French Clothing Vocabulary

Clothing Vocabulary in French

Learning the different articles of clothing in French is fundamental to surviving in daily life. Fortunately and unsurprisingly there aren’t really any clothing articles in French that you probably aren’t already familiar with. This should make it easy to memorize all of the clothing-related vocabulary that exists out there seeing as you should already be able to associate it with something that you can recognize.

To start off, let’s look at some articles of clothing that both men and women often wear.

Unisex Clothing Terms in FrenchUnisex Clothing Terms in English
L'anorak (m)Ski jacket / Winter jacket
Le blousonJacket
Le braceletBracelet
La casquetteCap
La ceintureBelt
Le chapeauHat
Le collierNecklace
Le gantGlove
Le giletVest, Cardigan
L'imperméable (m)Raincoat
Le jeanJeans
Le maillotJersey
Le maillot de bainSwimsuit
La mancheSleeve
Le manteauCoat
Le masqueMask
Le pantalonPants (US) / Trousers (UK)
Le peignoir (de bain)Bathrobe
Le pullSweater / Pullover / Jumper
Le pyjamaPajamas / Pyjamas
La salopetteOveralls
Le shortShorts
Le slipUnderpants, briefs
Le sweat-shirt / sweatshirtSweatshirt
Le tablierApron
Le tee-shirtT-shirt
L'écharpe (f) / Le foulardScarf
L'uniforme (m)Uniform

Sticking with the theme of unisex clothing let’s look at some French footwear vocabulary.

Footwear Vocabulary in FrenchFootwear Vocabulary in English
Les baskets (f) / Les tennis (m)Sneakers / Trainers
Les bottesBoots
Les bottinesBootees
Les chaussettes (f)Socks
Les chaussures (f)Shoes
Les chaussures à talons hauts (f)High-heeled shoes
Les espadrilles (f)Espadrilles
Les sandales (f)Sandals
Les pantoufles (f)Slippers

Let’s now go over articles of clothing that are typically associated with men.

Men's Clothing in FrenchMen's Clothing in English
Le boxer (short)Boxer briefs
Le caleçonBoxer shorts
La chemiseShirt / Button-Up Shirt
Le costumeSuit
La cravateTie
Le giletVest / Suit vest / Waistcoast
Le maillot de corpsUndershirt
Le nœud papillonBowtie
Le poloPolo shirt
Le smokingTuxedo
Le veston de sportSport jacet

Let’s not finish off with some clothing that we most often associate with women.

Women's Clothing in FrenchWomen's Clothing in English
Le bikiniBikini
La chemise de nuitNightshirt / Nightgown
Le chemisierBlouse
Le collantTights / Pantyhose
La combinaisonSlip
Le débardeurTank top
La jupeSkirt
La minijupeMiniskirt
La robeDress / Gown
Le slipPanties
Le tailleurSuit (for women)
Les bas (m)Stockings
Le soutif / Le soutien-gorgeBra

Hopefully now you have a good idea of the most common French clothing vocabulary used among natives. To learn other French vocabulary head on over to the French vocabulary page.