INDEX:
1. fashionable
2. to be fashionable
3. ways of saying that something becomes fashionable
4. to make something fashionable
5. fashionable people
6. fashionable activity, product, style etc
7. the business of making and selling fashionable clothes
8. not fashionable
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CLOTHES
↑ TASTE IN CLOTHES, MUSIC ETC
↑ OLD-FASHIONED
↑ WELL-DRESSED
↑ STYLE/ELEGANCE
↑ SUIT/LOOK GOOD TOGETHER
↑ DESIGN
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1. fashionable
▷ fashionable /ˈfæʃ ə nəb ə l/ [adjective]
clothes, styles, places or activities that are fashionable are popular at the present time, but will probably only be popular for a short time :
▪ The store sells fashionable clothes at prices you can afford.
▪ a style of painting that was fashionable in the 1930s
▪ Kate spent her summers in Cape Cod working in a fashionable resort.
▪ They recently opened a cafe on Manhattan’s fashionable East Side.
▷ cool /kuːl/ [adjective] spoken informal
said to show approval of something that is fashionable, interesting, or attractive -- used especially by young people :
▪ He was wearing these really cool sunglasses.
▪ Many young people start smoking because they think it looks cool.
▷ hot /hɒtǁhɑːt/ [adjective] informal
very fashionable now :
▪ one of the hot young writers of the decade
▪ They’re supposed to be the hottest thing since the Beatles.
▷ trendy /ˈtrendi/ [adjective] informal
very fashionable, often for a short time -- used especially humorously or to show disapproval :
▪ a trendy street market in the centre of Paris
▪ Delgado predicts that blonde hair will become trendy this summer.
▪ Trendy bars and restaurants are opening and inexpensive apartments in the area are getting hard to find.
▷ stylish /ˈstaɪlɪʃ/ [adjective]
well designed, and attractive in a fashionable way :
▪ She was wearing a stylish black woollen dress.
▪ stylish modern furniture
▷ chic /ʃiːk/ [adjective]
very fashionable in an expensive way, and showing a lot of good judgement about good style :
▪ They live in a chic apartment overlooking the Seine.
▪ a chic restaurant in Boston
▪ The east side of the city has become very chic in the past few years.
▷ cult /kʌlt/ [adjective only before noun]
fashionable and only known about by a small group of people - use this especially about things or people that later become very famous :
▪ Alex Garland’s cult novel ‘The Beach’ was later made into a film starring Leonardo di Caprio.
▪ 60s cult band The Velvet Underground
▪ Frankie Knuckles is a cult figure in dance music.
▷ in /ɪn/ [adjective] informal
fashionable at the present time :
▪ Purple seems to be in this year.
be the in place
▪ Gstaad is the in place to go skiing in winter.
the in thing to do
▪ Cycling to work has become the in thing to do.
▷ hip /hɪp/ [adjective] informal
doing things or done according to the latest fashion :
▪ The South Side is becoming a really hip place to live.
▪ I hate old people who dress like teenagers and think they’re hip.
▷ happening /ˈhæp ə nɪŋ/ [adjective] informal
fashionable and exciting :
▪ In four to five years, this will be a happening film festival.
▪ The town’s OK, but not what you’d call a happening place.
2. to be fashionable
▷ be in fashion /biː ɪn ˈfæʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
if clothes, music, places, or activities are in fashion, they are fashionable and popular with many people at the present time :
▪ Latin music is very much in fashion.
▪ Surprisingly, flared trousers are in fashion again.
▪ Country cottage furniture has been in fashion for a long time now.
▷ be the fashion /biː ðə ˈfæʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to be fashionable :
▪ I thought it looked ugly, but Iris said white suits were the fashion so I tried it on.
be the fashion among somebody
▪ Wearing coats hanging off one shoulder is the fashion among schoolchildren at the moment.
▷ be the latest thing/be the in thing /biː ðə ˌleɪtə̇st ˈθɪŋ, biː ði ˌɪn ˈθɪŋ/ [verb phrase] informal
to be the most recent and most popular fashion now :
▪ When I was growing up, the video game ‘Pong’ was the latest thing.
▪ I know cigars are the in thing, but you’ll never see me smoke one.
be the latest thing in something
▪ Herbert’s house looks like a factory , but it’s the latest thing in modern architecture.
be the in thing to do
▪ Having a holiday in Ibiza seems to be the in thing to do at the moment.
▷ be in /biː ˈɪn/ [adjective] informal
to be fashionable at the present time :
▪ Long skirts are in at the moment.
▷ be all the rage /biː ˌɔːl ðə ˈreɪdʒ/ [verb phrase]
if something, especially an activity, is all the rage, it is very fashionable, and popular with a lot of people, especially for a short time :
▪ Before the war, ragtime was all the rage in the dancehalls.
▪ Buying a cabin in the mountains may be all the rage at the moment, but is it really a sound investment?
▷ be in vogue /biː ɪn ˈvəʊg/ [verb phrase]
if something, especially a style of music, decoration, art etc, is in vogue, it is fashionable at that time with a particular group of people :
▪ Do you remember when New Wave music was in vogue?
▪ His photographs, stark and sometimes shocking, are very much in vogue with young intellectuals.
3. ways of saying that something becomes fashionable
▷ come into fashion /ˌkʌm ɪntə ˈfæʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
▪ When did baseball caps come into fashion?
▪ When mini-skirts first came into fashion, women said they’d never wear them.
come back into fashion
▪ Short haircuts for men went out for a time, and then they came back into fashion.
▷ come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to become fashionable, especially for a short period of time :
▪ Skateboarding first came in during the early 1980s.
▪ New fashions seem to come in and go out again much more quickly these days.
▷ make a comeback /ˌmeɪk ə ˈkʌmbæk/ [verb phrase]
to become fashionable and popular again, after having been unfashionable for a long period of time :
▪ Who’d have thought platform soles would ever make a comeback?
▪ Games like ‘Ludo’ and ‘Snakes and Ladders’ are really making a comeback.
4. to make something fashionable
▷ set the trend /ˌset ðə ˈtrend/ [verb phrase]
to make something that is new fashionable, by doing, using, or wearing it, so that a lot of people copy you :
▪ Young backpackers set the trend, and now people of all ages are looking for cheap ways to travel around Southeast Asia.
set the trend of
▪ To save the planet we must set the trend of caring for the environment.
5. fashionable people
▷ fashionable /ˈfæʃ ə nəb ə l/ [adjective]
someone who is fashionable wears fashionable clothes, owns fashionable things, and goes to fashionable places :
▪ This is the latest style of hat worn by fashionable women in Milan.
▪ I’ve never been very fashionable. I’d rather wear what feels comfortable.
▷ trendy /ˈtrendi/ [adjective] informal
fashionable -- use this especially about someone who you think tries too hard to be fashionable :
▪ stylish South Beach cafés filled with trendy young couples
▪ She only talks like that because she wants to sound trendy.
▷ sophisticated /səˈfɪstɪkeɪtəd, səˈfɪstəkeɪtəd/ [adjective]
someone who is sophisticated knows a lot about fashionable things and feels confident about being with fashionable people :
▪ a sophisticated woman whose friends included many rich and famous people
▪ a play that will appeal to a sophisticated audience
▷ fashion victim /ˈfæʃ ə n ˌvɪktə̇m/ [countable noun]
someone who wears clothes that are fashionable, but that make them look silly :
▪ a new designer who will appeal to fashion victims everywhere
6. fashionable activity, product, style etc
▷ fashion /ˈfæʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a style of clothes, hair, behaviour etc that is fashionable :
latest fashion
the newest styles of clothes
▪ I always find it hard to keep up with the latest fashions.
fashion in clothes/music etc
▪ changing fashions in popular music
fashion for doing something
▪ Who started this fashion for wearing old army clothes?
▷ trend /trend/ [countable noun]
a way of doing something or a way of thinking that is becoming fashionable :
▪ A lot of the students here don’t think for themselves, they just follow the latest trends.
trend in
▪ Today we’ll be examining the latest trends in kitchen design
▷ craze/fad /kreɪz, fæd/ [countable noun]
a fashion, activity, type of music etc that suddenly becomes very popular, but only remains popular for a short time :
▪ A new fitness craze from Australia is rapidly catching on.
▪ To no one’s surprise, the macarena proved to be a short-lived fad.
▷ the latest thing /ðə ˌleɪtə̇st ˈθɪŋ/ [noun phrase]
the most fashionable and newest thing to do, wear, or have :
▪ The latest thing is to wear only white clothes.
▪ No matter how expensive, he always has to do the latest thing.
the latest thing in
▪ I can remember when eight-track tapes were the latest thing in music.
▷ vogue /vəʊg/ [countable noun]
a style of music, clothes, art etc that is fashionable with a particular group of people :
▪ People’s fondness for wearing black and other dark colours was a vogue I never really liked.
▪ a vogue for the paintings of Claude Lorraine
7. the business of making and selling fashionable clothes
▷ fashion /ˈfæʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ He’s one of the best-known designers in the world of fashion.
▪ a fashion designer
▪ a fashion show
8. not fashionable
▷ out of fashion /ˌaʊt əv ˈfæʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
no longer fashionable - use this especially about clothes and music :
▪ It seems like all the clothes I buy are out of fashion by the time I wear them.
go/fall out of fashion
▪ Rock'n'Roll began in the fifties and has never really gone out of fashion.
▷ go out /ˌgəʊ ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb] especially British
to stop being fashionable :
▪ Jogging went out when it was found to be harmful for the joints.
▪ I can’t believe you’re wearing those shoes -- they went out years ago!
▷ unfashionable /ʌnˈfæʃ ə nəb ə l/ [adjective]
not fashionable - use this especially about people’s ideas, beliefs, and way of life :
▪ She lives in an unfashionable part of West London.
▪ Socialism became unfashionable after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
▷ uncool /ʌnˈkuːl/ [adjective] spoken informal
not fashionable, interesting, or attractive - used especially by young people :
▪ a really uncool place for a holiday
it’s uncool to do something
▪ Nowadays it’s considered very uncool to wear fur.
▷ date /deɪt/ [intransitive verb]
to gradually become unfashionable, and be replaced with more modern styles, methods, ideas etc :
▪ The trouble with high fashion clothes is that they date very quickly.
▪ Certain styles of music will never date, and will always be popular.
dated [adjective]
fashionable in the past but looking or seeming old-fashioned now: :
▪ I loved that album when I bought it a few years ago but it sounds really dated today.
▪ The production was excellent but the costumes looked dated.