The Luxury Glossary

A plain-English glossary of the words the luxury industry uses, from atelier to VIC.

By Shreya S · Last reviewed 31 October 2026

Jump to: Making · Collections and shows · Business · Style

Making

Atelier: a fashion house’s workshop. Couture houses have a flou atelier for soft dresses and a tailleur atelier for tailoring.
Bespoke: made to a client’s exact measurements, especially in menswear tailoring.
Couturier: a designer who runs a haute couture house.
Haute couture: officially recognised made-to-measure fashion produced by hand in Paris. More
Made-to-measure: an existing design adjusted to a client’s size.
Métiers d’art: specialist crafts such as embroidery, feather work and pleating.
Petites mains: “little hands”, the seamstresses who sew couture.
Prêt-à-porter: ready-to-wear, made in standard sizes.
Toile: a test version of a garment made in plain cotton to perfect the fit.

Capsule collection: a small, focused collection, often limited or a collaboration.
Collection: the full set of designs a house presents for a season.
Debut: a new creative director’s first collection for a house.
Fall/Winter (FW) and Spring/Summer (SS): the two main ready-to-wear seasons, shown about six months ahead.
Fashion week: the shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
Look: one complete outfit on the runway, numbered in order.
Pre-fall: an in-between collection delivered before the main fall season.
Resort or cruise: a collection originally for holidays, often shown in a destination.
Runway (or catwalk): the show itself.

Ambassador: a celebrity paid to represent a house.
Client advisor: a luxury store’s sales associate, who builds long-term relationships with clients.
Conglomerate: a group that owns many brands, such as LVMH. More
Creative director: the person who sets a house’s vision. More
Diffusion line: a cheaper second line from a designer house. More
Flagship: a brand’s largest, most important store.
Licensing: letting another company make products under your name in exchange for royalties.
Maison: French for “house”. More
Merchandising: planning what products are made, in what quantities and where they are sold.
VIC: “very important client”, a top spender who gets first access and private events.
Wholesale: selling to department stores and boutiques rather than directly to customers.

Archive: important pieces from a designer’s past collections, now highly collectable.
Codes: a house’s signature elements, such as Chanel’s tweed.
It-bag: a must-have designer handbag. More
Logomania: a period when logos dominate fashion. More
Monogram: a pattern built from a brand’s initials, such as Louis Vuitton’s LV.
Quiet luxury: understated, logo-free expensive clothes. More
Vintage: pre-owned fashion, usually at least 20 years old. More