RL Style Guide - Glossary - Style.RalphLauren.com

		Paisley A swirled pattern characterized by a teardrop shape. Popularized in Paisley, Scotland, during the 1800s, this design was originally an adaptation of a spade pattern found on Indian shawls. Today, paisley decorates everything from sheetings to fine dresses and always makes a statement of rich elegance.

		Pajama A set of top and pants, designed for sleeping. From the Persian words pai for “leg” and jaman for “garment,” pajamas were originally introduced in the 1800s for Indian men to wear as an alternative to the nightgown. Today, pajamas—or pj’s—are classic sleepwear for both men and women.

		Panne velvet A velvet fabric, usually made of silk and rayon, in which the pile has been pressed down in one direction, increasing its luster. Its fluid drape makes it an ideal fabric for women’s dresses and blouses.

		Pant A garment that closes at the waist and wraps loosely about each leg. Named after the Italian comic character Pantalone, who sported a garment resembling our modern-day pant, the pant was worn by children and laborers well before the style began to dominate everyday dressing. The pant’s evolution in men's fashion began in the late 1700s with the sans-culottes, French revolutionaries who shunned the tight breeches and stockings worn by the ancien régime and opted for torn, often slovenly, baggy pants to symbolize their political struggle. French emperor Napoleon later adapted the look for his infantry. However, it was English dandy Beau Brummel who is often credited with introducing the pant to society, and in 1815 the Prince of Wales finally sanctioned it, allowing the garment to be worn in court. At this time, pants were typically considered what one wore in the evening, while trousers were worn during the day. Suffragette Amelia Jenks Bloomer is often credited with introducing pants to women's fashion. She shocked Britons and Americans alike in the 1850s by wearing a Turkish dress and full pant to deliver her lectures. When bicycling became a craze in the 1890s, women began wearing the pants, which they called bloomers in honor of Amelia’s style. Women continued to move into the athletic sphere, and eventually the pant became a regular classic in their wardrobe, setting the stage for their use in everyday wear that began in the 1940s and continues today.

		Parka A winter jacket with a fur- or faux fur–lined hood. Originally worn by the Eskimos, this warm outerwear was adopted for utilitarian purposes before becoming a classic outerwear option for cold-weather protection.

		Pashmina A feather-light, extremely soft and warm fiber said to rival cashmere that is made out of wool combed from the undercoat of Himalayan mountain goats. From the Indian word for “cashmere,” pashmina has been a status symbol in the East for many centuries, and pashmina shawls and blankets were an essential component of a wealthy woman’s dowry. Recently, pashmina became popular in the United States, and the pashmina shawl became an essential item, despite its cost, in every woman’s wardrobe.

		Patch pocket A flat, outside pocket stitched onto a garment.

		Pea coat A hip-length, double-breasted, navy blue, heavy wool melton jacket with notched lapels and buttons featuring an anchor motif. The pea coat was named after the warm woolen fabric called "pij" that the Dutch used to make these sailor's jackets. The nautical style became popular in the 1920s when fashion designers began interpreting the looks for sportswear. Today, the utilitarian style offers a great choice for cold-weather dressing.

		Peaked lapel A lapel in which a V-shaped seam is formed where the collar meets it.

		Peasant blouse A women's blouse, usually in white cotton, with puffed sleeves that gather at the wrist, a squared neckline, embroidered trim and a loose fit. Adopted from national costumes of European countries like Romania and Poland, peasant blouses became popular for women in the 1960s and continue to evoke a handmade, casual, carefree character.

		Peasant skirt A skirt, often full and long, that features bands of embroidery. Adopted from the national costumes of European countries like Romania and Poland, peasant skirts became popular for women in the 1960s and continue to evoke a handmade, casual, carefree character.

		Peau de soie A soft, heavy fabric, often silk, with a fine diagonal rib. From the French for "skin of silk," peau de soie is used for evening wear, bridal wear and ties.

		Pedal pushers A women's pant with a straight leg that is cuffed and falls below the knee. So called because women wore these pants in the 1950s for bicycling, pedal pushers continue to reflect a sporty, casual, summertime appeal.

		Pencil skirt A women's skirt that is cut in a straight line from the hips to the hem. So called because the silhouette is as straight as a pencil, this classic skirt was created in response to 1940s fabric shortages that forced designers to slim down women's garments. The pencil skirt continues to be a popular silhouette, especially for daytime office dressing.

		Peplum A short section joined to the waistline of a women's blouse, jacket or dress. Named after the Greek peplos, an ancient women's garment, peplums first became popular in the 1800s when women's clothing began to mimic men's tailoring, and the peplum took the place of jacket tails. The peplum is still an elegant addition to tailored day or evening wear.

		Percale A plain-weave, lightweight fabric with a high yarn count that is most often used for sheets.

		Peter Pan collar A rounded collar that lays flat on a shirt. Originally worn in costumes for stage adaptions of James M. Barrie’s 1904 book, Peter Pan, the style has become popular in children’s and women’s shirts and dresses, offering an innocent charm.

		Picot The small decorative loops that form an edging on ribbon and lace.

		Pile A fabric construction in which loops are added to the base. These loops can remain intact, or their tops can be cut. Terry cloth is an example of a pile fabric in which the loops remain intact, and velvet and corduroy are examples of pile fabrics in which the loops are cut.

		Pill A small tangle or ball of fiber that appears on a fabric surface as a result of rubbing or wear. The presence of pills on a garment is usually considered a flaw, although even naturally, shorter-length fibers such as cotton and cashmere have a tendency to pill. Department stores offer sweater razors designed to clean the pills off of fabrics, but they must be used carefully as they can sometimes pull or snag the weave, creating a hole.

		Pima cotton A high-quality, very strong, long-staple cotton typically used for fine shirtings.

		Pinking A zigzagged border produced from saw-toothed scissors.

		Pinstripe Crisp, thin, usually gray or white, evenly spaced lines woven into wools that give suitings a classic office elegance. See also chalk stripe.

		Pintuck A very narrow fabric fold stitched on the right side. Usually appearing in a series, this embellishing technique often decorates girls’ and women’s blouses and dresses and is a defining feature in the men’s guayabera shirt.

		Pinwale See corduroy and wale.

		Piping A narrow bias-cut fold of fabric stitched into a seam to provide decorative embellishment. See also cording.

		Pique A durable woven or knit fabric that is characterized by an allover textured pattern, the most popular of which are the cord, diamond and honeycomb.

		Placket A strip of fabric running along a closure, usually to facilitate the taking on and off of a garment.

		Plaid A fabric in which bands of color running horizontally and vertically intersect to form squares. Plaids date back to the 1500s and now come in many patterns from argyle and gingham to madras and windowpane, always evoking classic style.

		Plain seam The simplest of seams, in which two edges of a fabric are sewn together on the wrong side and then pressed open. Plain seams should be used on fabrics that don’t have a tendency to unravel.

		Plain weave The simplest of fabric weaves in which length and crosswise yarns interlace over and under, alternately.

		Pleat A fold of fabric made by doubling material over on itself. An ages-old tailoring technique, several types exist, most of which provide more volume to a garment for either decorative or utilitarian purposes.

		Pleather A fabric designed to mimic leather. With modern innovations in fabric technology, pleathers now offer tasteful alternatives to leather dressing and affordable and animal-friendly means of achieving the texture of expensive skins.

		Plissé A lightweight, plain-weave fabric, often silk or cotton, that has a characteristic puckered striped effect created through the application of chemicals. Its end uses include pajamas and childrenswear. See also seersucker.

		Ply A term used to refer to the number of fibers twisted together to form a yarn, the lowest ply thus being a two-ply yarn. Higher-ply yarn is often considered to be superior, as it is stronger, resulting in a stronger fabric and more durable garment.

		Pocket A piece of fabric affixed to a garment for embellishment or to carry items. Pockets date back to the fifteenth century and were originally purses that were affixed to belts or stored within skirts or breeches and accessed through holes. Pockets began to become part of the cut of garments during the sixteenth century, and over the years the design and functionality of the feature has evolved into the many options available today.

		Pointelle A knit fabric with a subtle allover openwork, usually geometric, design. Typically translated in a lightweight cotton knit, pointelle offers delicate texture to T-shirts, pajamas and childrenswear.

		Polo shirt A knit pullover with a turned-over knit collar and placket at the neck. Originally worn by polo players because the collar stayed down during play, polo shirts became popular leisurewear in the 1930s, being worn by both men and women in fashionable summer resorts. Today, the polo is an icon of classic dressing that is continually evolving to fit the contemporary wardrobe.

		Polyester A man-made fiber resistant to shrinkage, wrinkling and moths. Men’s suitmakers were among the first to exploit polyester’s qualities, blending the fiber with wool and cotton in an effort to provide their customers with low-maintenance dressing options.

		Poncho A garment that is basically a square or rectangular blanket with a center hole for sliding over the head. From the Chilean word pontho, or “wool cloth,” ponchos have their origins in South America, where workers wear the brightly patterned covering in chilly mountainous regions. American youth adopted ponchos for an ethnic hippie look in the 1960s, and the style has maintained a certain popularity ever since.

		Pongee A lightweight silk with a texture achieved from using wild threads that are slightly nubbed. From the Chinese word penchi, meaning “woven at home,” pongee was originally handwoven in China before it was mass-produced for ties and blouses.

		Poplin A tightly woven, durable, plain-weave fabric with a slight ridge effect. Widely used in sportswear, poplin has become a staple fabric in the everyday wardrobe.

		Pouch pocket A large pocket placed at the center-front of a garment over the stomach area. So called because it mimics the pouch in which kangaroos carry their newborns, pouch pockets represent the ultimate in utilitarian style. Also called a kangaroo pocket.

		Prairie skirt A skirt that is flared at the waistline and has one or two rows of ruffles at the hem. Originally worn by American women settlers traveling west, the style has been adapted for modern use to reflect country appeal.

		Preppy In fashion, a term used to describe clothing and accessories inspired by private-school style. Preppy’s origins can be found in the 1890s when private academies, also referred to as preparatory schools, began to appear in greater numbers than ever before, creating competition among them to attract the most prestigious students to ensure their reputations as exclusive educational domains. Part of this perpetuation of status involved aspirational dressing, which incorporated regal elements such as emblems, colored ribbon belts and ties and monograms into school uniforms. This stately look took a turn in the 1920s, however, when students returning from the war began wearing their khaki-colored chino uniforms to school, establishing the groundwork for a casual mix that would forever give prep its own twist. Prep evolved over the decades, reaching its highest popularity in the 1980s when mass culture adopted the classic elements for everyday dressing, often adding bright colors to the mix. Prep has recently experienced yet another revival, this time showing the same basics in slimmer cuts and newer colors. Its enduring popularity over the decades ensures that preppy looks will continue to evolve, forever populating our wardrobes with Ivy League style.

		Princess seams Seams used in a girls’ or women’s blouse or dress that follow the line from the mid-shoulder, through the apex of the breast, to either side of the belly button to provide a silhouette that follows the female form.

		Print A fabric with a design applied to it. Prints date back thousands of years, and most countries have prints that are native to their land. Although many prints—such as batik—are most beautiful when done by hand, technology has enabled the development of new printed effects, ensuring that prints will continue to evolve for years to come.

		Pull-on A term used to describe a pant, short or skirt that can be easily slipped on, usually with an elasticized waistline.

		Pullover A knit top that can be pulled on over the head.