MEN'S ALPHABET OF STYLE

Gidday stylish boys and gals! Question... how many among you can describe a piece of clothing specifically, but can't actually recall its generic name? Don't worry, I also suffer from this type of embarrassment. So, here's a basic guide in menswear & style, sure to help even the most fashion-handicapped individual.

Aviator sunglasses, or "pilot's glasses"  are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Bausch & Lomb and branded as Ray-Ban. They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with bayonet earpieces or flexible cable temples that hook behind the ears.

Bomber jacket is a leather or nylon jacket with two front pockets, sometimes with sheepskin lining, and a zippered front. The waist and cuffs may be made of elasticized material. The initial bomber jacket was a heavy weight leather jacket, specifically designed for pilots who conducted bombing raids. Cockpits were not airtight, and early pilots often flew at elevations where it could be uncomfortably cold. The first bomber jackets were called flight jackets, and were produced by both the British and American Air Force.

Chambray shirt is a sturdy form of cotton chambray which was commonly used for a workman's shirt, hence the term "blue collar" comes. The fabric is woven with a white weft and colored warp, usually light indigo blue, and the shirt is assembled with white top-stitching.

The Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century.

Epaulets are fastened to the shoulder by a shoulder straps or "passant", a small strap parallel to the shoulder seam, and the button near the collar, or by laces on the underside of the epaulets passing through holes in the shoulder of the coat. Colloquially, any shoulder straps with marks are also called epaulets.

The Fedora is a men's felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. The creasing does not define the hat, however. Fedoras can also be creased with teardrop crowns, diamond crowns, center dents, and others, and the positioning of pinches can vary if they are found at all. Early on, fedoras were sold open crown, meaning they were uncreased, with the owner creating his/her own crease manually.

Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani.

Henley shirt is a collarless men's formal wear pullover shirt. It essentially resembles a collarless polo shirt. The sleeves may be either short or long sleeve, and it can be made in almost any fabric, although cotton, cotton-polyester blends, and thermals are by far the most popular. Henley shirts are generally regarded as menswear, but recently women's versions have appeared as well.

Italy has a long fashion tradition, and is regarded as one of the most important in the world. Milan, Florence and Rome are Italy's main fashion capitals, however Naples, Turin, Venice, Bologna, Genoa and Vicenza are other major centers. Major Italian fashion labels, such as Gucci, Prada, Versace, Valentino, Armani, D & G, Missoni, Fendi, Moschino, Max Mara and Salvatore Ferragamo, to name a few, are regarded as amongst the finest fashion houses in the world.

In British English, the term Jumper describes a sweater. It is a versatile item of clothing and can be worn on top of almost any outfit. There is a great variety of design with wide array of necklines to choose from , such as the V-neck, turtleneck and the crew neck are the most popular.

Khaki is a type of fabric, it is a loanword incorporated from Hindustani and from Urdu and is originally derived from the Persian, which came to English from British India via the British Indian Army.  Today though, civilian khakis come in all ranges of colors and the term refers more to the design or cut of the pants or trousers. In this context, khakis have become popular as business/casual pants and includes other cuts and fabric types.

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather.

Madras is a lightweight cotton fabric with typically patterned texture and plaid design, used primarily for summer clothing pants, shorts, dresses and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former English name of the city of Chennai, India. In contemporary fashion, it is used for men's shirts, women's skirts and pants, golf apparel, children's wear and for accessories. Along with Sperry topsiders and Lily Pulitzer dresses, madras is a mainstay of preppy clothing.

The Nautical Striped Shirt (also known as Breton Shirt) is identifiable by its thin horizontal lines. Born officially as part of the French sailors uniform to easily identify them if they fell overboard. The original shirt featured 21 stripes, one for each of Napoleon's victories.  Everyone from Coco Chanel, James Dean, Andy Warhol, Joey Ramone and even Anna Wintour (yes, you have read it right!even Nuclear Wintour) sported the unisex nautical striped shirt.

The Oxford Shirt is a garment with a collar, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem, and sleeves with cuffs. The front opening is fastened using buttons or studs, and the cuffs close with buttons or cuff links. Shirts are normally made from woven cloth, and are often accompanied by a jacket and tie, for example with a suit or formal wear, but shirts are also worn more casually.

Pin stripes are a pattern of very thin stripes running in parallel found in cloth. The pin-striped suit has become associated with conservative business attire, although many designers now produce fashionable pin-stripe patterns for fashion-conscious consumers.

Quick-Dry Shorts or more commonly known as Board Shorts are a style of men's and, recently, women's swimwear. They were originally developed for aquatic sports, specifically for surfing, but in more recent years they have grown in popularity outside of these sports, and have become a popular form of general beach and swimwear. They are durable and hold up to wear from contact with a surfboard, yet are comfortable and light-weight. They are well-adapted to their use in various active watersports.

Rolex Watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and Business Week magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands. Rolex is also the largest single luxury watch brand, producing about 2,000 watches per day, with estimated revenues of around US$3 billion. It is the perfect embodiment of a "Power Watch".

Seersucker is a thin, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or checkered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear. The word came into English from Hindustani. It is woven in such a way that some threads bunch together, giving the fabric a wrinkled appearance in places. This feature causes the fabric to be mostly held away from the skin when worn, facilitating heat dissipation and air circulation. It also means that pressing is not necessary. Common items of clothing made from seersucker include suits, shorts, and shirts. The most common colors for it are white and blue; however, it is produced in a wide variety of colors, usually alternating colored stripes and puckered white stripes slightly wider than pin stripes.

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. The print’s infinite variations mean it can be produced for every style demographic. That’s why you can buy Tartan shirts everywhere from the thrift store to Urban Outfitters to Ralph Lauren to Viviene Westwood. In other words, plaid is the populist print for the masses.

UGGs are a unisex style of sheepskin boots, made of twin-faced sheep skin with fleece on the inside and with a tanned outer surface, often with a synthetic sole. It originated  from Australia or New Zealand, where they became popular in the 1970s, ugg boots emerged as a fashion trend in the United States in the late 1990s and as a world-wide trend in the late 2000s.

The Vest  is a garment covering the upper body. It derives from French veste "jacket, sport coat", Italian vesta, vestevestis. The sleeveless garment worn by men beneath a coat may have been first popularized by King Charles the II of England, since a diary entry by Pepys (October 8, 1666) records that "The King hath yesterday, in Council, declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes.... It will be a vest, I know not well how; but it is to teach the nobility thrift."

Windsor Knot also referred to as a Full Windsor or as a Double Windsor to distinguish it from the half-windsor, is a method of tying a necktie around one's neck and collar. The Windsor knot, compared to other methods, produces a wide symmetrical triangular knot. The knot is often thought to be named after the Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII before his abdication). It is, however, named after his grandfather. 

Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India, whose goal is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility.The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism and Buddhism. The three main focuses of Hatha yoga (exercise, breathing, and meditation) make it beneficial to those suffering from heart disease. Overall, studies of the effects of yoga on heart disease suggest that yoga may reduce high blood pressure, improve symptoms of heart failure, enhance cardiac rehabilitation, and lower cardiovascular risk factors.

Ermenegildo Zegna or Zegna is a leading Italian fashion house, specialing in men's clothing. Founded in 1910, it is now managed by the fourth generation of the Zegna family and remains in family ownership. The brand is also observed by men's clothing magazines of nearby countries such as China and Taiwan. As of 2005, there were 25 "E.Z by ZEGNA" stores across Japan.