In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Starting in 1856, Adeline Harris sent small diamond-shaped pieces of white silk to a variety of people around the world, asking each person to sign the silk and return it to her. Eventually, Harris amassed 360 autographs from the most famous Americans (and some Europeans) of her era, including eight American presidents (notably Abraham Lincoln), Northern military heroes of the Civil War, antislavery political leaders, and luminaries from the worlds of science, religion, education, and the arts. She stitched these pieces into a quilt, grouping similar professionals together. The autographs displayed in the immaculately constructed quilt create a patchwork portrait of mid-nineteenth-century America.

REFLECTION 1. A thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation:


The artist Sterling Ruby is known for his fabric dyeing and collage techniques and his artworks referencing American history and identity. His friendship with the Belgian designer Raf Simons prompted several fashion collaborations, and in 2019 Ruby presented his first solo fashion collection under the label S.R. Studio. LA. CA. In September 2020 he released the "Veil Flag," which was inspired by the political division in the United States ahead of the presidential election and the social justice movements that followed the murder of George Floyd. Ruby described the flag, stripped of its stars and stripes, as "a signifier in flux."

ATTACHMENT 1. Affectionate regard 2. A strong emotional bond:

Part of Eli Russell Linnetz's spring/summer 2022 "An American Tale'' collection, this wrap coat was worn by rapper A$AP Rocky to The Met Gala in 2021. It is made of a puff quilt Linnetz found at a thrift store and backed with fabric remnants of the designer's own boxer shorts and his father's bathrobe quilted together by quiltmaker Zak Foster. The great granddaughter of the maker of the puff quilt recognized it in event coverage and shared images of the original on social media, connecting her with Linnetz. The histories and memories of both families are layered in the garment, which symbolizes the comfort and intimacy of home.

NOSTALGIA 1. A wistful or sentimental yearning for a return to or the return of some real or romanticized period of the past:

For his autumn/winter 1982–83 collection, Ralph Lauren referenced American folk art and crafts. Nineteenth-century needlework samplers, which often featured the letters of the alphabet and the motif of the home, inspired the design of this hand-knit sweater. Lauren’s use of antique patchwork quilts to construct the accompanying skirt reflects his appreciation for handwork. Speaking to a journalist in 1982 Lauren said, "Folk art, for me, represents the integrity that is America."

TOGETHERNESS 1. The quality or state of being or belonging together or of forming related parts of a unified whole:


Tristan Detwiler began reworking antique quilts into garments in 2018. A chance encounter with eighty-year-old quilt maker Claire McKarns introduced Detwiler to the Bumann Quilters of Olivenhain, California. After becoming a member, he applied the group’s shared knowledge to his autumn/winter 2021–22 collection. He constructed this ensemble using a late nineteenth-century one-patch pattern quilt given to him by McKarns. By cutting the jacket and trouser patterns directly from the quilt, he was able to maintain its original design.　

REMEMBRANCE 1. The state of bearing in mind; the state of remembering 2. A memory of a person, thing, or event. 3. Something that serves to keep in or brings to mind:

In her designs, Mimi Prober incorporates delicate antique fabrics, which she first mends using traditional methods of embroidery, appliqué, lace making, beading, and dyeing. For this ensemble from her spring/summer 2018 collection, Prober reworked a crazy-pattern quilt into the shape of a motorcycle jacket—two objects known for bearing traces of their owners. Prober preserved the quilt’s date and its maker’s signature as evidence of its origins.

REMINISCENCE 1. The process or activity of thinking or telling about past experiences:

Heron Preston’s spring/summer 2021 collection concentrated on the trademarks of his namesake label—the simplicity and durability of work wear, exemplified by this ensemble. Preston densely layered the jacket and trousers with denim remnants from past collections in a patchwork pattern suggesting generations of use and repair. The raw edges convey a sense of spontaneity and an unfinished quality appropriate for hard-wearing garments.

RECOLLECTION The action or power of recalling to mind:

Tyler Webb of Kentucky Boy Tyler creates intricately worked one-of-a-kind garments from found materials. Born and raised in Kentucky, Webb developed an appreciation for the unstudied and sentimental qualities of Appalachian folk art. He applies a similarly intuitive approach to his own designs drawn from experiments with traditional quilting and mending techniques. Webb released his first collection in 2021. Titled "Piecemeal," it included garments constructed from fabrics made by Webb from layered scraps of material hand-quilted and stitched together. He created this ensemble from pieces of cut denim overstitched in a grid pattern.

WISTFULNESS 1. Full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy:


As inspiration for his spring/summer 2021 collection, Greg Lauren (nephew of Ralph Lauren) cited the celebrated quilt makers and quilt-making traditions of Gee’s Bend, a historic Black community in Alabama. As a coda to the collection, Lauren collaborated with Gee’s Bend quilters on an edition of fourteen custom garments. Using scrap fabric from Lauren’s studio, the quilters created patchwork panels applied to jackets, trousers, and accessories. This jacket is

WISTFULNESS 1. Full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy:

As inspiration for his spring/summer 2021 collection, Greg Lauren (nephew of Ralph Lauren) cited the celebrated quilt makers and quilt-making traditions of Gee’s Bend, a historic Black community in Alabama. As a coda to the collection, Lauren collaborated with Gee’s Bend quilters on an edition of fourteen custom garments. Using scrap fabric from Lauren’s studio, the quilters created patchwork panels applied to jackets, trousers, and accessories. This jacket is tagged with the names of its Gee’s Bend makers: Minnie Mae Pettway, Kristin Pettway, and Priscilla Hudson.

REVERIE The condition of being lost in thought:

The free-form construction of this coat reflects Yoshiyuki Minami's complex and meditative approach to garment making. Minami cut six to seven pairs of used jeans into random shapes and patched them together in an intuitive process using a blanket stitch to create an irregular, dimensional surface. Reflecting on the process, Minami wrote: "As I quilt the smithereens of fabrics, I'm reminded that we come in different genders, shapes, [and] colors, with different perspectives and experiences."

CONTINUITY 1. Uninterrupted connection, succession, or union:

Erin Beatty debuted Rentrayage, French for "to mend" or "to make whole again," in 2019. Formerly codesigner of the label Suno, Beatty has turned her focus to sustainable production and the creation of new garments from old ones. Here, Beatty fused sections of three dresses together along two seams—one horizontal and one vertical. Although the original silhouettes remain largely unaltered, the short sleeve on the right side of the garment and the full sleeve on the left skew the proportions of the new design.

COMMEMORATION 1. The act of calling to remembrance:

Sarah Nsikak’s fashions celebrate the resilience and creativity of African makers. This ensemble features her signature one-of-a-kind patchwork dresses inspired by the traditional costumes of Namibia’s Herero tribe that are pieced from the remnants of used garments and modeled after the nineteenth-century silhouettes of German colonists. Made of locally sourced surplus cotton, Nsikak’s dress combines panels of printed fabric in a carefully organized arrangement of pattern and color on the skirt, which falls in voluminous folds from a band at the bust line supported by flat straps at the shoulder.

CONNECTION 1. The state of being joined or linked together:　

Designers Sophie Andes-Gascon and Claire McKinney of SC103 are known for their one-of-a-kind, handmade garments that are "meant to be touched, felt, held." Andes-Gascon and McKinney pieced together fragments of repurposed fabric in various prints, weaves, and weights to create this dress from their autumn/winter 2020–21 collection. Sections of excess fabric gathered into circular seams create deflated bubbles that add dimension and texture to the surface.

CELEBRATION 1. The act of marking by festivities or other deviation from routine:


Artist and designer Carly Mark founded Puppets and Puppets in 2019. Her eccentric designs convey a sense of fantasy and theatricality uncommon in American fashion. Her autumn/winter 2021–22 collection featured her signature combination of historical references and dramatic proportions. This dress is patchworked with remnants of silk, satin, taffeta, and toile de Jouy. Nineteenth-century inspired gigot-like poufs interrupt its columnar silhouette at the right arm and left hip.　

ACCEPTANCE 1. The quality or state of being accepted (regarded favorably, given approval or acceptance):

Through the language of pole dancing, and to a soundtrack of Whitney Houston’s 1991 rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner," the 2017performance piece State of by artists Gerard & Kelly employed various national symbols to explore intersections of cultural and personal identity. Rio Uribe created costumes for the 2019 American premiere; this halter top and shorts ensemble, designed as a deconstructed flag and reminiscent of Olympic sports uniforms, was worn by the principal performer, Forty Smooth, a New York subway dancer.　

IDEALISM 1. The attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards of behavior and honesty:

Ralph Lauren debuted the American-flag sweater in his autumn/winter 1989 womenswear collection. The garment features a 1777 version of the flag, which has thirteen stars representing the original colonies, and an "RL" signature on the bottom left side. For Lauren, the son of immigrants from Belarus, this flag represented the ideals of the newly independent nation. The sweater has become a hallmark of the brand and was worn by the designer himself at his spring 2002 presentation a week after the September 11 attacks.

AFFIRMATION 1. A solemn and often public declaration of the truth or existence of something:

Tremaine Emory’s designs for Denim Tears are inspired by the collective history and experience of Black Americans. This sweater, released in April 2021, is a reinterpretation of Ralph Lauren’s late 1980s design. By replacing the American flag with a version of African American Flag by artist David Hammons and the RL signature with the DT signature, Emory transfers ownership of the design to the Black community.

SOLIDARITY 1. Unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on a community of interests, objectives, and standards:

Tommy Hilfiger is well known for his egalitarian approach to fashion. He started his career in the late 1960s with the People’s Place boutique and launched his eponymous label, inspired by the preppy aesthetic, in 1985. The broad popularity of his sportswear collections, marked by a red, white, and blue palette and branded with an abstracted American flag, reached its apex in the late 1990s. This sweater from that period is emblematic of Hilfiger’s career-long commitment to inclusion, recently expressed through his designs for nonbinary people and adaptive garments.

ISOLATION 1. The condition of being isolated (placed or caused to be alone or apart; cut off):

Mexican American designer Willy Chavarria’s recent collections are a commentary on immigration. Pieces embroidered with the phrases "No Human Being Is Illegal" and "Authentic American" reflect the fear and alienation experienced by immigrants to the United States. The "Falling Stars" motif on this sweater from the designer’s spring/summer 2019 collection presents a sense of hopelessness, a sharp contrast to the optimism of Ralph Lauren’s American-flag sweater.

BUOYANCY The resilience of spirit (lightheartedness):

Virgil Abloh and Off-White designed this gown- a commission for the Costume Institute's "In America" exhibition - as a meditation on the beauty and brutality of cotton production from the nineteenth century to the present. Its shape recalls the fashionable silhouette of the mid-nineteenth century interpreted through Off-White's design vocabulary, including a T-shirt of cotton knit twisted over the bust in the style of a 1950s evening bodice. Cotton bales inspired the expansive skirt, sprayed in blue with ''Verg," Abloh's graffiti tag and a tribute to the late designer.

DELICACY Fineness or subtle expressiveness of touch:

Brandon Maxwell is best known for the luxe aesthetic and sense of wit he applies to eveningwear. Drawn from his Texan roots, his designs combine elements of formality and informality to project a sense of relaxed glamour. For this dress from Maxwell's spring/summer 2020 collection, he transformed the cummerbund of a men's evening suit into a bandeau bodice. The skirt's delicate layers of silk gazar are neatly gathered into a second cummerbund placed at the waist.

PURITY The quality or state of being pure (free from harshness or roughness · perfectly clear to the eye):

Christopher John Rogers has described his design philosophy as creating both emotional and transformational fashions, which become tools for self-expression. The pristine color and exaggerated 1950s-era silhouette of this dress convey a sense of delight, exemplifying the expressive nature of his designs. Rogers drew the nostalgic shape and white palette from memories of formal dress in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was born and raised.

LIGHTNESS 1. The quality or state of being light or having little weight· 2. An ease and gaiety of style or manner:

Ashlynn Park of ASHLYN honed her refined aesthetic and earth-conscious approach to tailoring as a designer and pattern maker for designers including Yohji Yamamoto and Raf Simons. Park released her first collection, titled "Hibernation," during the COVID-19 pandemic in autumn/ winter 2021. The bodice of this dress from the collection is beautifully cut in deep curves at the waist and back opening. The skirt's weightless volume is achieved using fine cotton poplin tightly pleated and gathered into the waistline and dressed over hip pads-a reference to the pneumatic silhouettes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

ETHEREALITY The quality or state of being ethereal (characterized by unusual delicacy and refinement):

Catherine Holstein of Khaite describes her design philosophy as driven by "a fresh balance of opposing elements—past and future, masculine and feminine, strength and softness, structure and fluidity." This dress from her resort 2020 collection conveys both austerity and excess in the white cotton fabric and airy, puff sleeves. Holstein is attentive to the moods of her wearers and designs garments that embody their complex emotions.　

JOY A state of happiness or felicity:

Throughout his decades-long career, Oscar de la Renta was renowned for his romantic eveningwear, which was characterized by sculptural shapes and saturated colors. Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, who were appointed co-creative directors of the brand in 2016, have expressed their desire to capture the joie de vivre in De la Renta's designs. Covered in flowers that are realistically rendered in silk and bead embroidery, this dress conveys the sense of joy and renewal often associated with springtime.

PLAYFULNESS The quality of being lighthearted or full of fun:

Marc Jacobs described his spring/summer 2020 collection as a ''celebration of life" showcasing garments that express the joy of dressing up and embrace ''grand gestures." The collection conveyed optimism for the future, as well as an appreciation for the past. This dress evokes the excesses and extravagances of haute couture in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Layers of buoyant silk violets flutter gently with the wearer's movement, conveying a sense of freshness and vitality.

DREAMINESS The quality or state of being dreamy (given to dreaming or fantasy):

Adolfo began his career as an apprentice in Cristobal Balenciaga's millinery studio in the 1940s. He established himself in New York as a milliner in the 1950s and founded his own label in 1962, designing whimsical and playful hats and clothing. He once stated about his philosophy of dress: ''Chic and decent clothes are not enough. Clothes should be amusing. Fantasies are important." Here, the combination of a youthful pinafore and hand-painted daffodils suggests a sense of naive optimism.

ARTFULNESS The quality or state of being artful or showing a noteworthy use of imagination and creativity:

The enchanting and transporting use of color in Walt Disney's animations for the film Sleeping Beauty and Vincent van Gogh's landscape and still-life paintings provided inspiration for Rodarte's spring/summer 2012 collection. The unlikely combination of sources produced fanciful designs featuring elements of the Dutch artist's Post-Impressionist paintings. Here, the artist's sunflowers are animated in layers and tiers of fluttering silk chiffon.

HOPEFULNESS Full of hope or agreeable expectation, happily expectant:

Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada vowed to increase her commitment to sustainable design during the presentation of her autumn/winter 2019 collection, which included fashions made of 75 percent deadstock, or surplus, fabric. Taymour has since pioneered the use of repurposed materials and fabrics engineered to decrease production waste in the fashion industry. This bodysuit is part of a series of garments from the collection made of yellow deadstock lace printed with daisies. References to nature and farming in her work promote a way of life dedicated to reversing the effects of climate change.

VIBRANCY The quality or state of being vibrant or pulsating with life:

Since Lilly Pulitzer founded her fashion house in 1959, her name has become synonymous with an aesthetic of cheerful ease and recreation. She designed play clothes for adults and children in vibrant colors and patterns that evoked tropical destinations and appealed to Pulitzer's social set in Palm Beach, Florida. Suzie Zuzek, an artist for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, designed Pulitzer's most dazzling prints including this one titled "Ponchita’s Petunias." Pulitzer tempered the palette of vivid orange, yellow, and pink florals with delicate white crochet.

PRECOCIOUSNESS 1. Exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age:

Anna Sui has often looked to music and youth culture as creative reference points. For her spring/summer 1994 collection, she drew inspiration from grunge, specifically the personal style of Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain. Citing Cobain’s proclivity for wearing dresses belonging to his wife, Courtney Love, Sui presented her take on the baby-doll dress, a childlike style popularized by Love. With its thigh-high hemlines, flirtatious ruffles, and sugary embroidery, the example shown here is simultaneously provocative and innocent. Its exaggerated girlishness challenges gender stereotypes, a provocation that resonated with grunge musicians.

SWEETNESS The quality or state of being sweet (arousing agreeable or delightful emotions):

Jackson Wiederhoeft founded their namesake label, Wiederhoeft, to expand the concept of bridal wear. The dramatics of theater, music, and performance inform their designs, which serve as costumes for the fanciful stories that inspire each collection. For Wiederhoeft's "The Music Box" collection about the loneliness and creativity of childhood, they imagined the universe of the dancer that spins en pointe inside the box. This baby doll dress of silver organza embroidered with crystal dragonflies and trimmed with crystals is her costume come to life.

WONDER The rapt attention and deep emotion caused by the sight of something extraordinary:

Vaquera's autumn/winter 2019 collection explored notions of home and domesticity. The design trio-known for their campy sensibility and fashion-outsider status played with exaggerated volumes and the relationships between interiors and dress. Named ''The Big Pretty" by the designers, this dress of purple and white silk taffeta with an outsize replica of a stick-on bow at the shoulder represents a housewarming gift. Its tiered flounces and triangular silhouette recall the extreme proportions of mid-nineteenth century crinolines and the shapes of youthful baby doll dresses.

TENDERNESS A gentle quality or condition: such as gentleness and affection:

Claudia Li's autumn/winter 2020 ''3.16.19'' collection is a tribute to her grandfather, who passed away in 2019. The designs in the collection reflect Li's memories of him, the imprint of their experiences together in China, and the creative ability passed through generations. This ensemble's gingham print and 1950s silhouette were inspired by her grandfather's checked shirts and reflect a child's everlasting devotion to a grandparent.

GENTLENESS The quality or state of being gentle (gracious or kind in manner, delicate in mood, texture, or taste):

Bill Blass began his career as a designer for Maurice Rentner in the 1960s before establishing his own label in 1970. His early preference for bold stripes, checks, and plaids in allover patterns carried through his career in the 1990s. The varied scale of soft pink and white gingham in this ensemble from the latter period adds dimension to its asymmetrical shape. The color and pattern combined with the apron-like silhouette present an idyllic image of motherhood.

INNOCENCE The quality or state of being simple and sincere:

Cheerful domesticity has been a theme of Batsheva Hay's collections since she founded Batsheva in 2018. Hay began by designing versions of the flounced, floral-printed prairie dresses she wore as a child. Her baby doll silhouette, introduced in 2019 as an abbreviated version of her earliest designs, is now a staple of her collections. Its childlike proportions and pink gingham pattern convey a sense of youthfulness and play.

NAIVETE The quality or state of being naive (marked by unaffected simplicity):

Prabal Gurung's spring/summer 2020 collection, which celebrated his eponymous label's tenth anniversary, featured sashes with the statement, ''Who Gets to Be American?'' and reflected Gurung's activism on behalf of immigrants, as well as his own path to citizenship. His spring/summer 2022 collection titled ''American Girl" was a meditation on girlhood and advocated for the free expression of gender identity. He opened the collection with this dress in pink gingham, a nod to the youthful playsuits designed by American fashion pioneer Claire McCardell in the 1940s and 1950s.

CAMARADERIE 1. The spirit of friendly familiarity and goodwill that exists between comrades:

Eli Russell Linnetz founded ERL as a deeply personal take on American sportswear, filtered through his carefree, easygoing Venice Beach lifestyle. Entitled "The Final Frontier," his autumn/winter 2021–22 collection examined the relationship between self-discovery and collective advancement through the lens of collegiate Americana. Here, a baseball-inspired uniform conjures idyllic memories of boyhood friendship. While its sweat-stained aesthetic alludes to the vitality of the ballpark, its state of undress is suggestive of the locker room.

KINSHIP 1. A likeness in character or qualities 2. A community of interest, especially a sense of oneness:

Fear of God’s marriage of American sports - and urban wear is evident in this ensemble. A sweatshirt paired with a tailored jacket nods to Ivy-league style, while an exposed hoodie suggests street insouciance. A collegiate sports emblem is supplanted by a graphic of the Negro Leagues, a segregated American professional baseball organization that marked its centennial in 2020. Of the graphic, designer Jerry Lorenzo, whose grandfather played in the Negro League, observed, "[It] is a humble reminder of how far we’ve come and the responsibility we have to honor those before us who built the bridge we now cross."

ASSOCIATION 1. The state of having shared interests or efforts:


Luiseño artist and designer Jamie Okuma learned beadwork, quillwork, and other traditional handcrafts from her Luiseño, Shoshone-Bannock, Wailaki, and Okinawan communities. This sweater is one of many collaborations between Okuma and her mother, artist Sandra Okuma, whose paintings concentrate on “the beauty of traditional clothing and the dignity of the individuals who wear it.” Jamie Okuma hand cut and applied a digital print of Sandra Okuma’s 1997 painting “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” to the front of this design to signify the bond between Native American communities and the land.

SYMBIOSIS A mutually beneficial relationship:

For Ji Won Choi's 2017''Excessivism'' collection-her final thesis project at Parsons School of Design-she combined the concept of modular dressing with the formal elements of the hanbok, South Korea's national dress. Choi's outsize designs featured horizontal and vertical stripes of white and black trim with straps reminiscent of the hanbok's tie closures. In a collaboration with Adidas in 2019, the designer applied the same graphic lines to tracksuits and interchangeable separates, using the sportswear company's trademark three stripes.

SYMBIOSIS A mutually beneficial relationship:

For Ji Won Choi's 2017''Excessivism'' collection-her final thesis project at Parsons School of Design-she combined the concept of modular dressing with the formal elements of the hanbok, South Korea's national dress. Choi's outsize designs featured horizontal and vertical stripes of white and black trim with straps reminiscent of the hanbok's tie closures. In a collaboration with Adidas in 2019, the designer applied the same graphic lines to tracksuits and interchangeable separates, using the sportswear company's trademark three stripes.

SYMBIOSIS A mutually beneficial relationship:

For Ji Won Choi's 2017''Excessivism'' collection-her final thesis project at Parsons School of Design-she combined the concept of modular dressing with the formal elements of the hanbok, South Korea's national dress. Choi's outsize designs featured horizontal and vertical stripes of white and black trim with straps reminiscent of the hanbok's tie closures. In a collaboration with Adidas in 2019, the designer applied the same graphic lines to tracksuits and interchangeable separates, using the sportswear company's trademark three stripes.

SYMBIOSIS A mutually beneficial relationship:

For Ji Won Choi's 2017''Excessivism'' collection-her final thesis project at Parsons School of Design-she combined the concept of modular dressing with the formal elements of the hanbok, South Korea's national dress. Choi's outsize designs featured horizontal and vertical stripes of white and black trim with straps reminiscent of the hanbok's tie closures. In a collaboration with Adidas in 2019, the designer applied the same graphic lines to tracksuits and interchangeable separates, using the sportswear company's trademark three stripes.

AFFINITY 1. Sympathy especially as marked by community of interest:

For the second installment of "American Also," his three-part series of collections addressing Black narratives, Kerby Jean-Raymond explored "what the African-American experience would look like without the constant threat of racism." Presented in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood of Weeksville, founded by free African Americans, it included this choir robe-inspired dress, a collaboration with the streetwear label FUBU (For Us By Us). Of the partnership, Jean-Raymond explained: "We wanted to highlight designers that weren’t seen. These companies grossed hundreds of millions in their prime, but weren’t recognized . . . because they were considered urban, not fashion."

RECIPROCITY 1. The quality or state of being reciprocal (mutual dependence, action, or influence):

Virgil Abloh uses the platform of his Off-White™ label to provoke and challenge the semiotics of fashion. Here, he combines the delicacy of tulle with the robustness of weather-resistant nylon in the form of an anorak by the Canadian label Arc’teryx—"the equal of haute couture in fashion," according to Abloh. The ensemble’s embrace of symbolism that resides in both high fashion and activewear invites a broadening of creative possibility and collaboration.

OPTIMISM An inclination to anticipate the best possible outcome; a cheerful and hopeful temperament:

Designer Rudi Gernreich envisioned a future in which men and women could dress alike and nudity was stripped of its moral judgments. This ensemble from his unisex collection was conceived to free the figure from sartorial and cultural constraints by embracing the utility of a uniform, including optional thigh-high waterproof boots for winter. Paradoxically, Gernreich imagined the knit jumpsuit would enhance the wearer's individuality, despite disguising the lower half of the face and unifying the figure as a second skin to obfuscate gender signifiers.

EMPOWERMENT 1. To give faculties or abilities to enable; 2. To promote the self-actualization or influence of:

Neil Grotzinger's collections for Nihl subvert gender stereotypes, embracing an aesthetic that the designer has described as "masculine effeminacy:' Grotzinger reclaims traditional symbols of masculinity, such as jockstraps and wrestling singlets, to promote an alternative queer message. This jumpsuit sheaths the figure in a sheer layer of transparent white net punctuated by seams that form the spectral imprint of a fitted vest and low-slung, hip-hugging trousers flared below the knees.

ASSERTION Insistent and positive affirming, maintaining, or defending as of a right or attribute:


Menswear designer Kenneth Nicholson based his spring 2019 “Lover From the Bath” collection on a story he wrote about lost love in three chapters devoted to sadness, memory, and grief. The collection combined decorative flourishes, including lace collars and gold brooches with the strictness of naval uniforms. This tunic of white cotton gauze, printed with a love letter reading…, reflects Nicholson’s aim to challenge gender signifiers in fashion and expand the boundaries of menswear.

SELF-DETERMINATION Determination of one's acts or states by oneself without external compulsion:

Evan Ducharme debuted his label, based in the historic Métis community of St. Ambroise, Manitoba (Treaty 1 Territory), in 2014. His designs explore Métis culture through contemporary interpretations of iconography and expressions of indigenous sexualities. This trouser skirt made from utilitarian cotton canvas lined with horsehair, tulle, and satin from Ducharme’s ATAVISM collection - presented at the inaugural Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week in 2017 - reflects his interest in historical silhouette and the concept of two-spirit identity.

CERTAINTY The quality or state of being certain (given to or marked by complete assurance and conviction):

In his work, Willy Chavarria often draws inspiration from Chicano and gay subcultural styles. He challenges normative conventions of masculinity by combining the outsize and body-altering proportions of streetwear with emotional and political themes related to family, community, and sexuality. His spring/summer 2021 ''Cut Deep" collection was staged in a New-York barbershop - a site devoted to male beauty and fellowship. These ensembles are part of a series of floor-length, billowing trousers worn only with silk-satin boxer shorts. The high, cinched waists and pleated fullness of the ensembles mimic the elegant silhouette of a woman's evening gown.

CERTAINTY The quality or state of being certain (given to or marked by complete assurance and conviction):

In his work, Willy Chavarria often draws inspiration from Chicano and gay subcultural styles. He challenges normative conventions of masculinity by combining the outsize and body-altering proportions of streetwear with emotional and political themes related to family, community, and sexuality. His spring/summer 2021 ''Cut Deep" collection was staged in a New-York barbershop - a site devoted to male beauty and fellowship. These ensembles are part of a series of floor-length, billowing trousers worn only with silk-satin boxer shorts. The high, cinched waists and pleated fullness of the ensembles mimic the elegant silhouette of a woman's evening gown.

CONFIDENCE 1. Feeling or consciousness of reliance on oneself or one’s circumstances.  2. The state of feeling sure:


Becca McCharen-Tran’s collections for Chromat celebrate a range of body types. Invariably, she takes the figure as her focal point, utilizing inventive cuts, striking color combinations, and eco-friendly materials to create attractive activewear that meets aesthetic, ethical, and comfort-based concerns. This unapologetic emphasis on the body has led to such innovations as the anti-chafing thigh bands featured here presented in collaboration with Bandelettes), which seamlessly fuse novelty and functionality, prioritizing the experience of the wearer above all else.

RECOGNITION 1. Acceptance of an individual as being entitled to consideration or attention:

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty collection was launched in 2018 with an acute awareness of the diverse identities that comprise contemporary society. The lingerie line promotes principles of community and inclusivity, aiming to avoid the elitism of high fashion. With these goals in mind, it is presented through accessible and highly choreographed runway performances that interweave dance and music. The "Savage not Sorry" bodysuit and "Commitment Issues" suspender body stocking featured here are part of Rihanna’s second collection, which was described as a "celebration of individuality and self-expression."

COMMAND The ability to control: mastery:

Bill Blass established his label in 1970 and quickly earned a reputation for tailored suits woven with bold stripes, checks, and plaids. This suit of navy wool twill features pinstripes in assertive vertical lines from the collar to the hem. The continuation of stripes through the jacket's welt and flap pockets exemplifies Blass's skill as a tailor and his conception of the suit as a seamless whole.

STRENGTH Ability to produce an effect: a source of power or influence:

Ralph Lauren began adapting tailored menswear for women with the introduction of his first women's fashions in 1971. Lauren's designs did not simply resemble menswear styling, but their construction followed the details of men's garments. In this suit, the pinstriped wool parallels that used in men's suiting, and the jacket is interfaced to mirror the firm structure of men's tailoring. While the cut is adjusted to a woman's proportions, the female form is not exaggerated or tightly contoured, offering the ease of the male garment as well as its authoritative appearance.

DISCIPLINE An orderly or regular pattern of behavior:

Thom Browne's designs are rooted in the inventive adaptation of classic forms. Throughout the years, he has proposed a universal modern uniform of reinterpreted mid-twentieth-century men's suits, which are composed of traditional materials in varied shades of gray, navy, and black. In Browne's conception, however, the uniform is not limiting. Instead, its varied permutations allow a sense of individuality to be conveyed through subtle but distinctive details, such as cut and construction, fabric selection, shifted proportions, and the intermingling of conventionally masculine and feminine codes of dress.

DISCIPLINE An orderly or regular pattern of behavior:

Thom Browne's designs are rooted in the inventive adaptation of classic forms. Throughout the years, he has proposed a universal modern uniform of reinterpreted mid-twentieth-century men's suits, which are composed of traditional materials in varied shades of gray, navy, and black. In Browne's conception, however, the uniform is not limiting. Instead, its varied permutations allow a sense of individuality to be conveyed through subtle but distinctive details, such as cut and construction, fabric selection, shifted proportions, and the intermingling of conventionally masculine and feminine codes of dress.

CAPABILITY The quality or state of being capable (having or showing general efficiency and ability):

When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, the American Red Cross commissioned New York-based couturiere Elizabeth Hawes to design an updated uniform for their organization, one of a series of collaborations between well-established fashion designers and military and volunteer programs during this period. Hawes's boxy suit of sturdy blue-gray gabardine with metal buttons, which has the neatness and serviceability of a military uniform, was an expression of the wearer's desire to support the war effort and her willingness to do so.

ACCOMPLISHMENT A quality or ability that equips one for society:

This worker’s smock is part of a series of work uniforms designed by Helen Cookman for Reeves Brothers, Inc., a textile manufacturer specializing in hard-wearing cotton fabrics. Cookman, who was known for her well-tailored coats and suits, introduced details that were both attractive and functional: seams outlined in white topstitching, generous patch pockets, and a belt for a customized fit. She adds interest to this design by reversing the collar, suggesting a shirt worn backwards. Her uniforms were intended to align with the demands of the wearer’s job, while also boosting morale through appealing design.

RESPONSIBILITY The quality or state of being responsible; accountability, reliability, trustworthiness:

For his debut 2016 UNIFORM collection, Heron Preston collaborated with New York’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to create pieces constructed of decommissioned sanitation-worker garments and thrift-store finds screen-printed with the DSNY and Heron Preston logos. Since, he has developed a trademark aesthetic based on the simple forms and durable fabrics of work wear. In 2021, in response to requests from workers for garments with protective qualities, Preston created a series of shirts and jackets made of fire resistant and retardant fabric and shoes of vulcanized rubber suitable for the worksite.

SEDUCTIVENESS 1. The power of irresistible attraction:


Tom Ford is well known for the overt sex appeal of his designs, which reveal and accentuate the body with fluid fabrics and body-conscious silhouettes. Ford’s spring/summer 2018 collection borrowed from the sharp lines of his men’s suits. This evening dress is constructed of tightly ruched black net wrapped over the broad, padded shoulders and around the upper arms, mimicking the square shape of a man’s jacket. From the waist to the hem, the net is loosely draped in sheer folds, revealing the hips and legs beneath.


　

DEVOTION 1. Ardent love or affection:


Isabel Toledo described her work as "dressing emotions," acknowledging the power fashion has to both express the wearer’s emotions and change how they feel. She matched this consideration with masterful technical knowledge—an intimate understanding of the way fabric could be draped, folded, or stitched to achieve a desired effect. Toledo’s devotion to her craft, through constant hands-on experimentation, yielded garments with unique structures, like this dress composed of tubes of rayon jersey that gently embrace the body, enclosing it in soft folds.


　

PASSION A strong devotion to some activity, object, or concept:

Early in his career, Giorgio di Sant'Angelo adopted an experimental and intuitive approach to draping fabric on the body. As his style evolved, he explored the arresting potential of stretch fabrics, which he used to highlight the figure and create a sense of movement. This dress, designed by Martin Price for Sant'Angelo's label after the founder's death, follows this body-conscious approach, with stretch mesh worked in tight gathers around the bust and hips and falling into soft folds at the skirt. The style was named ''Cleopatra," referencing the Egyptian ruler mythologized for her disarming beauty.

GRACE Attractiveness, charm, especially the pleasing quality associated with a special and refined fitness of proportion combined with an ease and beauty of movement:

Jamie Okuma began making this dress in 2018 and presented it during the fashion presentations at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market in 2021. Though part of her ready-to-wear line, Okuma compared the development of the design to the gradual and intuitive process of beadwork. The interplay of opacity and transparency combined with the delicacy of draped chiffon in the final design conveys a sense of spectral grace.

INTIMACY The state of being intimate, such as a close association or connection or a relationship marked by depth of knowledge or broadness of information:

Lùchen’s spring/summer 2022 collection is the culmination of Lu Chen’s graduate thesis, unfinished in her final year at Parsons School of Design due to the Covid pandemic. Called an Introductory Collection, it served as the basis for Chen’s subsequent ready-to-wear line. Designs from both collections concentrate on the expression of time as it relates to the body and the craft of making. The "Adam With Apples" dress reveals the body under an evanescent layer of tailored and draped beige tulle.

ROMANCE the quality or state of being romantic (marked by freedom, spontaneity, or freedom of conception and expression):


Jason Wu’s evening wear designs recall the great traditions of couture dressmaking. The technical mastery of French designer Madame Gres’ is a recurring reference. For his spring/summer 2019 collection, Wu presented a series of gowns inspired by Gres’ skillful manipulation of hand-pleated crepe. This gown from the series features panels of pleated silk crepe stitched to a base of transparent silk organza at the bust and a skirt of pleated organza falling lightly to the floor.

ALLURE A power of attraction or fascination:

Grace Ling’s spring/summer 2022 "Square" collection was a meditation on the square as a fundamental element of architectural form. The "Square Cut Out" dress, which can be worn front to back, features a mesh cutout that reveals the chest, or the back, from the bust to the navel, and bisects the arms. The transparent frame draws attention to the area of the body revealed beneath. Ling draws inspiration for metal embellishments, including the crossbar of the "Vertebrae" bralette here, from the body’s biomorphic forms.

SENSUALITY The quality or state of being sensual (sensory: of or relating to sensation or to the senses):

Like Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, Laquan Smith plays with stretch fabrics, cutouts, and transparency to emphasize and amplify the contours of the body. His designs highlight and celebrate the diversity of the female form to embolden and empower the wearer. Despite the modest high neckline and full length of this dress, Smith accentuates and reveals the body with figure-hugging stretch jersey and a large circular cutout at the front with narrow- fabric panels stretched across the bust.

FREEDOM 1. The quality or state of being free (independent):


Diane von Furstenberg introduced her popular version of the wrap dress in 1974, dispelling the notion that a dress is a fussy or constricting garment at odds with the lifestyle of an active professional woman. Composed of supple jersey in striking prints, the dress wrapped easily around the bodyand secured with a self-fabric tie. The simple cut freed the wearer from restrictive seaming or fastenings and ensured a body-conforming fit on a range of individuals. Fashion journalist Carrie Donovan, writing in 1977, credited Von Furstenberg with the "renaissance of the dress."

EASE Facility, effortlessness:

Tory Burch drew inspiration from Claire McCardell's designs from the mid-twentieth century for her spring and pre-fall 2022 collections to commemorate the foundation of the Tory Burch Claire McCardell Fashion Fellowship at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, which holds McCardell's archive. This dress of sturdy cotton poplin features McCardell design signatures that underscore the lasting aesthetic and functional value of her work, including the wrap bodice and sash, decorative double-stitching, and full skirt neatly gathered into a low, rounded waistline reminiscent of the designer's early 1940s "Cloister Dress."

FACILITY Ease in performance:

Vera Maxwell is best known for combining form and function in modular separates responsive to the active personal and professional lives of women. The trousers and top of this suit are made of wool jersey, favored for its elastic and wrinkle-resistant properties. The jacket of wool tweed, lined at the front opening with coordinating jersey, is cut with fullness in the body and sleeves for ease and mobility. Its conspicuous patch pockets, lined with plastic, were designed to hold necessities for an overnight flight— cosmetics, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a washcloth.

RELIEF Removal or lightening of something burdensome

Writing in 1950, Bonnie Cashin argued that American sportswear designers were ''the only fashion group in the world ... [that] has successfully interpreted the tempo of our day." Among her innovations were "purses" incorporated into garments, which offered women functionality and security without the encumbrance of handbags. In the 1970s this hands-free convenience aligned with the cadence of contemporary life, and Cashin designed garments equipped with spacious saddlebag pockets. Their conspicuous visibility signals that the garment and the wearer prioritize functionality along with aesthetics.

COZINESS The quality or state of being cozy (enjoying, affording, or suggesting warmth; homey ease, and freedom from care in inconvenience):

Halston is best known for transforming the informality and comfort of sportswear into clothing suitable for all occasions. An open cardigan combined with a full-length sweater dress in soft tones of wool cashmere became one of his signature evening looks. This ensemble exemplifies Halston's facility for executing luxurious garments in a relaxed manner, intended to offer the wearer a sense of confidence and ease.

RETREAT 1. An act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable:


The blurring between the home and the office, relaxation, and responsibility that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic provided the stimulus for Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s autumn/winter 2021–22 collection, which emphasized elements of ease and versatility. This knitted dress features a gathering that twists around the body, as if its wearer is draped in a blanket while en route to the office. Its high neckline and extra-long hem provide maximum coverage, offering physical and psychological sanctuary

REFUGE 1. A means of resort for help in difficulty:

Yeohlee Teng coined the term "urban nomad" for her autumn/winter 1997–98 collection to describe "a person fully engaged and living a twenty-first-century lifestyle which is urban and global." This coat, which features the designer’s signature simple geometric cuts, reflects her interest in architecture, inspired as it was by Renzo Piano’s curvilinear Kansai International Airport. Rendered in a striped Alpaca, it also references the blanket-like coverings of the nomads of Mongolia. Its materiality offers versatility and movement, while its construction encapsulates Teng’s vision of clothing as shelter.

EASEFULNESS 1. The state of being easeful (suitable for affording ease or rest):



Bonnie Cashin’s pioneering contributions to American fashion include her popularization of luxurious organic materials and her promotion of layering. Here, a leather-trimmed shift dress nestles effortlessly within a mohair coat—a complete look easily modulated to suit various activities and lifestyles. The coat’s built-in scarf offers additional protection from the cold and, when secured to the shoulder with a pin, provides an added element of style. "The warmth, the softness, the weightlessness, the comfortableness—everything great a coat can be," declared Vogue, encapsulating Cashin’s approach to dressing the woman on the go.

WARMTH 1. The quality or state of being warm in temperature or feeling; emotional intensity:


Designer Aaron Potts conceived APOTTS as a unisex line of modular and trans-seasonal pieces for everyday use. Fueled by a need for optimism during the COVID-19 pandemic, Potts’s autumn/winter 2021–22 collection conveys notions of comfort and uplift. With its pared-down but ample silhouette and serene yet sunny color palette, the ensemble displayed here emanates a homey sophistication. Its generously gathered, serpentine scarf affords style experimentation while providing an added component of cold-weather versatility.

NUTURANCE Affectionate care and attention:

Chickasaw artist and fashion designer Margaret Roach Wheeler created this caftan as a tribute to her father, Diamond Roach, whose work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs introduced her to the artistic traditions of Native communities across the country. She used different techniques and colorways on the exterior and the interior of the garment to convey solidity and strength when worn closed, and beauty when left open. Wheeler began her career as a fine artist before focusing on weaving. In 2021, when asked about the sources of her work, Wheeler explained that ''the paints and the sculptures were my own, but the textiles were my family."

COMFORT 1. Contented enjoyment in physical or mental well-being, especially in freedom from want, anxiety, pain, or trouble:




Since his first collection in 1981, Andre Walker has become known for creating flat versions of garments cut freehand without a pattern. For spring/summer 2018, Walker reprised designs from 1982−86 using fabrics from Pendleton Woolen Mills. Constructed from the mill’s Glacier National Park blanket, this coat encases the body in its planar but malleable volumes. Its seeming two-dimensionality provides a canvas for the bold stripes and, like Korina Emmerich’s nearby design, recontextualizes the blanket’s historically problematic connotations.

SUSTENTATION 1. The careful maintenance and protection of something valuable, especially in its natural or original state:


Korina Emmerich draws on her patrilineal Indigenous heritage to inform the aesthetic and philosophy of her work. Respecting the life cycle of a garment, Emmerich utilizes upcycled, recycled, and natural materials while minimizing waste. This ensemble comprises regenerative and compostable wool and upcycled buttons. It references Hudson’s Bay Company’s iconic Point Blanket, highlighting the company’s fraught colonial history with Emmerich’s Coast Salish Territory Puyallup tribe and reclaiming that history for the designer, whose ancestors worked for the company in the early nineteenth century.

AWARENESS The quality or state of being aware (having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge):

The conceptual, nonbinary designs of fashion collective threeASFOUR have placed Gabriel Asfour, Angela Donhauser, and Adi Gil at the forefront of American fashion's avant-garde since their first collection in 1999. A collaboration with artist Stanley Casselman prompted the use of artworks as dress fabric in their autumn/winter 2019-20 collection, which included sculptural garments made of Casselman's discarded paintings. The body of this topiary-shaped dress is an assemblage of the designers' trademark circular forms.

ATTENTIVENESS The quality or state of being attentive: regarding with care or attention:

Yoshiyuki Minami's design philosophy, which prioritizes handcraft, ethically sourced materials, and limited production, is a critical response to the destructive effects of the fashion industry on the environment. Minami created this ''Entanglement'' dress from organic cotton jersey harvested, processed, and milled in the United States. He cuts the fabric into strings and hand-ties them in continuous half knots to achieve a cascading effect. The improvisational process developed by Minami originates from traditional crochet and macramé techniques.

PERMANENCE 1. The quality or state of being permanent; durability:


An early exponent of recycling and upcycling, Susan Cianciolo modified and reconstructed existing garments to create designs for her clothing line RUN (1995–2001). Working with a community of collaborators, she then presented the pieces in performances that blurred the boundaries between art and fashion. This sheath dress from her RUN 8 collection is stitched in irregular lines that reshape the silhouette. Recalling the improvisational aesthetic and emotional quality of the collection, a friend reminisced: "The stitches. I remember the stitches. They were everywhere. They were brutal and fragile at the same time."

GRATITUDE 1. The state of being grateful (appreciative of


benefits received):


Before launching their first collection in September 2019, Sophie Andes-Gascon and Claire McKinney were students of Susan Cianciolo at Pratt Institute in New York. Like Cianciolo, they are dedicated to handcraftsmanship. Their technique of interlocking strips of deadstock leather has become a design signature, inspiring the title of their 2019 collection, "Bonds." A hat and knee-high sandals complete this ensemble, covering the wearer from head to toe in soft chain mail.

RESPECT An act of giving particular attention:

Colm Dillane, founder of the art and design collective KidSuper, solicited portraits of the studio's friends and followers via Instagram for use as prints and patterns in his spring 2022 menswear collection. Dillane painted the portraits and printed them in shades of brown in a grid pattern on the jacket and trousers of this ensemble. The crowd-sourced content and Dillane's realistically rendered portraits reflect the studio's communal spirit.