- baby doll dress: woman's dress cut like a smock, with a high neckline and gathers or pleats hanging from a tiny yoke
- backless dress: dress with extremely low back, sometimes dipping to below the waist
- baguette: small stones cut in oblong shape with facets. Usually placed horizontally along the side of a larger center diamond
- bandeau: narrow piece of ribbon or fabric, sometimes decorated, worn around head as substitute for a hat
- banded collar: collar that stands up around the neck and closes with buttons at front or back
- banyan: comfortable, loose-fitted dressing gowns worn by men in the late 17th through the early 19th century
- baroque: art and decorative style in the 17th and first half of 18th century that was characterized by heavy ornate curves and excessive ornamentation
- barre: defect in woven fabric consisting of differences in warps or filling as to color or texture
- basic dress: dress of simple cut with no ornamentation, usually colored in black
- basket weave: variation of plain weave, made by weaving two or more crosswise yarns over and under same number of lengthwise yarns to produce a checkerboard effect
- batik: a method of dyeing in which the patterned area is covered with wax and the fabric placed in a dyebath where the uncovered areas take up the color
- battlements: trimming consisting of square-cut tabs used in the same manner as scallops on dresses, skirts, jackets, etc
- beau monde: French term meaning the "world of fashion"; literally the beautiful world
- bellows: adjective used to describe apparel details or items that expand and contract like a bellows, an instrument used to produce a steam of air
- belt: decorative or functional item worn circling above, below, or at the natural waistline
- belt, cinch: wide belt worn pulled tight, usually of elastic or fabric, either laced or clasped in front
- belt, cummerbund: wide fabric belt, sometimes pleated lengthwise and fastened in back
- belt, sash: any belt of soft material that loops over and tied in a knot or bow rather than buckling
- berber: fabric of moderate weight similar to chinchilla cloth that is used for skirts and jackets
- bias/bias cut: a technique used by designers for cutting clothing to utilize the greater stretch in the bias or diagonal direction of the fabric, thereby causing it to accentuate body lines and curves and drape softly
- bisette: term used in Lyons, France to describe the silver thread trim on apparel
- blocking: process of shaping knitted clothing after completion or washing by drawing its outline on paper and shaping article to conform
- blouse: clothing for the upper part of the body, usually softer and less tailored than a shirt
- blouse, bib: blouse with high collar and an inset of contrasting color or fabric in front that has the appearance of a bib
- blouse, blouson: type of overblouse with fullness at the waist usually gathered into a band
- blouse, bustier: tight-fitting top sometimes laced similar to a corset or camisole
- blouse, camisole: top made with straps over the shoulder cut straight across with elastic drawn through a heading
- blouse, halter top: top with front supported by narrow ties or straps around the back and neck, leaving the back here
- blouse, peasant: usually white with puffed or long raglan sleeve made with embroidered borders
- blouse, peplum: overblousemade in two ways: (a) withseparate seam at waist to which ruffle or bias-cut circular piece added for fullness or (b) long and full with elasticized waistline thus making a ruffle waistline
- blouse, shell: sleeveless or cap-sleeved slip-on collarless blouse that may have one or several buttons in back
- blouse, tank top: similar to men's top with U neckline and deep armholes shaped toward shoulder to form narrow straps
- blouson: bloused-top dress with low waistline seam. A style introduced in 1920s and reintroduced in 1950s
- bodice: the upper part of a woman's dress often close-fitting
- bodysuit: one-piece fitted garment without legs having a snap crotch
- bolero: adjective used to describe garments derived from or inspired by an above-the-waist jacket that was named for a dance called the bolero
- border: trimming at edge, or just above edge, on an item of apparel or an accessory
- bottom-up theory of fashion change: the idea that some fashion changes result from the adoption by older or more affluent individuals of styles that originated with groups or individuals who are young, less affluent, or from the counterculture
- boucle: a rough, curly, knotted, yarn, made of twisting together two fine foundations threads with a thicker yarn that is delivered in such a way as to cause the thick yarn to twist up on the surface
- broadcloth: closely woven plain weave fabric with a fine rib in the crosswise direction. Usually made from cotton or cotton blends but can also be made of other fibers
- brocade: y fabric with a complex, raised pattern that is woven on a jacquard loom
- brushed: adjective applied to woven or knitted fabrics that have had fibers pulled or brushed up to the surface to create a soft texture or nap
- Burberry: originally a trademark for a heavy or lightweight British fabric treated to resist rain, snow, and wind. Used in officers' coats during World War I, the fabric was also made into raincoats and people often referred to raincoats manufactured from this fabric as Burberrys
- burlap: loosely constructed, plain woven fabric made of jute or other minor bast fibers
- bustle: general term describe exceptional fullness at the back of the skirt of a woman's dress
- buyer: an individual authorized to make purchases for a retailer
