fashion
Long hair is back in fashion for men.
A style that is popular at a particular time, especially in clothes, hair, make-up, etc
She always wears the latest fashions.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
fashion
noun
a way of dressing or doing something that people like and try to copy for a time:
Bright colours are back in fashion.
Some styles never go out of fashion.
a fashion show
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
fashion
I. fash‧ion1 S3 W2 /ˈfæʃən/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: verb: ↑fashion; noun: ↑fashion; adverb: ↑fashionably ≠ UNFASHIONABLY; adjective: ↑fashionable ≠ ↑unfashionable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: façon, from Latin factio 'act of making', from facere 'to do, make']
1. [uncountable and countable] something that is popular or thought to be good at a particular time
fashion for
the fashion for ‘discovery methods’ of learning
fashion in
The emerging science of photography was already changing fashions in art.
Eastern religions used to be the fashion in the 60s.
His ideas are coming back into fashion (=they are becoming popular again).
Their music will never go out of fashion (=stop being fashionable).
Self-help books are all the fashion (=they are very fashionable).
2. [uncountable and countable] a style of clothes, hair etc that is popular at a particular time:
Young people are very concerned with fashion.
Hats like that just aren’t the fashion.
3. [uncountable] the business or study of making and selling clothes, shoes etc in new and changing styles:
magazines about fashion and beauty
the London College of Fashion
4. in a ... fashion in a particular way:
Please leave the building in an orderly fashion.
Perhaps they could sit down and discuss things in a civilised fashion.
She will be working out her problems in her own fashion (=in the way that she usually does this).
5. after a fashion not very much, not very well, or not very effectively:
‘Can you speak Russian?’ ‘After a fashion.’
6. after the fashion of somebody in a style that is typical of a particular person:
Her early work is very much after the fashion of Picasso and Braque.
7. like it’s going out of fashion informal use this to emphasize that someone does something a lot or uses a lot of something:
Danny’s been spending money like it’s going out of fashion.
⇨ parrot fashion at ↑parrot1(2)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ be in fashion Belted jackets are in fashion this winter.
▪ be out of fashion Flared trousers were out of fashion in the 1980s.
▪ go out of fashion (=stop being fashionable) Long evening dresses are going out of fashion.
▪ come back into fashion (=become fashionable again) Short skirts are coming back into fashion this year.
▪ be the height of fashion (=be very fashionable) With her short dress and high boots she was the height of fashion.
▪ keep up with fashion (=make sure that you know about the most recent fashions) Lucy likes to keep up with the latest fashions.
▪ fashion-conscious (=very interested in the latest fashions, and always wanting to wear fashionable clothes) Fashion-conscious people can’t get enough of these new designs.
■ adjectives
▪ the latest fashion They sell all the latest fashions.
▪ men’s/women’s fashions Men’s fashions have not changed much in 50 years.
■ fashion + NOUN
▪ the fashion industry London is the centre of the British fashion industry.
▪ the fashion world Small women are often overlooked by the fashion world.
▪ a fashion show Calvin Klein’s fashion show featured suits and sportswear.
▪ a fashion model Fashion models are usually very tall.
▪ a fashion designer Her favourite fashion designers include Giorgio Armani and Gianfranco Ferre.
▪ fashion design He went to St Martin’s School of Art to study fashion design.
▪ a fashion house (=a company that produces new and expensive styles of clothes) fashion houses such as Armani and Hugo Boss
▪ a fashion magazine She’s the editor of a leading fashion magazine.
▪ fashion photography a book of Lang’s fashion photography
▪ a fashion photographer Later he worked as a fashion photographer for Vogue.
▪ a fashion shoot (=an occasion when photographs are taken of fashion models) She was asked to star with top model Naomi Campbell in a fashion shoot.
▪ a fashion shop We walked around Milan’s famous fashion shops.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'the last fashion'. Say the latest fashion.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ fashion noun [uncountable and countable] a style of clothes, hair, behaviour etc that is fashionable. Fashion is also used as an uncountable noun, when talking about all of these styles in general: the latest fashions from Donna Karan | changing fashions in popular music | I'm not interested in fashion.
▪ vogue noun [singular,uncountable] if there is a vogue for something, or it is in vogue, it is fashionable. Vogue sounds more formal and typical of the language that more educated speakers use than fashion: the current vogue for realistic animated films | There was a vogue for cream furniture in the 1920s. | His pictures are very much in vogue these days.
▪ trend noun [countable] a way of doing something or a way of thinking that is becoming fashionable or popular: The magazine focuses on the latest trends in contemporary design. | The trend is for people to wait longer to marry and have children.
▪ craze/fad noun [countable] informal a fashion, activity, type of music etc that suddenly becomes very popular, but only remains popular for a short time – often used about things that you think are rather silly: a new fitness craze | the current fad for bare white walls and uncomfortable-looking metal furniture | I'm sure it's just a passing fad (=something that will soon stop being fashionable). | fad diets
▪ something is all the rage formal used when saying that something is very popular and fashionable for a short time: The game was all the rage at her school.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fashion
fash·ion [fashion fashions fashioned fashioning] noun, verb [ˈfæʃn] [ˈfæʃn]
noun
1. uncountable, countable a popular style of clothes, hair, etc. at a particular time or place; the state of being popular
• dressed in the latest fashion
• the new season's fashions
• Long skirts have come into fashion again.
• Jeans are still in fashion.
• Some styles never go out of fashion.
2. countable a popular way of behaving, doing an activity, etc
• The fashion at the time was for teaching mainly the written language.
• Fashions in art and literature come and go.
3. uncountable the business of making or selling clothes in new and different styles
• a fashion designer/magazine/show
• the world of fashion
• the fashion industry
Word Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘make, shape, appearance’, also ‘a particular make or style’): from Old French façon, from Latin factio(n-), from facere ‘do, make’.
Thesaurus:
fashion noun C, U
• The stores are full of the spring fashions.
style • • trend • • look • • craze • |written vogue • |disapproving fad •
a fashion/trend/craze/vogue/fad for sth
the latest fashion/style/trend/look/craze/fad
come (back) into/(be/go) out of fashion/vogue
Collocations:
Clothes and fashion
Clothes
be wearing a new outfit/bright colours/fancy dress/fur/uniform
be (dressed) in black/red/jeans and a T-shirt/your best suit/leather/silk/rags (= very old torn clothes)
be dressed for work/school/dinner/a special occasion
be dressed as a man/woman/clown/pirate
wear/dress in casual/designer/second-hand clothes
wear jewellery/(especially US) jewelry/accessories/a watch/glasses/contact lenses/perfume
have a cowboy hat/red dress/blue suit on
put on/take off your clothes/coat/shoes/helmet
pull on/pull off your coat/gloves/socks
change into/get changed into a pair of jeans/your pyjamas/(especially US) your pajamas
Appearance
change/enhance/improve your appearance
create/get/have/give sth a new/contemporary/retro look
brush/comb/shampoo/wash/blow-dry your hair
have/get a haircut/your hair cut/a new hairstyle
have/get a piercing/your nose pierced
have/get a tattoo/a tattoo done (on your arm)/a tattoo removed
have/get a makeover/cosmetic surgery
use/wear/apply/put on make-up/cosmetics
Fashion
follow/keep up with (the) fashion/the latest fashions
spend/waste money on designer clothes
be fashionably/stylishly/well dressed
have good/great/terrible/awful taste in clothes
update/revamp your wardrobe
be in/come into/go out of fashion
be (back/very much) in vogue
create a style/trend/vogue for sth
organize/put on a fashion show
show/unveil a designer's spring/summer collection
sashay/strut down the catwalk/(NAmE also) runway
be on/do a photo/fashion shoot
Example Bank:
• Address me in a proper fashion.
• Application for the course can be made in the normal fashion.
• Black is always in fashion.
• Careful spending has gone out of fashion in our consumer society.
• Costs and revenues are assumed to behave in a linear fashion.
• Each chapter is structured in a similar fashion.
• Fashions in art come and go.
• Flared trousers were a fashion statement of the seventies.
• He asked questions in a direct fashion
• He delivered his speech in classic fashion.
• He has a small vocabulary and is only able to express himself in a limited fashion.
• He insisted the meeting be held, in true spy novel fashion, in the open air.
• He presents it in an entertaining fashion.
• He set a fashion for large hats.
• Her summer collection took the fashion world by storm.
• I need your expert fashion advice.
• I strive to get my work done in a timely fashion.
• I've given up trying to keep up with the latest fashions.
• I've started my own fashion line.
• Karpov struck back in no uncertain fashion to win the seventh game.
• Light and sound are recorded in such different fashions.
• Paris, the world's fashion capital
• Pessimism has become the fashion.
• Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the promenade deck.
• She always wore the latest fashions.
• She had no fashion sense whatsoever.
• She has corrected that oversight in fine fashion.
• She laid out her argument in a convincing fashion.
• She looked like a fashion plate.
• She loves fashion and make-up.
• She spoke in French after the fashion of the court.
• She spoke in French after= copying the fashion of the court.
• She started her career as a fashion model.
• She was respected as a fashion icon.
• She was strolling in a leisurely fashion in the opposite direction.
• She wore a powdered wig, as was the fashion of the day.
• She writes in a serious fashion about the future
• So they became friends, after a fashion.
• Somebody call the fashion police, please!
• Students become frustrated with learning verbs parrot fashion.
• The book traces how fashions have changed over the years.
• The convention proceeded in the normal fashion.
• The descent of the footpath starts in easy fashion.
• The new summer fashions have arrived.
• The palazzo represents the height of architectural fashion for the mid-17th century.
• The store sells everything from casual clothes to high fashion.
• The story moves in circular fashion.
• The troops embarked in an orderly fashion.
• They act in a purposeful and deliberate fashion.
• They celebrated their win in traditional fashion by spraying champagne everywhere.
• This theory, though recent, is more than a passing fashion.
• We had just gone out when, in typical fashion, the rain came down.
• We need to tackle this problem in a coordinated fashion.
• What were your worst fashion disasters?
• When did flares first come into fashion?
• Why are they behaving in such a ridiculous fashion?
• a magazine fashion spread
• a passion for French fashions and goods
• batons ready in best police fashion
• changing fashions in education
• classic fashions for your wardrobe
• fresh interest in the New York fashion scene
• household names in the world of fashion and design
• one of the most successful fashion houses in Milan
• photographers at fashion shoots
• slowly descending the stairs in a grand fashion
• the fashion for long dresses
• the fashion runways of Italy and France
• the influence of Italian designer fashion on the clothes industry
• the latest fashion trend
• the popular fashions of the day
• the world's top fashion experts
• this season's must-have accessories that no fashion victim will be seen without
• watching how fashions change over the years
• when people confront you in a negative fashion
• I remembered clearly the peculiar fashion in which it all happened.
• Jeans are always in fashion.
• Some styles never go out of fashion.
• The stores are full of the spring fashions.
• They all want to work in fashion.
• a fashion designer/magazine/show
Idioms: after a fashion ▪ after the fashion of somebody ▪ in … fashion ▪ like it's going out of fashion
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
fashion / ˈfæʃ. ə n / noun (POPULAR STYLE)
A2 [ C or U ] a style that is popular at a particular time, especially in clothes, hair, make-up, etc.:
Long hair is back in fashion for men.
Fur coats have gone out of fashion.
a programme with features on sport and fashion
She always wears the latest fashions.
There was a fashion for keeping reptiles as pets.
follow (a) fashion
to do what is popular at the time
like it's going out of fashion informal If you use something like it's going out of fashion, you use large amounts of it very quickly:
Emma spends money like it's going out of fashion.
Word partners for fashion
follow fashion • come into / go out of fashion • fashions change • the latest fashion • be in fashion • a fashion for sth
fashion / ˈfæʃ. ə n / noun (MANNER)
[ S ] a way of doing things:
The rebel army behaved in a brutal fashion.
after a fashion If you can do something after a fashion, you can do it, but not well:
I can cook, after a fashion.
Word partners for fashion
follow fashion • come into / go out of fashion • fashions change • the latest fashion • be in fashion • a fashion for sth
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
fashion
/fæʃ(ə)n/
(fashions, fashioning, fashioned)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Fashion is the area of activity that involves styles of clothing and appearance.
There are 20 full-colour pages of fashion for men...
The fashion world does not mind what the real world thinks.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
A fashion is a style of clothing or a way of behaving that is popular at a particular time.
Queen Mary started the fashion for blue and white china in England...
He stayed at the top through all changes and fashions in pop music.
N-COUNT: oft the N
3.
If you do something in a particular fashion or after a particular fashion, you do it in that way.
There is another drug called DHE that works in a similar fashion...
It is happening in this fashion because of the obstinacy of one woman.
= manner
N-SING: with supp
see also parrot-fashion
4.
If you fashion an object or a work of art, you make it. (FORMAL)
Stone Age settlers fashioned necklaces from sheep’s teeth.
VERB: V n
5.
see also old-fashioned
6.
If you say that something was done after a fashion, you mean that it was done, but not very well.
She was educated–after a fashion–at home...
He knew the way, after a fashion.
PHRASE
7.
If something is in fashion, it is popular and approved of at a particular time. If it is out of fashion, it is not popular or approved of.
That sort of house is back in fashion...
Marriage seems to be going out of fashion.
PHRASE
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1fash·ion /ˈfæʃən/ noun, pl -ions
1 a : a popular way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people
[count]
• Jewelry and clothing fashions vary with the season.
[noncount]
• Long, full skirts were (all/very much) the fashion in those days.
• fashion-conscious shoppers [=shoppers who know what styles are popular]
• Short skirts are currently in fashion. [=are currently popular]
• Short skirts have come back into fashion.
• Those ruffled blouses went out of fashion years ago.
b [noncount] : the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles
• the world of fashion
- often used before another noun
• the fashion industry
• She reads all the fashion magazines. [=magazines about the newest fashions]
• We attended a fashion show. [=a show at which people who design clothes show their new designs]
- see also high fashion
c fashions [plural] : clothes that are popular
• She always wears the latest fashions.
2 : a style, way of behaving, etc., that is popular in a particular time and place
[count]
• Literary fashions have changed in recent years.
[noncount]
• Action movies are (all) the fashion in Hollywood these days. = Action movies are in fashion in Hollywood these days.
• Her theories have fallen/gone out of fashion. [=are no longer popular]
3 : a specified way of acting or behaving - usually used after in;
[singular]
• His friends noticed that he was behaving in a strange fashion. [=behaving strangely]
• We started the meeting in an orderly fashion.
[noncount]
• We all lined up in orderly fashion.
after a fashion : to a slight or minor degree : somewhat
• I can play the piano after a fashion, but I can't play anything difficult.
