Fashion Dictionary
g
G2000
G2000, abbreviation for Generation 2000, is a clothing brand featuring upscale and urban-career styles for men and women. The brand was originally catered for Asian consumers and clothing sizes which was founded in 1980 by the Asian Michael Tien.
Gabbana, Stefano
Stefano Gabbana, Italian fashion designer, born 1962 in Venice. Gabbana met his 'later' business partner Domenico Dolce in 1980 at a fashion house in Italy, where both used to worked as a designer. After working together for five years, the due came up with the idea to design their own clothes. They eventually started off their own label Dolce & Gabbana in 1985.
Gaby Aghion
Gaby Aghion, Egypt-born, French fashion designer, lived from 1921 to 2014. Aghion established her own fashion label called 'Chloé' in 1952 in Paris, France. She's been credited to have invented the phrase 'Prêt-a-Porter' which means 'Ready to wear' in English. Aghion remained the brand's Creative Director until 1985, when 'Chloé' was sold to the Richemont Group. Today, 'Chloe's' collection is diversified in ready-to-wear, children's wear, accessories and fragrances.
Galanos, James
James Galanos, American fashion designer, born 1924 in Philadelphia. Galanos started his fashion career in Paris assisting couturier Robert Piguet and working next to Pierre de Balmain and Hubert de Givenchy after having studied fashion design and working in New York. In 1948, he returns to the United States where he opened his own company and designed his first collection, that immediately gets bought by Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.
(more)Galitzine, Irene
Irene Galitzine, Russian-born fashion designer, lived from 1916 to 2006. After studying Fench at Sorbonne, English in Cambridge and Art in Rome she worked for the Italian fashion designers the Fontana Sisters. In 1946, Galitzine opened her first boutique and presented her first collection which included her soon to be famous Palazzo Pijamas. These wide legged silk trousers bring evening pyjamas into the fashion world and are soon worn by famous customers like Sofia Loren, Liz Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.
Galleries Lafayette
Galleries Lafayette, French retailer, founded in 1895 by Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn. Starting off under the name 'Aux Galleries Lafayette' the department store used to be a small haberdashery selling sewing articles close to the Opera in Paris. The location on La Fayette Street, near the Opera and train station accounted for their early success. The brand hires architects to redesign the store and make it a real department store, known for it’s colorful dome glass roof. They also start producing and selling their own fashion and later jewelry, accessories, home furnishing and beauty products, which attracts the working women, who would go shopping during their lunch breaks. The Galleries Lafayette attracted high society women and working class women equally and developed to be a Paris fashion institution, that later branched out internationally but is keeping its flagship store in Paris.
Galliano, John
John Carles Galliano aka John Galliano, British fashion designer, born in 1960. The designer finished his fashion education in 1983 and showed his very first ready-to-wear collection one year later. He quickly made a name for himself and became well known as a talented, avant-garde designer who created sophisticated and high-end fashion designs. Galliano was the head designer of the French couture houses Givenchy (from 1995 to 1996) and Christian Dior (from 1996 to 2011). Since 1986, he also runs his own namesake fashion label.
Gap
The Gap Inc., American clothing and accessories retailer, founded in 1969 by Donald G. and Doris F. Fisher. The company is based in San Francisco, California has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. Gap, Inc. remains the largest specialty apparel retailer in the U.S. with approximately 3,465 stores worldwide. Glenn K. Murphy is the current CEO of the company.
Garcia, Nina
Nina Garcia, American fashion journalist, born 1965 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Born into a wealthy, cosmopolitan and stylish family Garcia was interested in fashion from an early age. With criminality growing fast in Colombia, her parents decided to send her to study in the US. Here after graduating from high school she started studying at the famous Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and later at the ESMOD in Paris. (more)
Gardner, Heidi
Heidi Gardner, American jewelry designer, born in Buffalo, NY. Gardner is a successful jewelry designer based in New York. She is well known for bulky jewelry with fine details made of silver and gold, garnished with gem-stones. The jewelry line that she founded in 2011 shows her dark humor and inspiration from Salvador Dali and Otto Dix.
Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh, English fashion designer, born in 1981. Pugh started off his fashion career in England as a talented costume designer for the National Youth Theater. Today, he lives and works in Paris and is a recognizable fashion designer who is well known for his outstanding ready-to-wear collections.
Garment
Garment is just another word for apparel or clothing. It is simply the term used for anything you wear to protect, wrap, or beautify your body.
Garment District
The Garment District is a district in Manhattan, New York which stretches from 34th Street to 42nd Street, between Broadway and Ninth Avenue. In 1987, NYC established three Preservation Areas within the District to protect manufacturing and discourage property owners from converting existing factory space to other uses.
Garotas Estúpidas
Garotas Estúpidas, lifestyle blog created by Camila Coutinho. Gartos Estúpidas is a blog for girls that want to read about the girly things in life. This includes fashion, shopping, beauty, celebrities, food, street style and gossip. Coutinho has a large following with close to 500,000 'likes' on facebook and instagram.
Gaspard Yurievich
Gaspard Yurievich, French fashion label founded 1997 by Gaspard Yurievich. After winning the first prize for women’s fashion in the Hyères international fashion festival, Yureviech had paved the way for his future success. He expanded his newly found brand immediately, presenting his collection at Paris Fashion Week and selling his clothing and shoes to boutiques around the world. Gaspard Yurevich stands for updated French couture for men and women that is adapted to the needs of our modern society with a typically French mix of sophisticated and elegant.
Gather Knitting
Gathering in knitting is a technique that brings the stitches of a knitted row of fabric closer together. This way a fabric’s width can be changed without dropping stitches from the row.
Gathers
Gathering is a sewing technique that is used to shorten a strip of fabric either for volume or to attach it to a shorter piece of fabric. To create gathers threads are sewn though the edges of a strip of fabric and are then “drawn up” creating folds in the strip of fabric and thereby shortening it. Gathers are typically used to create fullness on the sleeve, leg or bodice.
Gaultier, Jean-Paul
Jean-Paul Gaultier, French haute couture designer, born 1952 in France. The designer who is best known for the 'enfant terrible' (terrible child) of French fashion, founded his namesake fashion label in 1976. With no formal training as a fashion designer, Gaultier started his career in fashion at an early age, drawing sketches and sending them to well known high-end fashion stylists. (more)
Geiger, Kurt
Kurt Geiger, American footwear & accessory retailer, founded in 1963 in London by namesake shoe designer Kurt Geiger. Geiger made a name for himself by creating desirable footwear and accessories for fashion conscious women. The combination of London style and urban wear-ability made him Europe's leading retailer on shoes.
Gem Stone
A gem-stone or gem is a precious or semi-precious mineral crystal that is cut and polished to be used in jewelry or as an adornment on garments and accessories. Most gem-stones are rare and therefore valuable. The price of a gem-stone can vary extremely in correlation with rarity, pureness and size. Common gem-stones are diamonds, rubies, amethysts, sapphires and crystals.
Generation Love
Generation Love, American fashion label, founded by the duo Roni Hirshberg and Audrey Bressa-Valcourt in 2009. The designers were inspired by their very different styles: Hirshberg represents the little girly style and her best friend and partner Bressa-Valcourt stands more for Rock N Roll. The combination of both styles are the result of Generation Love's fashionable and fancy T-Shirt line. Their tanks and tees are handmade of organic supima cotton which was very important for the designer since they wanted to make a contribution to the environment. Their edgy designs are appropriate for every occasion, for work or weekends.
Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer, born 1927 in Haynesville. Beene is one of the most prestigious American fashion designers of the 20th century and has influenced many designers following him. Against his fathers will, Beene dropped out of his medicine course at university and started studying fashion design at the University of Southern California in 1946. After collecting further fashion design degrees from prestigious universities in the US and Paris, Beene moved back to New York to work as an assistant designer for the house of Harmay. In 1958, he left the company to create his own fashion label, which rapidly became very popular. (more)
Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer, lived from 1924 to 2004. After graduating from school, Beene worked for several fashion houses in Paris and New York. In 1963, he founded his own namesake fashion label Geoffrey Beene Inc. with a Showroom located in Manhattan, New York. Geoffrey Beene was known as a fashion innovator and loved to teach. Several of his former students are now well known fashion designers themselves.
George Brown College
George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology, founded 1967 in Toronto. GBC is a public college of applied arts and technology, offering various programs such as business, construction, education, engineering, art and design. The school was named after the influential politician and publisher George Brown. On three campuses in Toronto over 30,000 students are enrolled in 142 programs. The school is also known for its award-winning distance education program. The fashion program at GBC offers education and degrees in design and business courses.
Gernreich, Rudi
Rudi Gernreich, Austrian fashion designer, lived from 1922 to 1985. He counts as one of the pioneers of American fashion. Gernreich gained his first experience working for his aunt at a dress shop and washing dead bodies before autopsy, which he said helped him later to make form fitting dresses. He fled from the Nazis in 1938 and came to Los Angeles, where he became an influential designer creating controversial pieces such as the monokini, the first topless bathing suit introduced in 1964. He also was the first to use zippers for decoration, plastic and vinyl, made the first designer jeans and introduced androgyny to the fashion world. People said Gernreich was the most far-ahead designer of the US and during his career he worked for many different companies.
Gerry Weber
Gerry Weber, international fashion and lifestyle AG, founded in 1973. The company consists of 5 strong fashion brands: Gerry Weber, Gerry Weber Edition, G.W., Taifun and Samoon by Gerry Weber. Lively, sophisticated and dynamic – a complete world is built around the fashion brands that inspire women worldwide and stand for an exciting, modern and irresistibly feminine lifestyle.
Ghesquière, Nicolas
Nicolas Ghesquière, French fashion designer, born in 1971. Ghesquière was only 12 years old when he started sketching and sewing dresses, knowing that he wanted to be a fashion designer. At 14 he started interning for Anges B and Corinne Cobson and then worked for different fashion houses until he got to know Sauve and Marrec from Balenciaga. They got him a job at Balenciaga where he soon started working as a creative director, successfully reviving the fashion house from a crisis it had been in after the death of the owner Christobal Balenciaga in 1970. Ghesquière is known for his sense of silhouette which he shows pairing voluminous blousons with high waist skinny jeans or tight wool jump suits with big sleeves.
Gianfranco Ferré
Gianfranco Ferré, Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur, lived from 1944 to 2007. Ferré is the founder of the namesake fashion house Gianfranco Ferré SpA. The former architecture student started his career designing for Walter Albini and Christiane Bailly. He proceeded to design ready-to-wear, haute-couture, perfume, accessories, a denim line, a fur line and men’s collections under his name. (more)
Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, lived from 1946 to 1997. Gianni founded his namesake ready-to-wear fashion brand Versace in 1978. The label is best known for its body-conscious clothes and sexy designs and is today one of the world’s leading international fashion houses. After Gianni Versace’s death, his sister Donatella Versace, former vice-president of her brothers fashion label, took over the reins as creative director and his older brother Santo Versace became CEO. Gianni was shot dead on July 15th 1997 in front of his house in Miami.
Gigot Sleeve
A gigot sleeve is a sleeve that is extremely wide over the upper arm and narrow from the elbow to the wrist. It's also known as a 'Leg of Mutton Sleeve'.
Gilet
A gilet is a waist to knee-long sleeveless jacket similar to a vest or waistcoat, although gilets are not tailored to fit close to the body. In the front they are closed with buttons, hooks or a zipper. Gilets have become a popular piece of outerwear for warmth and can be made of different materials such as cotton, fur, leather, wool and synthetics. A gilet can be worn over a shirt or blouse or for more warmth over sweatshirts and jackets.
Gilt Groupe
Gilt Groupe, online retailer, founded in 2007 by 4 individuals: Kevin P. Ryan, Dwight Merriman, Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson. It offers men’s & women’s ready-to-wear, clindrenswear and home furniture from luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. All sales only take place online.
Gina Tricot
Gina Tricot, Swedish fashion chain retailer, founded in 1997. The family-owned company offers affordable, trendy fashion for women regardless of age.
Gino Pants
A gino pant is a variation of a chino pant. Gino and chino pants are made of cotton twill fabric, typically in earth tones, have five pockets and a straight leg. A gino pant is common speech for a casual „cooler“ chino pant, often with an elastic waist. Gino pants are also typically elastic at the ankle and thereby gathered.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani aka Armani, Italian fashion designer, born in 1934. The designer founded his namesake fashion company in 1975 and was particularly noted for his menswear collection. Today, the Giorgio Armani brand is known for its clean, tailored lines and has 4 different diffusion lines: Emporio Armani, Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans and Armani Exchange.
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen, Brazilian model, born on July 20th 1980 in Tres de Maio. Gisele Bündchen has been 'the highest-paid model in the world' since 2004 and became first popular at the end of the 90's as the first Brazilian model to gain success around the world. From 2000 to 2007, the topmodel was hired by Victoria's Secret where she walked down the runway as a popular Victoria's Secret Angel.
Giuseppe Zanotti
Giuseppe Zanotti, Italian shoe designer, born in 1957. In 1994, Zanotti felt the need to create styles without any bounds, so he bought the Vicini shoe factory, where he devoted his time to designing and manufacturing his own shoes. Zanotti saw that factory as something more akin to a fashion house set up to meet the needs of every woman’s foot, and not as an industrial concern that mass produces tedious shoes. In 2000, the designer's first collection was presented in New York, where buyers immediately welcomed his talent of making remarkable jewel shoes. Zanotti still remains as one of the best high-end shoe designer.
Givenchy
Givenchy, French fashion house, founded by namesake designer Hubert de Givenchy in 1952. The designer started his fashion career at age 17 and spent 4 years working for the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Givenchy opened his first own fashion house in 1952 at age 25. The young French fashion designer immediately made a name for himself due to his fabulous workmanship and adorable taste. The French fashion house is now internationally known for its sophisticated clothing line, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics with Parfums Givenchy. The brand is owned by luxury goods company LVMH and is after Christian Dior the second large apparel division of LVMH. Hubert de Givenchy itself retired in 1995. In 1996, McQueen worked as the head designer at Givenchy for five years before he founded his own labels - Alexander McQueen and McQ.
Glamour Magazine
Glamour, women's magazine, founded in 1939 in the US, published by Condé Nast Publications. The magazine shows up once a month and is published in 16 different countries like Germany, Italy, France, Schweden, Russia, Spain, Latin America, Greece etc. Its current editor-in-chief is Cynthia Leive.
Gloves
A glove is a piece of clothing that either covers a part of or the entire hand to protect from heat, cold, injuries and dirt. Gloves have existed for over 3000 years and were already worn in ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. Gloves can also have a symbolic meaning such as white gloves on a priest that stand for purity or on royalty as a symbol of power and wealth. Gloves can be made of leather, natural fibers such as cotton or silk or of synthetics such as rubber. They could have separate compartments for each finger or one compartment for the thump and another for the other four fingers in which case they are called mittens. If a glove is fingerless it is called a glovelette.
Golden Goose
Golden Goose, shoe label, founded 2000 by Alessandro and Francesca Gallo. Golden Goose was founded out of love for fashion, art and Italian craftsmanship. The brand offers urban high-quality sneakers with a vintage aesthetic manufactured by skilled Venetian tailors in fashion-forward designs. The brand has often been compared to Converse but has gained it’s own reputation as a modern, luxurious sneaker brand.
Gordon Rush
Gordon Rush Inc., American fashion house, founded in 1998 by namesake entrepreneur Gordon Rush. First launched as a footwear company, it gained international attention through the retailer Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Since 2007, Gordon Rush extended its product portfolio. The fashion house now also offers accessories, jackets and handbags.
Gown
A gown is an elegant, long and flowing dress worn to formal events or elegant parties. Gowns cover most of the body and are made of valuable fabrics such as silk, satin and organza.
GQ Magazine
GQ Magazine, American men's magazine, founded in 1957, published monthly by Condé Nast Publications. The magazine focuses on fashion, lifestyle and culture.
Grafting Knitting
Grafting is a technique used to join two pieces of knitted fabric. Instead of using a regular seam, the fabrics are connected by creating a knitted row between the two pieces of fabric using a needle. This way no seam is needed.
Grain Line
On a woven fabric the grain line is the direction of the long-wise threads, the warp in a piece of fabric that runs parallel to the weaving edge of the fabric. If a piece of fabric does not have a weaving edge or a distinctive pattern it is often close to impossible to detect the grain line of the flat piece of fabric. Though hardly detectable in a piece of flat fabric the grain line strongly influences the way a garment drapes and stretches and is therefore very important for the production of clothes. Garments sewn far off the grain line can twist and stretch out lengthwise.
Graydon Carter
Edward Graydon Carter, Canadian-born American journalist, born 1949 in Toronto. Carter is the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair magazine since 1992.
Green, Craig
Craig Green, British Menswear Designer. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2012, Craig Green did not take long to establish his own menswear label, showing his first collection in 2013 at London Collections. Green was recognized for his unique visions and quickly gained a strong reputation. His designs are highly conceptual yet wearable featuring utilitarian elements. This successful approach to design has won him a large following and many renowned stockists such as Barneys, Selfridges, Joyce and Dover Street Market. Greens designs have also been featured in various fashion exhibitions. His shows are LC:M highlights and are known to create deep emotions in the crowd watching.
Grès, Alix
Alix Grès, French Haute-Couture fashion house, founded by Germaine Émilie Krebs in 1942. Krebs, who was a trained sculptress and lived from 1903 to 1993, was also known as Alix Barton or Madame Grès. The fashion house started off under the name Alix Barton with simple draped silk jersey dresses that showed the influence of her training as a sculptor. After the fashion house had been shut down during WWII, Grès started creating her famous Grecian pleated dresses and later tailored women’s suits with incorporated wrap. With some of her customers being the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich and Jacqueline Kennedy, Grès didn't want celebrities to wear her clothes, but women of culture. Her signature is hand-draped pleats, a bias cut away from the body and Greco-roman influences such as togas and capes.
Gucci
Gucci, Italian fashion and leather goods house, founded by Guccio Gucci in 1921 in Florence. The brand is part of the Gucci Group which is owned by French company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR). It is also the biggest selling Italian brand in the world and operates with approximately 278 stores worldwide. Since 1994, Tom Ford is the design director. He became well known for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of his namesake fashion label Tom Ford.
Guess
Guess, American-brand clothing line, founded by the Marciano brothers in 1981 in Los Angeles. In the 1980s, the brand became widely known for their stonewashed initial designs, the slim-fitted designer jeans called the 3-zip Marilyn. Today, Guess not only offers ready-to-wear but also accessories like jewelry, watches and frequency. In 2004, the young lifestyle brand extended their line with its contemporary collection called Guess by Marciano.
Guess by Marciano
Guess by Marciano, American fashion brand, co-founded by Paul Marciano in 2004. It is the contemporary line of Guess Inc. which offers affordable trend-setting fashion for both men and women.
Guido Maria Kretschmar
Guido Maria Kretschmar, German fashion designer, born 1965 in Einen, Germany. Kretschmar is one of the most successful corporate-fashion-designers in Europe having designed for TUI, Hotel Kempinski and Emirate Airlines. Also he has been responsible for the costume design of various German movies and theatrical plays. In 2004, Kretschmar founded his own fashion label 'Guido Maria Couture' for elegant evening and day wear and accessories. Showrooms and stores have been opened in Berlin, Palma de Mallorca and Munich and in 2005 Kretschmar’s line was first presented in Shanghai and Tokyo and then Berlin Fashion Week. A famous wearer of his fashion and attender of his shows, is American actress and model Charlize Theron.
Gurung, Prabal
Prabal Gurung, American fashion label, founded 2009 by Prabal Gurung. After graduting from New Delhi’s National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gurung moved to New York to intern with Donna Karan and further his studies at Parsons School of Design. Here he received his first award for design as the “Best Designer” at an FIT/Parsons competition. After gathering further experience with New York designers, Gurung decided to establish his own label in 2009 and present a collection at New York Fashion Week the same year. Very soon Gurung became known in the fashion business and was awarded and recognized for his work. His sophisticated and elegant designs with a touch of glamor have attracted many famous clients such as Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga or Scarlett Johansson.
Gusset
A gusset is a triangular piece of fabric that is inserted into the seam of a garment to reinforce in and reduce stress on the seams. Gussets are used on garments that are tight fitting but have to provide free movement to the wearer. Gussets are most commonly used on shoulders, underarms, crotches and hems. Due to the elasticity of most modern fabrics gussets are not used as frequently as they used to be but can still be found in the crotch of most tights and tight fitting underwear.
Guy Laroche
Guy Laroche, French fashion designer, lived from 1921 to 1989. Laroche opened his own namesake Fashion House in 1957 in Paris and reintroduced vibrant colors such as pink, orange, coral, topaz and turquoise. He was known for featuring plunging necks and back lines in his apparel and for designing haute-couture but practical clothing for women.
