Glossary · 57 terms

Menswear Glossary

The vocabulary that actually changes a buying decision, defined plainly. If a spec sheet uses it, it is explained here.

Tees & Henleys

GSM (Grams per Square Meter): The fabric-weight number that separates a heavyweight tee from a throwaway one.
Ring-Spun vs Open-End: How the cotton yarn was spun — softer and stronger, or cheaper and coarser.
Combed Cotton: Cotton with the short fibers combed out — smoother, stronger, less pilling.
Carded Cotton: The default, uncombed cotton — fine and honest at the right price.
Supima / Pima Cotton: Extra-long-staple cotton — softer, more durable, and trademarked when American.
Slub: Intentional irregular thickness in the yarn — texture, not a flaw.
Jersey vs Interlock: Two knit structures — one lighter with a wrong side, one thicker and reversible.
Tubular vs Side-Seam: Whether the tee has side seams — shape retention vs cheaper construction.
Mercerized Cotton: A caustic treatment that adds sheen, strength, and dye uptake.
Henley Placket: The buttoned neck opening that defines a henley — and where they cut corners.

OCBD (Oxford-Cloth Button-Down): The button-down collar shirt in oxford cloth — the backbone menswear shirt.
Oxford Cloth: A basket-weave cotton — durable, textured, and dressier the finer it gets.
Poplin (Broadcloth): A tight plain weave — smooth, crisp, and the dressiest everyday shirting.
Twill Weave (Shirting): A diagonal-rib weave — soft, drapey, wrinkle-resistant, less crisp.
Chambray: A plain-weave with a colored warp and white weft — denim’s lighter cousin.
Flannel Weight (GSM): Brushed, napped fabric whose warmth and quality track its weight.
Two-Ply (2-Ply) Yarn: Two yarns twisted together — stronger, smoother, more durable shirting.
Single-Needle Stitching: A slower seam construction that puckers less and lasts longer.
Collar Roll: The natural curve of a button-down collar — the soul of a good OCBD.
Yarn-Dyed vs Piece-Dyed: Dyeing the yarn before weaving vs dyeing finished cloth — color depth and cost.

Chino Cloth (Cotton Twill): The mid-weight cotton twill that defines chinos — weight tells the story.
Rise (Low / Mid / High): The distance from crotch seam to waistband — where the pants actually sit.
Flat Front vs Pleated: A clean front vs added fabric for room — style and function, not right vs wrong.
Leg Opening: The hem-width number that quietly decides how slim a trouser really is.
Inseam & Break: Trouser length and how the hem meets the shoe — the cheapest fix in menswear.

Ounce Weight (oz/yd²): The imperial cousin of GSM — fabric weight in ounces per square yard.
Selvedge Denim: Denim woven on old shuttle looms with a clean self-finished edge.
Raw vs Washed Denim: Unwashed, stiff, and fade-your-own vs pre-softened and pre-faded.
Sanforized vs Unsanforized (Shrink-to-Fit): Pre-shrunk for a stable size, or raw fabric you size down and shrink yourself.
Denim Weight (oz): Ounces per square yard — the number behind "lightweight" vs "heavyweight" jeans.
Warp & Weft: The indigo lengthwise yarns and white crosswise yarns behind denim’s look.
Fades, Whiskers & Honeycombs: The wear patterns raw denim develops — earned, not printed.
One-Wash: Raw denim washed exactly once to remove shrink — sized like it fits.

Waxed Canvas: Cotton canvas impregnated with wax — rugged, water-resistant, re-waxable.
Down Fill Power: The loft and efficiency of down — higher warms more for less weight.

Merino Micron: Wool-fiber diameter in microns — the number behind soft vs itchy.
Gauge (Knitwear): Stitches per inch — fine and refined vs chunky and warm.
Pilling: Those little fiber balls — why they form and which fabrics resist them.
Ply (Knitwear): How many strands are twisted into the yarn — durability and heft, not just warmth.
Fully-Fashioned Knit: Panels knitted to shape and linked, not cut from a knit sheet.
Lambswool vs Cashmere: Springy and durable vs ultra-soft and delicate — a real trade, not a ranking.

Goodyear Welt: A stitched construction that lets a shoe be resoled — the durability gold standard.
Blake Stitch: A sleeker single-stitch construction — resoleable, but only by the right cobbler.
Cemented Construction: The outsole is glued on — light and cheap, but usually not resoleable.
Full-Grain Leather: The top, unsanded layer of the hide — the strongest, longest-lived leather.
Top-Grain Leather: The outer layer sanded smooth — more uniform, slightly less durable than full-grain.
Corrected-Grain ("Genuine Leather"): Heavily sanded and coated hide — real leather, low on the quality ladder.
Suede vs Nubuck: Two napped leathers — one from the underside, one from a buffed top grain.
Resole (Recraft): Replacing a worn outsole — the step that makes "buy-once" boots real.
Last (Shoe Shape): The foot-shaped form a shoe is built on — the real driver of fit.

Modal / Micromodal: A beech-derived rayon — silky, breathable, and popular for premium basics.
Cushion & Terry-Loop Socks: Looped-pile padding in socks — comfort and durability, at some bulk.

Full-Grain vs Bonded-Leather Belt: A solid hide strap vs glued scraps — the belt-longevity dividing line.

Slim / Tailored / Relaxed Fit: Fit names are brand-relative marketing — read the measurements instead.
Drop (Jacket Sizing): The chest-to-waist difference in tailored clothing — how slim the cut runs.
Shrinkage & Care Symbols: How much a garment shrinks, and the laundry symbols that prevent it.

Cost Per Wear: Price divided by lifetime wears — the number this whole site is built on.