Describing Fit, Colour, Fabric, and Style
6.4.1. The Main Idea
When describing clothing, you can talk about four useful details:
la coupe | fit / cut |
la couleur | colour |
le tissu | fabric |
le style | style |
These words help you describe not only what someone is wearing, but also what it looks like.
6.4.2. Asking How Something Looks
Ça me va bien ? | Does this look good on me? |
Ça me va mal ? | Does this look bad on me? |
Ça te va très bien ! | That looks very good on you! |
Ça te va mal. | That looks bad on you. |
Ça vous va très bien ! | That looks very good on you! formal |
Ça vous va mal. | That looks bad on you. formal |
6.4.3. Fit / Cut
ample | loose-fitting / relaxed |
décontracté | relaxed / casual, masculine |
décontractée | relaxed / casual, feminine |
serré | tight / slim-fitting, masculine |
serrée | tight / slim-fitting, feminine |
étroit | narrow / tight, masculine |
étroite | narrow / tight, feminine |
6.4.4. Colour and Pattern
à rayures | striped |
clair | light, masculine |
claire | light, feminine |
foncé | dark, masculine |
foncée | dark, feminine |
multicolore | multicoloured |
à carreaux | plaid / checkered |
à pois | polka-dot |
6.4.5. Fabric
en coton | made of cotton |
en cuir | made of leather |
en laine | made of wool |
en soie | made of silk |
Use en + material to say what something is made of.
6.4.6. Style Details
à col rond | with a crew neck |
à col roulé | with a turtleneck |
en V | V-neck |
à manches courtes | short-sleeved |
à manches longues | long-sleeved |
à talons hauts | high-heeled |
6.4.7. Examples
Ce t-shirt est ample. | This T-shirt is loose-fitting. |
Cette chemise est serrée. | This shirt is tight. |
Ce pantalon est à rayures. | These pants are striped. |
Cette robe est multicolore. | This dress is multicoloured. |
Ce manteau est en laine. | This coat is made of wool. |
Cette veste est en cuir. | This jacket is made of leather. |
Ce pull est à col roulé. | This sweater is a turtleneck. |
Cette chemise est à manches longues. | This shirt is long-sleeved. |
Ces chaussures sont à talons hauts. | These shoes are high-heeled. |
6.4.8. Short Dialogue
A : Ça me va bien ? | A: Does this look good on me? |
B : Oui, ça te va très bien ! La chemise est décontractée. | B: Yes, that looks very good on you! The shirt is relaxed. |
A : Et le pantalon ? | A: And the pants? |
B : Il est un peu serré, mais la couleur est belle. | B: They are a little tight, but the colour is beautiful. |
6.4.9. Checkpoint
By the end of this section, you should be able to describe clothing by fit, colour, pattern, fabric, and style, and use expressions such as Ça me va bien ?, Ça te va très bien !, en coton, à rayures, à carreaux, and à manches longues.
6.4.10. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
Does this look good on me?
This shirt is loose-fitting.
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Possible answer:
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