perfumes and cosmetics from the east. In Elizabethan times powders, rouges, and eye cosmetics were popular; ladies-in-waiting took milk baths; Mary, Queen of Scots, bathed in wine. These practices were suppressed during the Commonwealth, but were revived under Charles II.
Small-pox scars and the ravages of other diseases were concealed by means of heavy make-up. Herbal lotions and packs were later sold to improve the complexion, but it was not until the 20th century that make-up became generally accepted by women of all classes.
The manufacture of cosmetics has now developed into a major industry, and many women pay regular visits to beauty salons, not only for treatment for their hair (the first permanent 'wave', created in 1905 by Charles Nessler, was a painful nine hour operation), but for massage, skin conditioning, facial treatment and manicure. Since the Second World War toilet preparations for men have become increasingly popular, and modern fashions with their revealing lines and emphasis on active leisure clothes have dictated greater attention to the body as well as the face for both sexes. Salons specialising not merely in getting rid of excess fat, but in developing perfect proportions and fitness by exercises and other means, have multiplied to become common place in the west today.
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A bed jacket is a s short jacket originally worn by women to keep the shoulders warm while breakfasting in bed.
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Beige is a light woollen fabric made of wool of the natural colour, that is neither dyed nor bleached.
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Bell bottoms are a style of trouser with wide bottoms to the leg that start to flare from the mid-calf. Bell bottoms were originally worn as part of their uniform by sailors and were adopted for commercial fashion.
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A bell sleeve is a sleeve which flares out widely at the opening in a shaped reminiscent of a bell.
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A bellows case is an expanding case, the expansion being affected by the insertion of accordion pleats
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A bellows pocket is a type of patch pocket which includes a pleat set behind it so that the pocket expands to accommodate its contents. Bellows pockets are usually found in work jackets and coats.
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A belt is a flat strip of material worn around the waist.
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A bendigo is a rough fur cap, so called after the noted boxer William Thompson who was nicknamed Abednego which was contracted into Bendigo.
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A beret is a type of hat made from a circular piece of felt drawn together into a narrow band.
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A bergere or milkmaid hat is a woman's large straw hat with a low crown and a medium width brim, usually decorated around the crown with a band of flowers.
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A Berlin glove is a thin, elegant glove made from a strong cotton fabric.
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Bermudas are shorts that finish just above the knee.
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Bespoke tailoring refers to clothes made to order, rather than made in bulk and supplied off the peg. Bespoke tailoring usually involves the client being measured and attending subsequent fittings, ensuring that the clothes made are a perfect fit, rather than an approximation of a fit which naturally occurs with mass-produced clothes.
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A Betsie collar is a ruffed, vertical collar inspired and based upon the ruff worn by queen Elizabeth I.
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A bib is a cloth or similar placed under a child's chin so as to protect the clothes beneath from food dropped while eating. The term is also applied to the front, top part of an apron, overall, or dungarees etc.
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Biba was a fashion label best known in the early 1970s for moody, nostalgic clothes and accessories in shades of brown, plum, grey, and pink. It was established in 1963 by Barbara Hulanicki as a mail-order business and in 1973 it moved to the former premises of Derry and Toms, an Art Deco department store in Kensington, London. The business closed later in the 1970s. A major retrospective exhibition was held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1993, coinciding with the revival of 1970s fashion.
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The bicorne or bicorn was a hat worn from the 1780s. The bicorne had the brim turned up at the front and back, completely hiding the crown. The brim was pressed in at the front to form a peak. The front-left of the hat was usually decorated with a cockade or rosette. The bicorne was traditionally part of the ceremonial uniform of the British, French and American navies.
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A bietle was a native American Indian deerskin, fringed jacket. The name is also given to a modern jacket (also called a western jacket) which is a fringed jacket usually made from suede and reminiscent of the native American Indian original.
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A biggin is a plain, close-fitting cap, often tied under the chin. They were popular during the 16th and 17th centuries and were based upon the coif-like caps worn by the Beguires lay sisters.
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Bijouterie is another name for costume jewellery, particularly the name is given to cheap finger-rings.
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The Bikini is a two-piece item of women's swim-wear. It was invented in 1946 by a French designer and was called the 'bikini' after the atom bomb test at bikini atoll, the premise being that the bikini was as small as an atom, and the results were explosive! When first revealed, no professional model could be found to model such a revealing item of clothing, and so a cabaret dancer was hired to model the first bikini.
Basically a bikini resembles an ensemble of a brassiere and a pair of briefs, though made of thicker material and sometimes it also incorporates a sort of ultra-mini skirt. Since its invention in 1946, the bikini has become universal among women of the industrial world, has had a song written about it - 'Itsybitsy yellow polka-dot bikini', and has been used as a form of eroticism in numerous television adverts, posters and films. Among the most famous were the use of a fur bikini worn by Raquel Welch in the 1966 film 'One Million Years BC' which attracted thousands of male viewers to a film which might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
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Billycock is the name given to several round-crowned brimmed hats made of felt. They are named after William Coke who had them made for him during the 19th century.
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A biretta (also known as a birretta or beretta) is an ecclesiastical cap of a square shape with stiff sides and a tassel at the top. It is usually black for priests, violet for bishops and scarlet for cardinals.
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The biretum or birretum, was a sort of conical shaped, black bonnet, or covering for the head very popular in France and Italy around the 12th and 13th centuries and worn as both a mark of priesthood and as a badge of victory or honour.
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A bishop sleeve is a shape of sleeve which is fitted at the top part, then flares out towards the wrist where the sleeve is gathered onto a cuff. Bishop sleeves were popular during the 1960's.
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The Black Watch Tartan is a clan tartan worn by the Royal Highlanders and Royal Scots Fusiliers.
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Blacking was an early form of polish for boots and shoes. Victorian blacking usually contained for its principal ingredients oil, vinegar, ivory or bone black, sugar or molasses, strong sulphuric acid, and sometimes caoutchouc and gum-arabic. It was used either in liquid or in the form of paste, the only difference being that in making the paste a portion of the vinegar was withheld.
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Blanket stitch is a type of stitching used for edging heavy fabrics which cannot be turned back and hemmed. Blanket stitch is an attractive stitch also used for decorative work.
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A blazer is a lightweight, unlined, often flannel jacket originally worn for boating and playing cricket, now worn by British school children and sportsmen. Blazers are often either plain or striped and are worn with non-matching trousers. Blazers are produced both for women, with a more pronounced cut and fit, and for men.
Originally, a blazer was a boatman's jacket, and in particular the jackets worn by the Johanian crew of Cambridge, which were bright scarlet in colour.
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The bliaud was a Norman woman's and man's long-sleeved, dress or coat with full sleeves and a pleated skirt for the men, tied around the waist.
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The Bloomer costume was a style of dress adopted around 1849 by Mrs Amelia Jenks Bloomer of New York, a woman who crusaded for women's dress reform. The style consisted of a jacket with close sleeves, a skirt reaching a little below the knee, and a pair of Turkish trousers secured by bands around the ankles and often a broad-brimmed hat.
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Bloomers were originally full-length Turkish pantaloons, gathered in above the ankles and at the waist, worn under a skirt, forming part of the Bloomer Costume developed by Amelia Bloomer. Bloomers developed over the years becoming trousers or culottes with a very full, voluminous legs, gathered around the waist and into a band at the ends of the legs, and the term is now applied to women's loose-fitting, baggy undergarments.
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A blucher was a 19th century strong, laced, leather half-boot or high shoe, named after the famous Prussian Field-Marshall Gebhard Blucher. In America, the term blucher describes a laced-up shoe.
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A blue Billy is a blue with white spots neckcloth as popularised by William Mace.
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A boa is a woman's long, round scarf, usually of feathers or fur.
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A boater is a stiff straw hat with a straight brim and flat crown originally designed for wearing while punting on a river.
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The bob is a short hairstyle that was introduced and popularised in 1914 by the dancer Irene Castle, though previously it had been one of the simplest and oldest styles of hair for men. In a bob haircut, the hair is simple or straight, and reaches to below the ear about half-way down the cheek and the ends are curled inwards. The fringe may be combed over or left straight. A variation of the bob is the wind-blown bob in which the hair is wavy rather than straight.
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A bob-wig was a short gentleman's wig. Short wigs predate long wigs, short wigs being found on ancient Egyptian and Assyrian sculptures, long wigs being introduced by Louis XIV of France to disguise his ill-matched shoulders.
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A bobble hat is a woollen, knitted cap with a ribbed cuff, frequently striped and decorated with a tufted woollen pom-pom on the top.
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Bobby sock is an American term for a knitted sock that finishes at the ankle (an ankle sock).
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A bodice is a usually sleeveless, women's undergarment for the upper body. Through history there have been various styles of bodice including supportive and restrictive corset styles and delicate styles.
In dressmaking, the term bodice refers to the top part of the dress.
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A bodkin was a stiletto hair pin formerly worn by ladies in the hair.
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A body stocking is an all-in-one full body garment with feet, made from a stretch fabric and pulled on.
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A boiler suit or 'coverall' is a loose, all-in-one garment worn over the top of normal clothing as protection for the normal clothing against dirt. A boiler suit usually has pockets and side slits so that the pockets in the normal clothes worn underneath are accessible.
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A bolero is a man's short jacket, just reaching the waist, traditionally worn by men in Spain. The name is also applied to a woman's short, open jacket which may be sleeved or sleeveless.
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A Bolivar is a type of man's fur hat with a conical crown, slightly cut-off. The hat is named after Simon Bolivar.
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Bombazine is a twilled or corded cloth composed of silk and worsted. It was first manufactured in England during the reign of Elizabeth I and from around 1816 it was chiefly made at Norwich.
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BOMBAZINE
Bombarzine is a mixed tissue of silk and worsted, the first forming the warp and the second the weft. It is fine and light in the make, and may be of any colour, though black is most in use.
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A bomber jacket is a short, waist-length blouson with knitted cuffs, collar and waistline and welt pockets.
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Bondage trousers are trousers fitted with multiple decorative zips and D rings for the attachment of bondage straps passing between the legs. Bondage trousers are frequently made in a red tartan pattern and are credited to the designer Vivien Westwood and were de rigueur fashion of the punk-rock counter culture of the 1970's.
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A bongrace was a large bonnet worn by women.
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In costume, boning involves the insertion of stiff material to emphasise and support the shape of the wearer.
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A bonnet is a covering for the head, now especially applied to one worn by females. In England the bonnet was superseded by the hat as a head-dress around 1600, but continued to be distinctive of Scotland to a later period.
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A bonnet rouge (Red Cap of Liberty) was a French, red cap worn by the supporters of the French Revolution who wished to mark themselves as sufficiently advanced in democratic principles.
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A boob tube is a strapless, stretchy item of women's clothing for the upper part of the body.
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A Boston neckline is a back contour of a man's hair style in which the hair of the back of the neck is cut high and in a straight line across the neck, which is shaved. The Boston neckline originated in the USA during the early 20th century and subsequently came to Britain where it is variously interpreted by barbers.
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A boudoir jacket was a women's jacket with puffed sleeves and a lace collar worn by the rich during the early part of the 20th century while lounging around at home.
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Bouffant describes a dress or a hairstyle which is puffed-out. A bouffant dress typically has a fitted bodice with a full gathered skirt puffed out to emphasise the roundness of the skirt.
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A bower curl is a curl of hair forming only three-quarters of a circle.
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A bowler hat (known in America as a Derby) is a hard, felt formal hat with a rounded crown and a narrow, curled brim. The bowler hat evolved from the earlier Billycock hat worn by gentlemen in pursuit of the field sports of hunting and fishing and the game of golf, and was designed by William Bowler, an American, in the 1850's.
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A bowling shirt is a men's or women's loose fitting, short-sleeved, shirt with a patch breast pocket and button-up front fastening designed for ten-pin bowling teams. Bowling shirts usually have the player's team name embroidered across the back and the pocket.
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The box car moustache is an American style of straight, rectangular moustache extending the width of the lips.
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A box coat was a heavy, caped, sleeved, overcoat worn by coachmen while sitting on the box of a coach.
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In costume, a box pleat is a pleat made of two flat folds turned inward toward each other.
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Boxer shorts are a man's undergarment comprising elasticated shorts of a woven fabric with internal support.
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A boxing boot is a lower calf-length boot laced up through multiple eyelets and originally intended for wear while boxing.
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Bracchae or Braccae were simply cut trousers with a drawstring waist and wrapped ankles worn by the ancient Britons at the time of the Roman Invasion.
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A braid bonnet is an old Scottish cap made of milled, woollen cloth without either a seam nor lining.
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Brassieres date from the early 1900s. A design for a brassiere made from two handkerchiefs and narrow ribbon was patented in the USA in 1914 by Mary Phelps Jacob (Caresse Crosby). Until the mid- 1920s, brassieres were boneless and were designed to flatten the bust and push it downwards. They were widely adopted during the 1920s when fashionable at-home dresses and, later, cocktail dresses were often made of revealing, semi-transparent fabrics. By 1925, brassieres had adjustable front straps and a division between the breasts in the bandeau front. During the late 1920s the Kestos Company of America produced a brassiere made of two triangular pieces of fabric secured to elastic that was pulled over the shoulders, crossed at the back, and buttoned at the front under a darted 'cup'.
During the late 1920s and 1930s corsetry companies began manufacturing brassieres which were boned and stitched into different cup sizes. A boned strapless brassiere appeared in the late 1930s and it was during this decade that the word 'bra' came into popular usage. In the 1940s the use of foam pads gave additional shape to many bras. Their outline was most exaggerated during the 1950s, when bras were both wired and stitched in circular patterns to further stiffen the fabric. The strapless bra was popular during the 1950s, when it was worn under off-the-shoulder, strapless dresses. The same decade saw manufacturers beginning to produce bras for teenagers.
With the 1960s came greater flexibility of design and further liberation and comfort for women through the introduction of fabrics containing Lycra. Since the 1970s, mouldings of thermoplastic fibres at high temperatures have produced one-piece seamless bras. In 1964 a Canadian company, later purchased by Sara Lee Intimates, designed a 'Wonderbra', a padded, under-wired, push- up bra that made a more pronounced breast shape. This style gained wide popularity from 1994, in the wake of adverse publicity for artificial breast implants.
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Brechs were a man's linen undergarment consisting of breeches with a full draw-string waist.
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Breeches are leg coverings, usually ending just above or just below the knees. Breeches were in use among the Babylonians and other ancient peoples as well as among the moderns. In Europe we find them first used among the Gauls; hence the Romans called a part of Gaul breeched Gaul. Trousers are longer and looser than the breeches that used to be worn.
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A Breton hat is a type of hat, originally worn by the Breton peasantry, with a brim that rolls up all the way around.
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Briefs are small knickers made in a stretch fabric.
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A broadbrim was a type of broad-brimmed hat worn by the Quakers in the 17th century.
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Broadcloth is a cloth of fine twilled woollen or worsted, or of plain-woven cotton.
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Brocade is a silken stuff, variegated with gold or silver, and enriched with flowers and figures. It was originally made by the Chinese, a manufacturing plant was established in Lyons in 1757.
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A brogan is a coarse, stout leather shoe reaching to the ankle.
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Originally. a brogue was a coarse and light kind of shoe made of raw or half-tanned leather, of one entire piece, and gathered around the foot by a thong. They were worn by the Celts of Scotland and Ireland. Nowadays, the term brogue describes a type of strong outdoor shoe with decorative perforated bands of stitching and a peculiar punched pattern.
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A brooch is a kind of ornament worn on the dress, to which it is attached by a pin stuck through the fabric.
Brooches are of great antiquity, and were formerly worn by both men and women, especially among the Celtic races.
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A broomstick is a style of women's straight long skirt reaching to the ankles, made from a fine fabric and gathered.
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A brothel creeper or beetle crusher is a shoe with a thick crepe sole and suede or leather upper. They were worn as part of the teddy boy uniform of the 1950's.
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Brown Holland was an unbleached linen used in Britain during the Victorian period and afterwards for various articles of clothing and upholstery.
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A brownie suit was an American child's sleeveless overalls or dungarees with a full length trousers and a bib front and back, and contrasting straps worn over the child's better clothes to protect the clothes from being ruined while playing and engaging in other practical activities. Developed in the 1890's, the brownie suit was originally designed for boys and later sold for girls also.
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The Buchanan Tartan is a clan tartan.
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A bucket boot is a thigh-length boot, doubled over at the top to form a deep cuff.
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A buckle is a device for fastening, consisting of a metal frame having one or more movable tongues, teeth or catches. Buckles became generally worn in England in the place of shoe-laces during the reign of Charles II. they were then made of expensive materials. Buckles for shoes are mentioned much earlier than this, and were forbidden to be imported by an act of 1483. The fashion of wearing shoe-buckles reached its height in the reign of George II.
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Buckram was a coarse textile fabric stiffened with glue and used in garments to give them and to keep them in the form intended.
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Buckskin is a soft form of yellowish coloured leather prepared from the skin of originally a der (buck) and later from sheep. Buckskin was formerly used by the American Indians for clothing, and is used for making gloves. The softness which is its chief characteristic is imparted by using oil or brains in dressing it. The name buckskin is also given to a kind of twilled woollen cloth without a pile or 'face'.
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Budge is lambskin with the wool dressed outwards, worn on the edge of capes, bachelor's hoods and so on.
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A buff coat is a men's tan-coloured, soft leather coat or jacket with a contrasting falling band and sash.
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Buff leather is a type of leather made from the skin of buffalo and other oxen. It is dressed with oil and used for making bandoliers, belts, pouches and gloves amongst other items.
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A bugle was a shining elongated glass bead, usually black, used in decorating female apparel and also in trafficking between Europeans and native tribes.
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A buibui is a piece of black cloth traditionally worn as a shawl by North African Muslim women.
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A bum bag is a small, crescent shaped bag carried on an integral belt. The bum bag was a late 20th century evolution of the purse belt.
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A bunny suit is an all-over outer garment or overalls, covering the entire body, head and feet but exposing the hands, eyes and nose. Bunny suits are used in laboratories and 'clean rooms' and are usually disposable and sterilised.
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Burberry is a brand of waterproof gabardine raincoats first sold in 1865 by Thomas Burberry from his drapery business in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
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A burka is a long, thick, felt or goat hair cloak with a tie front worn over the clothes by men in the Caucasus.
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BURKA
A burka is a long, sleeved, outer garment or overcoat worn by Muslim women covering them from head to toe to prevent men seeing their appearance.
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Burlap is a coarse fabric woven from jute or hemp.
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A burnoose, bournous or burnous is a large kind of mantle in use amongst the Bedouin Arabs and the Berbers of Northern Africa. It is commonly made from white wool, and has a hood for covering the head in the event of rain.
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A busby is a tall, fur helmet head-dress worn by British army hussars.
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A busby was a frizzled wig named after Doctor Busby, a master of Westminster School.
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A bush hat is a high and flat crowned, wide brimmed hat resembling a ten gallon hat, but with eyelets in the crown to circulate air.
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A busk was a stiffener made from wood, whalebone, metal or other material inserted in the front of a corset. The name was also applied to a corset containing such a stiffener. Busks were made in various shapes with matching names such as 'spoon busk' 'swan bill busk' and 'pear shaped busk'.
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A buskin was originally a thick-soled boot worn by tragic actors in ancient Athenia. The term is now applied to a half-boot.
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A bust bodice was an undergarment which was popular in the 1920s. Based on the camisole, it was heavily boned, padded and taped to give a full, bow-fronted, rounded appearance to the bust. It either fitted around the bust or was slightly longer, reaching to the waist. The bust bodice was replaced by the brassiere.
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A Buster Brown suit (also known as a Russian Suit) was an American ensemble for boys aged between two and six years inspired by the costume of Teddy Roosevelt following his mediation in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. The Buster Brown suit consisted of a high-necked over blouse (sometimes known as a military blouse) and knickers or short knickerbockers, and opened down the front, at the side front, under one of the pleats or at the back.
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A bustle is a pad or frame worn to puff out the top of a woman's skirt at the back.
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A busuuti is a type of dress worn by Ugandan women. It is a long garment with short sleeves and a square neckline.
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A button is a small knob or disc used as a fastening, being sewn to one material and passed through a hole in another so as to fasten the two together. Buttons are of almost all forms and materials - wood, horn, bone, ivory, steel, copper, silver, brass, plastic etc - which are either left naked or covered with silk or some other material. The material of buttons has varied much with times and fashions. In the 19th century century gilt, brass, or copper buttons were almost universal. Birmingham was for many years the great seat of button manufacture.
The introduction of cloth-covered buttons early in the 20th century made a great revolution in the trade, and led to great varieties in the style of making up. The metal buttons used around 1900 were commonly made of brass or a mixture of tin and brass. They were usually made from sheets of metal by punching and stamping. Such buttons were generally used for trousers. A substance commonly used around 1900 for buttons was vegetable ivory (seeds of the ivory-nut palm), which could be coloured according to taste. Mother-of-pearl buttons were another common kind. Around 1900 the making of porcelain buttons developed into a remarkable industry. These buttons were both strong and cheap. Besides these kinds there were also glass buttons, made by softening the glass by heat and pressing it into a mould; buttons of vulcanite, marble, and many other materials; but these were fancy articles in the trade. After the Second World War most common British buttons were made of plastics.
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A buzz cut is a shaved head. The style is popular among men who have lost a great deal of their hair, and have the remained shaved off to produce a bald or almost bald effect.
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Abbreviations
Costume
