acrylic A synthetic fibre that is produced from the petrochemical acrylonitrile. Yarns and fabrics made form acrylic fibres are soft, lightweight, relatively colorfast and quick and easy to launder, maintaining their dimensions, although they can fuzz and pill (form small balls).

ankle sock A sock that reaches to, or just above, the ankle.

bobby socks Typically white women’s socks, that reaches just above the ankle.

cotton A soft fibre obtained from the seed pod of the cotton plant. May be spun into yarn or thread before being made into various fabrics including denim, corduroy and lace. Typically comfortable, strong and breathable, as well as bring easy to wash and dye. Used to make a wide variety of garments such as T-shirts, socks and underwear.

court shoe A woman’s heeled shoe, made in various heights and featuring a low-cut, open front.

crew sock A sock reaching to the bottom of the calf.

denier A unit of measure that expresses the linear density of yarns, commonly used as a measure of the fineness of hosiery. The lower the denier number, the finer or sheerer the yarn.

dress sock Designed for formal wear for mens, thin, and usually made from materials like silk, cashmere and wool, with a subdued pattern and color which will coordinate with suits and dress shoes.

elastance A generic term for a group of strong, light-weight, synthetic fibres. Its stretch and recovery properties provide superior fit and shape retention, comfort and support.

flats Women’s shoes featuring very low heels, or no heels at all.

footie socks Designed to cover just the bottoms of the feet, toes, and heel, and generally do not cover the top of the feet at all.

hosiery A collective term used formerly for garments worn on the legs, such as socks, tights and stockings.

insole The section of a shoe on which the foot rests. It may be removable and is often cushioned for comfort.

jeggings A recent variant of leggings. They take certain attributes from jeans, such as colour and style and particularly a coloured seam down the side, thus a mixture of the two and hence the adoption of the name 'Jeggings'.

knee-high sock Women’s socks or stockings reaching to, or just below, the knee, typically elasticated at the top to keep them from falling down.

lambswool A fine, soft wool obtained from lambs commonly used for hosiery.

leggings A type of fitted clothing covering the legs, which can be worn by both men and women. Modern leggings are typically made from a blend of Lycra, spandex, nylon, cotton, or polyester blend, but they can also be made from wool, silk and other materials. Leggings are available in a multitude of colours and decorative designs. Leggings are worn to keep a person's legs warm, as protection from chafing during an activity such as exercise or as a decorative or fashion garment.

legwarmer A type of tubular, knitted, footless legging reaching from the ankle to the thigh or knee, although often worn unextended, bunched up around the ankle.

linen It is naturally beige, tan or grey in colour, although is it often bleached white. Linen fabrics may be of fine or coarse weave, and are strong and relatively shrink-resistant. However, they wrinkle easily unless specially treated or blended with more resilient fibres.

loafer A casual, slip-on shoe with a low, broad heel.

Lycra® See elastance.

modacrylic Quite similar to normal acrylic, but have a lower melting point and higher chemical-resistance and flame-resistance. Often used to make ‘fake fur’ fabrics, as the fibres can be formed at different lengths.

modal It is absorbent, soft, strong and silky to the touch. Can be easily dyed, drapes well, and is resistant to fading and shrinkage. Is often blended with other fibres.

nylon A synthetic material that in fibre form is widely used in clothing. It is strong, lightweight, elastic, non-absorbent, washable, quick drying, crease resistant and blendable with many other fibre types, as well as having high affinity to dye ang high resistance to heat and chemicals. Also called polyamide.

open-toe A term used to describe women’s footwear that has the front section cut out in order to leave the toes uncovered.

pantyhose A tight-fitting one-piece garment made of lightweight, sheer nylon, similar to stockings, with attached underpants, covering the feet, legs and crutch. In general, pantyhose is used to describe anything below 40 denier, while TIGHTS is used for anything heavier.

peep toe shoes Where the very front of the upper is cut away slightly in order to reveal more of the toes.

polyamide See nylon.

polyester A synthetic material that in fibre form is similar to nylon, although it is generally stronger and less shiny in appearance, hence being the preferred option for blending with wool or cotton. Polyester is popular due to its strength, low cost, wrinkle-resistance, shape retention and quick-drying properties. It is also lightweight, crisp to the touch, and resistant to moths, thermal and chemical damage.

pump shoe Lightweight shoe, typically slip-on and low-heeled in style.

rayon See viscose.

sheer To describe thin, lightweight fabrics and garments with a semi-transparent appearance, achieved through the use of fine yarns.

sleeping socks Will feel warmer than regular socks, so that you can wear them while sleeping. On the underside of the sock normally comes with non-slip grip to prevent slipping or failing off slippery floors.

slipper socks See sleeping socks.

spandex Term for a group of strong, lightweight, synthetic fibres, exhibiting very high elasticity. They are able to recover their original state after bring stretched up to eight times their length. They are first produced by DuPont, who subsequently trademarked the name Lycra® for it.

stockings Close-fitting coverings for the feet and legs, usually knitted from lightweight, see-through material. They are normally made from nylon, and often include elastane/spandex for extra stretch.

tabi An ankle-high sock traditional to Japan, featuring a separate section for the big toe to facilitate use with thonged sandals.

tights See pantyhose and stockings.

toe socks Socks that have been knitted so that each toe is individually encased the same way that fingers are individually encased in a glove.

tube socks Socks which are knitted in a single long tube, so that they have no clearly delineated heel and ankle region. As a result, tube socks are a one-size-fits-all design, with different lengths depending on how large their feet are and how far up the leg the socks can reach.

viscose A regenerated cellulose fibre made using a technique called the ‘viscose process’. Soft and absorbent with good drape, it is often mixed with other fibres.

wool Soft, strong, warm and absorbent with a good affinity to dye, wool has been widely used.