Fashion
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8correct to beat the crowd
This fashion and clothing trivia quiz runs 128 free questions with answers across the whole wardrobe: the couturiers who built Paris fashion (Worth, Poiret, Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent), the fabrics and construction terms (denim, linen, rayon, tulle, darts, plackets, raglan sleeves), the garments that changed how people dress (the miniskirt, the bikini, the wrap dress, riveted jeans, the little black dress) and the houses, magazines and awards that run the industry today. Easy questions ask which fabric comes from flax and which house makes No. 5; the hard ones want who shared Levi Strauss's 1873 rivet patent and which year the Chambre Syndicale was founded. It suits a fashion-student revision session, a pub quiz round or anyone who reads the credits at the end of a runway show. Every answer has been checked against a reference encyclopaedia entry on the designer, house or garment, and each question shows its source once you answer.
30 of 128 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In what year was Vogue magazine first published?
1892
1892 saw Arthur Baldwin Turnure launch Vogue as a weekly journal celebrating what he called the 'ceremonial side of life' for New York society; it later became a monthly.
Q 02What does the French term 'Haute Couture' literally translate to in English?
High Sewing
The term 'Haute Couture' directly translates from French to 'high sewing' or 'high dressmaking,' referring to the creation of exclusive, custom-fitted high-end fashion design.
Q 03Whose 1974 wrap dress reworked the kimono into a symbol of 1970s liberation?
Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg launched her jersey wrap dress in 1974; the easy-to-wear, kimono-inspired design sold millions and became an emblem of 1970s women's independence.
Q 04Who was appointed the creative director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection in 2023?
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams was named Louis Vuitton's men's creative director on 14 February 2023, filling the post left vacant by Virgil Abloh's death in 2021.
Q 05Which of these cities is NOT one of the 'Big Four' fashion capitals?
Tokyo
The 'Big Four' fashion capitals, renowned for hosting the most prominent fashion weeks, are New York, London, Milan, and Paris. While Tokyo hosts an important fashion week, it is not part of this specific group.
Q 06What was the theme for the 2024 Met Gala?
Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
The 2024 theme was 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion'; the exhibition ran 10 May to 2 September 2024 with around 250 pieces from the Costume Institute's collection.
Q 07In what year did Hubert de Givenchy found his eponymous fashion house?
1952
Hubert de Givenchy founded his house in 1952, opening at the Plaine Monceau in Paris with a debut collection of versatile separates such as deep-sleeved white blouses.
Q 08Mary Quant said she named the miniskirt after what?
Her favourite make of car
Mary Quant said she named the miniskirt after her favourite make of car, the Mini; she credited King's Road customers who kept demanding 'shorter, shorter'.
Q 09Which MGM costume designer created Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding gown?
Helen Rose
Helen Rose, MGM's head costume designer, made the lace-and-silk gown Grace Kelly wore to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in April 1956; the studio gave it as a wedding gift.
Q 10Under the rules for houses allowed to use the term 'haute couture', how must the garments be produced?
Made-to-order for private clients
Members must also keep a Paris workshop with at least fifteen full-time staff and show a collection twice a year.
Q 11Which French fashion house debuted the iconic 'Bar Suit' in its 1947 'New Look' collection?
Christian Dior
Christian Dior showed the Bar Suit in his February 1947 debut collection, soon dubbed the 'New Look'; Pierre Cardin, then heading the house's tailoring atelier, cut the jacket.
Q 12Which iconic French designer is widely credited with popularizing the 'little black dress'?
Coco Chanel
American Vogue printed her short, simple black dress in 1926 and likened it to the Model T Ford for its universal appeal.
Q 13What term describes clothing specifically tailored and custom-made for an individual client?
Bespoke
Q 21Before founding his own house, the creator of the 1947 'New Look' was hired in 1938 by which couturier?
Robert Piguet
Christian Dior was hired by couturier Robert Piguet in 1938; after war service he worked under Lucien Lelong alongside Pierre Balmain before opening his own house in December 1946.
Q 22What fine, net-like fabric is used in bridal wear and to add volume to garments?
Tulle
Tulle is a lightweight, sheer, and net-like fabric often used for bridal veils, tutus, and to create voluminous silhouettes in evening wear.
Q 23Which British designer dragged punk fashion into the mainstream in the 1970s?
Vivienne Westwood
Bespoke clothing is cut from a pattern drafted from scratch for one client, unlike made-to-measure, which adjusts a standard block pattern to the customer's measurements.
Q 14What is the 1960s fashion movement of miniskirts, bold patterns and youthful style called?
Mod
The Mod fashion movement of the 1960s, often associated with designers like Mary Quant, embraced youthful, avant-garde styles featuring miniskirts, bright colors, and geometric prints.
Q 15Which British firm's founder invented gabardine in 1879 and pitched an officer's raincoat to the War Office in 1901?
Burberry
Thomas Burberry invented weatherproof gabardine in 1879 and submitted an officer's raincoat design to the War Office in 1901; rival Aquascutum also claims to have originated the trench coat.
Q 16What soft, breathable natural fiber is the world's most widely used for textiles?
Cotton
Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber globally, prized for its comfort, breathability, and versatility, making it a staple in everyday clothing and various textiles.
Q 17Which designer is credited with introducing 'Le Smoking,' the iconic tuxedo suit for women, in 1966?
Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent revolutionized women's fashion in 1966 with 'Le Smoking,' a controversial yet iconic tuxedo suit that blurred gender lines and became a symbol of female empowerment.
Q 18Which actress was the famous muse of designer Hubert de Givenchy, on and off screen?
Audrey Hepburn
Givenchy first designed for her on Sabrina in 1954, when he was a young couturier and she was still an unknown, and she later fronted his first perfume, L'Interdit.
Q 19In what year was the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne founded?
1868
The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne was founded in 1868, with couturier Charles Frederick Worth among its leaders, to regulate Paris dressmaking and later define who may use the term haute couture.
Q 20Which 1980s women's corporate fashion trend featured oversized silhouettes and broad shoulders?
Power Dressing
Power Dressing gave working women bold, structured silhouettes and prominent shoulder pads in the late 1970s and 1980s, as more of them entered corporate life.
Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren ran the King's Road boutique SEX in the mid-1970s, whose bondage trousers and ripped shirts were worn by the Sex Pistols.
Q 24Which Harper's Bazaar editor coined the phrase 'The New Look' for Dior's 1947 debut collection?
Carmel Snow
Harper's Bazaar editor Carmel Snow told Dior after the February 1947 show that his dresses had 'such a new look'; Dior himself had named the line Corolle, after a flower's ring of petals.
Q 25What term describes a minimalist collection of clothes chosen so that its few pieces combine into outfits for many occasions?
Capsule wardrobe
A capsule wardrobe gets the most from the fewest pieces: a minimalist set of clothes that can be put together in different ways to cover a variety of outfits and occasions.
Q 26Which luxury brand, founded in 1837, began with equestrian accessories before leather goods and fashion?
Hermès
Hermès, founded in Paris in 1837 by Thierry Hermès, began as a harness workshop before evolving into a renowned luxury brand known for its leather goods and other high-end products.
Q 27Which French designer introduced the modern bikini in July 1946, naming it after a Pacific atoll?
Louis Réard
Heim had launched a two-piece called the Atome two months earlier, but Réard advertised his as smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world.
Q 28Which First Lady made pillbox hats, clean-cut suits with knee-length skirts and above-the-elbow gloves her signature look?
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy's preferred look was clean-cut suits with knee-length skirts, three-quarter sleeves, above-the-elbow gloves, low-heeled pumps and pillbox hats.
Q 29What sturdy warp-faced twill textile is most associated with jeans and casual wear?
Denim
The most common type is indigo denim, in which only the warp threads are dyed, which is why the inside of a pair of jeans looks paler than the outside.
Q 30Which Italian designer dressed Richard Gere in American Gigolo (1980)?
Giorgio Armani
He started out as a window dresser at the Milan department store La Rinascente and went on to dress over 100 films.