ESL Podcast 301 - Buying a Men's Suit

suit - professional clothing of a jacket and pants made from the same fabric

I always wear my best suit to important business meetings.

contemporary - modern; related to the present time; not old-fashioned; not dated

Shelly likes contemporary music, but her cousin prefers classical music by Bach and Mozart.

to try on - to put on a piece of clothing to see how well it fits and decide whether one likes it and wants to buy it

Yvonne tried on the sweater, but it was too big, so she's now looking for the same sweater in a smaller size.

button - a round piece of plastic, wood, metal, or glass, that is sewn onto a piece of fabric and goes through a hole in another part of the fabric, to keep the two pieces held together

Do you prefer jackets with buttons or zippers?

pinstripe - very thin light-colored lines that are printed vertically (up and down) on dark fabric, often used for making business suits

Should I wear this dark blue pinstripe suit or a plain black suit?

wool - fabric that is made from the hair of a sheep, goat, or similar animal

Wool sweaters will keep you warm in cold weather, even if they get wet.

flat front - without any design or detailed sewing on the front; plain in the front

Flat-front pants make you look thinner than do pants with lots of extra fabric.

double-breasted - a jacket that has two front parts, each with buttons, so that when the jacket is closed one part goes over the other part, and two columns (lines) of buttons are showing

Since I'm big and tall, I look better in double-breasted jackets because the buttons cover my chest and stomach.

lined - having a layer of fabric sewn to the inside of one's clothing to make it look more professional

If you buy white pants, make sure that they're lined so that people can't see through the fabric.

pleated - having folds that are permanently sewn into a piece of clothing

Pleated skirts used to be very popular, but now plain skirts are more common.

dressing room - a small room with a mirror in a store where one can put on clothing and see how it looks before deciding whether to buy it

Please take only four pieces of clothing into the dressing room at a time.

single-breasted - a jacket that has buttons on only one side of the front, so that when the jacket is closed one part goes over the other part, and only one column (line) of buttons is showing

Small women often wear single-breasted jackets with only one line of buttons.

side vent - a long, thin opening at the side and bottom of one's shirt or jacket that allows one to move more easily

Long jackets are easier to walk in if they have side vents.

to dry clean - to wash certain fabrics without using water done at a special cleaning business

If you wash your silk fabrics at home, you may destroy them. Why don't you take them to be dry cleaned instead?

fit - being the correct size and shape for one's body

This blouse isn't a very good fit, but the pants are great.

vest - clothing that is like a jacket, but without sleeves; a sleeve-less shirt that buttons or zips in the front and is worn over another shirt

Mr. Velazquez wore a gray suit with a white shirt and dark-blue vest.

suspenders - long, narrow pieces of cloth that attach to the front of one's pants, go up over one's shoulders, and attach to the back of one's pants, to hold one's pants up without using a belt

Suspenders used to be very common, but now most men prefer to wear belts.

garment bag - a piece of fabric or plastic that zips around clothing on a hanger, to protect it from getting dirty or folded

When Damian flew to his job interview, he carried his business clothes in a garment bag because he wanted to make sure they were in good condition when he arrived.