Clothing Vocabulary in French

Quick Answer

Qu'est-ce que tu portes ?(What are you wearing?) In this article, you'll find all the essential French vocabulary words and phrases you'll need to talk about les vêtements(clothes), including casual clothes, menswear, women's clothes, shoes, and outerwear! We'll even talk about accessories, clothing materials, fashion, and style so you can describe your favorite outfits in French!

Questions This Article Answers

How do you talk about clothing in French?

What are essential French vocabulary words for casual clothes?

What are essential French vocabulary words for menswear?

What are essential French vocabulary words for women's clothes?

What are essential French vocabulary words for types of shoes?

What are essential French vocabulary words for outerwear?

What are essential French vocabulary words for accessories?

How do you talk about fashion and style in French?

What are some types of materials for clothing items in French?

What are some useful French phrases to talk about clothing?

sweater

How Do You Talk About Clothing in French?

In French, the word le vêtement(the garment or the item of clothing) is used in the plural to refer to clothing in general: les vêtements(the clothes).

Types of Clothing in French

Within the general term les vêtements, there are different categories for clothing. Here are some vocabulary words to describe these clothing categories.

Categories of Clothing in French

French	English
les accessoires	the accessories
les chaussures	the shoes
les sous-vêtements	the underwear
les vêtements décontractés	the casual clothes
les vêtements d'extérieur	the outerwear
les vêtements pour enfants	the children's clothing
les vêtements pour femme	the women's clothing
les vêtements pour homme	the menswear

examples
Vous trouverez des jupes dans la section des vêtements pour femme. You'll find skirts in the women's clothing section.
Parmi mes accessoires indispensables, j'ai plusieurs foulards en soie de différentes couleurs. Among my essential accessories, I have several silk scarves in different colors.

A popular colloquial word for clothes is les fringues(the clothes). You'll often hear this term used instead of les vêtements in spoken French!

jeans

Clothing Vocabulary in French

Here are some essential clothing items you'd find in each of the categories we've mentioned!

Casual Clothes for Men and Women in French

French	English
les chaussettes	the socks
le débardeur	the tank top
le gilet	the cardigan
le haut	the top
le jean	the jeans
le jogging	the sweats
le legging	the leggings
le maillot de bain	the swimsuit
le pantalon	the pants
le pantalon de jogging	the sweatpants
le polo	the polo
le pull	the sweater
le pyjama	the pajamas
le short	the shorts
le sweat	the sweatshirt
le t-shirt	the t-shirt

Le Chandail in Québec

In Québec, there are different vocabulary words for some clothing items. We'll point these out in this article as we come across them. One example that fits here is the word le chandail(the sweater). It's generally used in Québec for what the French would call un pull, but it can also refer to other types of tops, including sports jerseys. For example: Je porte le chandail de mon équipe au match de hockey ce soir.(I'm wearing my team's jersey to the hockey game tonight.).

examples
Freddy porte souvent un pantalon beige, un t-shirt et un pull. Freddy often wears beige pants, a t-shirt, and a sweater.
Quand je me détends chez moi, je mets un legging et un sweat. When I'm relaxing at home, I put on leggings and a sweatshirt.
Je suis prête à partir à la plage ! Je porte un maillot de bain sous mon short et mon haut. I'm ready to go to the beach! I'm wearing a swimsuit under my shorts and my top.

Pants Are Singular in French!

Attention !(Watch out!) You've probably noticed in the vocabulary list above that words for types of pants are singular in French but plural in English, like un jean(jeans), un pantalon(pants), and un short(shorts). This is also the case for un pyjama(pajamas)! While these types of garments are always plural in English, they're always singular in French, unless you're referring to more than one pair of pants or more than one set of pajamas, of course!

Menswear in French

French	English
la chemise	the shirt
le costume	the suit (for men)
la cravate	the tie
le gilet	the cardigan or the suit vest
le smoking	the tuxedo

examples
Gilles porte un costume au travail. Gilles wears a suit to work.
Tous les hommes présents au mariage portaient des smokings. All the men who attended the wedding were wearing tuxedos.

Women's Clothing in French

French	English
le chemisier	the blouse
le collant	the pantyhose
le gilet	the cardigan
la jupe	the skirt
la robe	the dress
le tailleur	the suit (for women)
le tailleur jupe	the skirt suit

examples
Priya porte une jolie jupe et un chemisier assorti. Priya is wearing a pretty skirt and matching blouse.
La directrice met toujours un tailleur jupe lorsque nous avons une réunion avec des clients. The director always puts on a skirt suit when we have a meeting with clients.

sundress

Underwear in French

French	English
la brassière	the sports bra
le caleçon	the boxer shorts
la culotte	the panties
le slip	the briefs
le soutien-gorge	the bra

Les Bobettes in Québec

In Québec, there's an alternative term for underwear: les bobettes(underwear). It's used in the plural and refers to bottoms, such as panties or briefs.

examples
Mon mari préfère les caleçons aux slips. My husband prefers boxer shorts to briefs.
Martine a besoin d'un nouveau soutien-gorge. Martine needs a new bra.

Types of Shoes in French

French	English
les ballerines	the flats
les baskets	the sneakers or the tennis shoes
les bottes	the boots
les mocassins	the loafers
les pantoufles	the slippers
les sandales	the sandals
les talons	the heels
les tongs	the flip-flops

examples
Tu aimes porter des baskets en été. Moi, je préfère les tongs. You like to wear sneakers in the summer. I prefer flip-flops.
Dès que je rentre chez moi, j'enlève mes talons et je mets mes pantoufles. As soon as I get home, I take off my heels and put on my slippers.

Les Souliers in Québec

In Québec, you may hear other terms to describe shoes, like the general term les souliers(the shoes). For athletic footwear, the Québécois use the term les espadrilles(the sneakers), and in the summer, you might hear people talk about les gougounes(the flip-flops).

Outerwear in French

French	English
l'anorak	the anorak
le blouson	the jacket
la doudoune	the winter jacket
l'imperméable	the raincoat
le manteau	the coat
la parka	the parka
la veste	the jacket

All About Jackets!

In French, une veste(a jacket) is a general term for a hip-length outer garment. People might specify the type of jacket by saying une veste de costume(a men's suit jacket), une veste de tailleur(a women's suit jacket), une veste en cuir(a leather jacket), une veste légère(a light jacket), or une veste de ski(a ski jacket).

Other jacket terms include le blouson (used to describe a shorter, waist-length jacket) and la doudoune (used for an insulated winter jacket).

examples
Mets ton imperméable. Il va pleuvoir aujourd'hui. Put on your raincoat. It's going to rain today.
Éric m'a offert cette veste en cuir pour mon anniversaire. Éric gave me this leather jacket for my birthday.

Accessories in French

French	English
le bonnet	the winter hat
la casquette	the baseball cap
la ceinture	the belt
le chapeau	the hat
le foulard	the scarf (fashionable)
l'écharpe	the scarf (for winter)
les gants	the gloves
les lunettes	the glasses
les lunettes de soleil	the sunglasses
les moufles	the mittens
le sac à main	the purse

examples
Quand je sors en hiver, je porte toujours une écharpe, des gants et un bonnet. When I go out in the winter, I always wear a scarf, gloves, and a hat.
La ceinture, les talons, et le sac à main de Fabienne sont parfaitement assortis ! Fabienne's belt, heels, and purse all match perfectly!

La Tuque and Les Mitaines in Québec

There are some special terms for winter accessories in Québec. There, you'd say you're wearing une tuque(a winter hat) and des mitaines(mittens) instead of un bonnet et des moufles.

How to Talk About Fashion and Style in French

Here are some important vocabulary words to talk about your wardrobe and describe your style in French!

Nouns to Describe Clothing in French

French	English
la garde-robe	the wardrobe
le look	the look
la mode	the fashion
le style	the style
la taille	the size
la tenue	the outfit
le tissu	the fabric

Adjectives to Describe Clothing in French

French	English
à la mode	in fashion
assorti	matching
chic	stylish
confortable	comfortable
décontracté	casual or relaxed
démodé	out of fashion
élégant	sophisticated
tendance	trendy

Expand your vocabulary for describing clothes and learn how adjectives work by checking out these articles!

Basic French Adjectives

Colors in French

Verbs to Use with Clothing in French

French	English
essayer	to try on
mettre	to put on
porter	to wear
s'habiller	to get dressed

Types of Materials for Clothing in French

French	English
le coton	the cotton
le cuir	the leather
la laine	the wool
le lin	the linen
la soie	the silk
le polyester	the polyester

examples
En hiver, je porte plusieurs couches de vêtements pour rester au chaud. In the winter, I wear several layers of clothes to stay warm.
Emma a essayé une robe, mais a finalement décidé de mettre une tenue plus confortable. Emma tried on a dress but ultimately decided to put on a more comfortable outfit.
Cette tenue est magnifique. J'adore ton style décontracté ! That outfit is fabulous. I love your relaxed style!
Tous les vêtements dans la garde-robe de Pauline sont démodés. All the clothes in Pauline's wardrobe are out of fashion.

Useful French Phrases to Talk About Clothing

French Phrases to Talk About Clothing

French	English
Cette chemise te va bien.	That shirt looks good on you.
Cette tenue est vraiment confortable.	This outfit is really comfortable.
Quel est le code vestimentaire ?	What's the dress code?
Qu'est-ce que tu vas porter ?	What are you going to wear?
Tu es très bien habillé.	You're very well dressed.