Whether you’re shopping in Paris, describing an outfit, or wanting to talk about French fashion, knowing how to talk about clothing in French is useful. This post covers the core vocabulary words you need: clothes, shoes, accessories, fabrics, and a few key phrases to use when you’re actually in the store.
Les vêtements: Clothing Vocabulary
The general word for clothing in French is les vêtements (plural). You’ll use this word often. Here are the essential pieces:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le manteau | coat, overcoat |
| l’imperméable (m.) | raincoat |
| la veste | jacket |
| le blouson | zip-up jacket, bomber jacket |
| le gilet | vest, cardigan |
| le pull | sweater, pullover |
| le sweat | sweatshirt |
| le tee-shirt | T-shirt |
| la chemise | shirt (button-down) |
| le chemisier | blouse |
| le pantalon | pants, trousers |
| le jean | jeans |
| le short | shorts |
| la jupe | skirt |
| la robe | dress |
| le tailleur | women’s suit |
| le costume | men’s suit |
| le veston | suit jacket |
| la cravate | tie |
| le pyjama | pajamas |
| la robe de chambre | bathrobe, dressing gown |
| le maillot de bain | bathing suit (France) |
| le jogging, le survêt | jogging suit, tracksuit |
| les sous-vêtements (m.) | underwear |
| le slip | underpants, briefs |
A few things worth noting here. First, la chemise refers to a shirt for men or women but typically means a button-down style. A more casual top is more likely to be called a un tee-shirt or pull. Second, several of these words are borrowed from English but used in a slightly different way: le slip means underwear, not a slip dress, and le jogging refers to the tracksuit, not the activity of jogging itself.
Les chaussures et les accessoires: Shoes and Accessories
Here’s the vocabulary for shoes and the accessories that complete an outfit:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| les chaussures (f.) | shoes |
| les baskets (f.) | sneakers |
| les tennis (f.) | sneakers (also used) |
| les bottes (f.) | boots |
| les sandales (f.) | sandals |
| les chaussures à talons (f.) | high-heeled shoes |
| les chaussettes (f.) | socks |
| la ceinture | belt |
| l’écharpe (f.) | scarf (warm, wrapped) |
| le foulard | scarf (light, decorative) |
| les gants (m.) | gloves |
| le chapeau | hat |
| le parapluie | umbrella |
| le mouchoir | handkerchief, tissue |
The distinction between l’écharpe and le foulard is worth keeping in mind, because they both translate to “scarf” in English.
- An écharpe is a heavier scarf you’d wrap around your neck in winter.
- A foulard is a lighter scarf, often silk, worn more as an accessory.
Les tissus: Fabric Vocabulary
When shopping for clothes in French, you’ll often want to describe or ask about the material. The word for fabric is le tissu. Fabric descriptions use the preposition en.
“A cotton shirt” → une chemise en coton; “a leather jacket” → une veste en cuir.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le tissu | fabric |
| en coton | cotton |
| en laine | wool |
| en soie | silk |
| en cuir | leather |
| en daim | suede |
| en lin | linen |
| en cachemire | cashmere |
| en jean | denim |
| en velours | velvet, corduroy |
| en flanelle | flannel |
| en tricot | knit |
In practice, you’ll hear sentences like:
Cette veste est en lin. (“This jacket is linen.”)
Je voudrais un foulard en soie. (“I’d like a silk scarf.”)
Mettre and Porter: Two Verbs You Need
Where English uses one word, “wear,” French uses two different verbs depending on where in the process the wearing is happening.
- Mettre means something closer to “to put on.” You use it when you’re talking about the act of getting dressed or putting a piece of clothing on.
- Porter is a closer match for the general English concept “to wear.” You use it when you’re describing what someone is already wearing.
Here’s the difference in practice:
Je mets mon manteau. (“I’m putting on my coat.”) The act of putting it on
Elle porte une robe noire. (“She’s wearing a black dress.”) She is already wearing it
Mettre is an irregular -re verb, so its conjugation is worth memorizing:
| Mettre (Present Tense) | |
| je mets | nous mettons |
| tu mets | vous mettez |
| il/elle/on met | ils/elles mettent |
Porter is a regular -er verb, so it follows the standard present tense pattern. You can review the French present tense if you need a refresher on how regular -er verbs are conjugated.
Talking About Size
French uses two different words for size depending on what you’re sizing. La taille is used for clothing, and la pointure is used specifically for shoes. This is a common source of confusion.
Here are some key phrases for shopping:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je fais du 38. | I’m a size 38. |
| Quelle est votre taille? | What’s your size? (clothing) |
| Quelle est votre pointure? | What’s your shoe size? |
| Est-ce que vous l’avez en plus petit? | Do you have it in a smaller size? |
| Est-ce que vous l’avez en plus grand? | Do you have it in a larger size? |
| Je voudrais l’essayer. | I’d like to try it on. |
| Ça me va bien. | It fits me well. |
| Ça me va mal. | It doesn’t fit well. |
| C’est trop grand. | It’s too big. |
| C’est trop petit. | It’s too small. |
| Cette jupe est trop courte. | This skirt is too short. |
Note that French clothing sizes have their own system. A French women’s size 36 is roughly a US 4, and a 42 is roughly a US 12. We have an overview of French numbers to make sure you can say your sizes accurately.
Also, a few of these phrases use direct object pronouns, so if a phrase like Je voudrais l’essayer is confusing to you, check out our post on pronouns.
Describing Patterns
Once you know the basic clothing words and French color vocabulary, you can describe almost any piece of clothing. It also helps to know a few pattern words:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à rayures | striped |
| à carreaux | checkered, plaid |
| à pois | polka-dotted |
| uni(e) | solid (one color) |
| imprimé(e) | printed, patterned |
Color and pattern adjectives follow the noun in French:
une chemise à rayures (“a striped shirt”); une jupe à pois (“a polka-dot skirt”); un pantalon noir (“black pants”).
For a full review of how adjectives work in French, including agreement rules, see our post on French adjectives.
What to Do Next
Clothing vocabulary pairs naturally with colors and adjectives, so if you haven’t reviewed those yet, the posts on French colors and French adjectives are the logical next step. If you want to put your new vocabulary to use in real conversations, a platform like italki lets you practice with native speakers through one-on-one lessons. Being able to describe what you’re wearing, ask about sizes, or talk about what to pack for a trip are the kinds of practical conversations where vocabulary like this actually gets tested and remembered.
