‘Spants,’ ‘Swackets,’ and ‘Glittens’ Join the Fashion Lexicon
When it comes to the language of fashion, head-scratchers are a daily occurrence. Mankini? Jeggings? When words like these have made it into the Oxford English Dictionary (really!), one can only imagine the plethora of made-up expressions and terms that are waiting for their chance at the big time.
According to the Telegraph, UK department store Debenhams has so many bizzare words in its stylists’ rotation that they’ve had to come up with a revised dictionary for employees. Among the new terms? Spants, which apparently refers to harem pants; swackets, a mash-up of sweater and jacket; shinos, or short chinos; and glittens, which refers to mittens that button back to reveal gloves.
“We believe that these words are only properly understood by approximately five per cent of the population—yet they are commonly used throughout the fashion industry,” said Debenhams’ Ed Watson. “It's virtually a secret language, designed solely for fashion experts and people who read fashion magazines on a daily basis.”
The Department store is far from campaigning that these words join the esteemed mankini in the dictionary, however.
"We are committed to keeping their use to a minimum,” Watson said. “Hopefully [our] dictionary will go some way to cleaning up the confusion. It is now easier to understand complex calculus than some of the words commonly used by commentators within the fashion industry to describe garments."
In related news, check out some of the Oxford English Dictionary’s latest contenders for legitimate words—including manties.
