Don’t just say “nice shirt.”
Do you know how to describe clothes in English clearly and naturally?
👉 Is it stylish or casual?
👉 Tight or loose?
👉 Plain or patterned?
In this lesson, you’ll learn useful adjectives to describe clothes and outfits so you can sound more confident in conversations.
Watch the video below, then scroll down for examples and explanations you can use immediately.
List of adjectives for clothes
Adjectives to describe clothes in English
Welcome back.
Today we’re focusing on adjectives to describe clothes in English that you can use in everyday conversations.
Maybe you want to:
• Compliment someone’s outfit
• Go shopping and explain what you like
• Describe clothes at work
• Sound more natural when talking about fashion
Instead of using basic words like “nice” or “good,” you’ll learn more specific adjectives that make your English clearer and more interesting.
Let’s get started.
book your trial English Lesson
There are many, many ways to describe the clothes that we wear. So let’s look at a few of them
tight-fitting
Meaning: tight-fitting are clothes that don’t leave much room for breathing, they’re really tight. You can see every inch of the person’s body there.
Somebody who’s really fit likes to wear tight-fitting clothes that will show their figure or their shape.
Okay, so tight-fitting, not much room for breathing. When you squeeze into something that is tight-fitting.
baggy
Meaning: is the opposite of tight-fitting; they are very loose, lots of room in them.
We can say
- baggy trousers
- baggy shirts
On a hot summer’s day, you’d like to wear baggy clothes that will allow the air to circulate around your body.
book your trial English Lesson
casual
Meaning: relaxed and comfortable clothes that you wear every day; it could be something like a t-shirt, it could be a shirt without a tie
It could be a loose or stylish jacket or no jacket at all. Just a pair of casual trousers.
Most people would love to wear casual clothes to work.
That brings us on then to
formal
Meaning: clothes that are suitable for formal occasions or work; for example, a business dress or a suit
Often, when you get an invitation to somebody’s wedding, there is a sentence at the bottom of it:
Formal dress essential.
Meaning you have to wear a suit.
It might even be a black-tie event. One of those very specific suits with a little black tie and a white shirt and a black jacket and black trousers.
Adjectives to describe clothes in English
colourful
Meaning: a piece of clothing with bright colours or many colours
Your dress is so colourful, it will suit that day in the middle of July when the sun is shining.
plain
Meaning: is the opposite of colourful; it is very ordinary, dull, often there’s just one colour. (grey, mushroom or beige)
My wife doesn’t like me wearing plain clothes.
We have plain-clothes detectives in the police force. These are policemen that don’t wear a uniform so they blend in with the rest of the people. So they can walk around and spot people and do their investigation.
speak better English with Harry podcast - episode 332
tasteful
Meaning: it looks nice, clothes that really look good
The suit that you wore to the last team meeting was very tasteful.
We can have
unfashionable
clothes.
Meaning: clothes that are not really in at the moment
He likes to wear comfortable clothes but it’s so unfashionable.
Ah, come on, Dad! This shirt is so unfashionable, you have to keep up with the times.
Something that was fashionable 10 years ago may be unfashionable today but if you hold on to it long enough, it’s going to be fashionable again.
so fashionable or on fashionable. It depends on your mood.
Adjectives to describe clothes in English
smart
Meaning: stylish clothes that are neat and tidy; it doesn’t have to be formal
The shirt has been ironed recently. The trousers have been washed or cleaned. The shoes have been polished.
Young boys often wear smart clothes for their First Communion.
trendy
Meaning: is a modern word that means something is fashionable; something that you didn’t get from your grandfather or your grandmother
What’s the trendy colour?
This t-shirt is very trendy, I haven’t seen you wearing that before. It takes 20 years off your look.
Blue-tint sunglasses are really trendy. They have a nice frame and block 90% of UVA and UVB rays.
Adjectives to describe clothes in English
scruffy
Meaning: something dirty or untidy
We actually use the two words together – scruffy dirty.
These jeans look a little bit scruffy. Will I put them in the wash?
Look, your shoes are scruffy! What were you doing? Were you running through a field?
And then finally
sleeveless
Meaning: a piece of clothes without sleeves, it’s cut up at the top or very close to the top of your arms
I usually wear a sleeveless top to the gym.
When it’s cold outside, I wear a sleeveless jacket with a sweater on.
So here are the adjectives you can use to describe clothes in English:
- tight-fitting
- baggy
- casual
- formal
- colourful
- plain
- tasteful
- unfashionable
- smart
- scruffy
- trendy
- sleeveless
Okay, all different adjectives for describing clothes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed that. As I said before, if you want to contact me, then you can do so on www.englishlessonviaskype.com
Really happy to hear from you. Really happy to get your suggestions.
Thanks for listening. Join me again soon.
More information
For more information on English grammar rules, English collocations and English idioms, check out the links below:
Intermediate English TRAVEL vocabulary
You can always study English advanced level at Learning English with the BBC.
