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• caftan: long, full robe with a slit neckline that is often decorated with embroidery and has long or three-quarter-length sleeves that widen to the end
• cage dress: woman's garment made in two layers with inner layer opaque and cut close to body, and outer layer of sheer or latticed fabric hanging loosely
• calico: plain weave, light- to medium-weight cotton or cotton-blend fabric usually printed with very small designs such flowers or geometric forms
• camisole: see blouses
• cape: sleeveless outerwear or various lengths usually opening in center front; cut in a full circle, in a segment of a circle, or on the straight- usually with slits for arms
• cloak: loose outer garment not clearly distinguishable from outer garments that might also be classed as capes, mantles, or loose coats with vestigal sleeves
• cape, capelet: any small cape
• cape, cashmere shawl: extremely fine, soft shawl handmade from hair of the Tibetan cashmere goat
• cape, cassock mantle: woman's knee-length short-sleeved cloak, with shirring at shoulders and down the center back, of 1880s
• cape, poncho: fashion item shaped like a square or a small oblong blanket with hole in center for the head
• cap sleeve: see shoulders and sleeves
• cardigan: an adjective used to describe collarless garments with round of V-neck necklines that button down the front
• cargo: adjective used to describe apparel that has cargo packets
• Cartier's: Famous New York City retail store that sells jewelry.  Alfred Cartier and his son, Louis, established the firm in 1898 and by the beginning of the 20th c, they had become the most prestigious jewelers in the world
• cashmere: a fine, soft, downy wool undergrowth produced by the cashmere goat, which is raised in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan and parts of northern India
• casual wear: clothing designed to be worn for occasions that do not require more formal dress
• CFDA: Council of Fashion Designers of America
• chambray: a broad class of plain weave fabrics made with colored yarns in the lengthwise direction and white yarns in the crosswise direction
• chamois cloth: soft cotton fabric that is either knitted or woven.  made with a fine soft nap in imitation of chamois-dyed sheepskin; should not be confused with chamois. as this refers to leather and a leather-tanning process
• Chanel suit: classic women's suit style originated by Gabrielle Chanel in the 1920s.  It had a collarless, cardigan-style jacket, and the 1960s version was frequently made of plaid fabric
• chenille: fabrics made from chenille yarns.  These yarns have a fuzzy surface with short fibers projecting on all sides
• chiffon: thin transparent farbic made in a plain weave.  It drapes well and is made from tightly twisted or crepe yarns
• China silk: soft, lustrous silk fabric in a plain weave that may have slight texture due to use of irregular yarns
• chinchilla: see furs
• chino: durable cotton, firmly woven with a fine steep twill an dyed a yellowish-tan or khaki color
• chintz: medium-weight cotton or blended fabric with a glazed or shiny finish that may be a plain color or printed with floral, bird, or other designs
• closures: a device used to close or fasten shoes or a garment
• closure, barrel snaps: tubular-shaped gilded-metal fasteners used for cloaks and pelisses
• closure, calico button: metal ring covered with calico, sometimes with metal eyelets in center, used mainly for underclothes
• closure, frog: ornamental fasterner using cording or braid through which a soft ball made of cording or a button is pulled
• closure, hook and eye: closing using a small metal hook on one sideandeither an embroidered lop or a small metal loop on the other side
• clothing construction: the process of making a garmetnbyhand or machine sewing of both
  • asymmetric hem: hem of uneven length- may be long in back and short in front or clanteddiagonally from one side to the other
  • clean-stitched seam: plain seam pressed open on wrong side of garment with the raw edges turned under and stitched so they will not ravel
  • ease: process of joining a slightly larger garment piece to a smaller garment piece by evenly distributing the fullness along the seam where the pieces are joined
• coat: sleeved outerwear that ranges from hip-length to full-length, it is designed to be worn over other clothing either from warmth or as a decorative element of the costume
• jacket: an item of apparel, usually shorter than hip-length, designed to be worn over other clothing either indoors or outdoors
  • anorak:
  • Balmoral jacket:
  • battle jacket:
  • blouson jacket:
  • bush jacket:
  • casaque:
  • dolman:
  • dressmaker coat:
  • duster:
  • Edwardian coat:
  • Empire coat:
  • mandarin jacket:
  • military jacket:
  • polo coat:
  • raincoat:
  • smoking jacket:
  • sport jacket:
  • trench coat:
  • tuxedo jacket:
• cordwainer: obsolete term for a shoemaker.  Originally signified one who worked in a cordovan leather, making shoes and other leather items
• Council of Fashion Designers of America:a nonprofit organization with a membership of the foremost American designers, founded in 1962 with Norman Norell as the first president.  Membership is invtiation only
• couture: French term for the business in which original apparel designs are created by desginers and the items are manufactured in the couture house using exceptionally fine sewing and tailoring and expensive fabrics
• crepe de chine: fine, ligthweight silk fabric with a crepe texture that is made using highly twsited yarns in the crosswise direction and more lengthwise than crosswise yarns
• crinoline: heavily sized, open weave cotton fabric
• cuff:finish for a sleeve consisting of a separate sewed-on piece or a turned-back extension of a sleeve
  • French cuff: large band cuff that doubles back on itself and is usually fastened with a cufflink
  • gauntlet cuff: wide turned-back cuff that slants away from the arm, flaring wide at the top and tapering to wrist
  • pendant cuff: cuff that hangs down from the sleeve
• Culottes: garment that hangs like a skirt, but is actually pants

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