Fashion History Vocabulary

noun a particular fashion or mode of expression characteristic of a specific historical period

adjective relating to or characteristic of a particular historical period

• The architecture of the building is designed in a period style that reflects the historical time period it was built in.
• I love decorating my house in a period style that reminds me of the past.
• That vintage dress is so period style, I love it!
• His writing is very period style, reminiscent of classic literature.

noun a type of brass that resembles gold

adjective fake or counterfeit

• The jewelry was made of pinchbeck, a type of alloy that resembles gold.
• She bought a pinchbeck necklace from the flea market.
• I don't trust those pinchbeck vendors selling fake gold chains.
• His smile was as fake as a piece of pinchbeck jewelry.

noun a French working-class woman, especially a seamstress or milliner

adjective of or relating to a French working-class woman

• The grisette was a type of young working-class woman in 18th and 19th century France.
• I saw a group of grisettes chatting and laughing at the cafe.
• She's a real cool grisette, always up for a good time.
• The city streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of the modern-day grisettes, young women on the go.