Clothing names

Re hanging clothes after the wash, my mum's rule was: tops by their bottoms and bottoms by their tops.

Grandmajet I remember it as fitted into the waist, on a wide-ish elastic, with a zip, and sleeves that fastened with a wristband and a button.

Meryl Streep you are right! I think I was mixing it up with the clothes the Famous Five used to wear while drinking lashings of ginger pop. At least I got the Channel Isles connection.

Frocks all the way, in my area.
"slacks"? Good grief!!

BTW Windjammer that's something I have never come across before.

I once told a teenage niece that I liked her very smart trouser suit. She looked a bit bemused then told me "I don't wear trousers. These are from my new pant suit - the jacket is hanging on the chair. Only Grandad wears trousers."

When I was eleven I had a windcheater, think that is how you spell it, which is probably the same as windjammer, waterproof, elasticated at the waist and zipped up the front, nowadays an anorak.
Jerkin to me is sleeveless, like a body-warmer or gilet. Vests morphed into tank tops.
My father annoyed me when he referred to frocks, as in, why do you need another one or isn't that frock too short?
Anybody not Scottish wear trews?
Never sure what pedal-pushers were.

Pedal pushers were shortish trousers that narrowed towards the bottom, maybe they are so called because they are handy for cycling. No need for cycle clips.

I don’t understand why the fashion experts on tv refer to an item of clothing as a “piece”

Plurals ( pre Norman Conquest) was ‘en’ not ‘es’ so shoes were shoen (a pair) and trousers are so called because they used to come in two pieces, which is why it’s a plural.Sleeves were always loosely attached and taken off, rather than being part of the whole garment.
How about...galoshes, mackintoshes, duffle coats ( with toggles) Guernseys, Jerseys,liberty bodices, anyone have any of these tucked away?

My brother before the lockdown called round for a visit.
I always feel pleased to see him. He is only 70 a bit older than me. He held out a bag to me saying I have bought you two pairs of slacks and two nice blouses. I thanked him and said lovely but did not tell him I spend most of my time wearing leggings and tops.

Trousers does sound a bit like a baggy wrinkly garment, to me, but still a preferable word to pants - if you don't mean underwear.

Trisha57 I say frock referring to myself because for me to wear anything other than jeans, leggings or shorts is a momentous occasion! I buy vest tops; sleeveless t shirts, and in the winter wear a jumper, occasionally a cardi.

lemongrove

Plurals ( pre Norman Conquest) was ‘en’ not ‘es’ so shoes were shoen (a pair) and trousers are so called because they used to come in two pieces, which is why it’s a plural.Sleeves were always loosely attached and taken off, rather than being part of the whole garment.
How about...galoshes, mackintoshes, duffle coats ( with toggles) Guernseys, Jerseys,liberty bodices, anyone have any of these tucked away?

? uh oh ....are plimsolls in the offing ?

I like trouser used as a verb. “ he trousered the fiver quick as a flash”.

What about pullovers?

Does anyone remember those stretchy slacks we wore when I was about 10 years old, they were a sort of man made material with a strap that went under your foot, mine was a stripy pattern. Elasticated waist I think.

Trews!
I’ve just remembered my mother used to buy me hideous trousers with a piece of elastic at the bottom that looped around your foot.
She referred to them as trews. ????

I remember them well. I can still remember how uncomfortable they were after a growth spurt and while they remained looped under your feet the top end started to drag down.

i never heard of a piece of clothing described as a top when i was growing up.
to me a top is a child's spinning toy.
so that slightly annoys me, but it's no biggie

How about...galoshes, mackintoshes, duffle coats ( with toggles) Guernseys

I'm wearing a Guernsey (Gansey) right now. I've had it for 23 years.

I was brought up in Wales and we always said „ Bathers“ for swimming costume .And slacks were those with an elastic waist and elastic under my foot and when I started growing fast as a teenager they were too short in the waist !

I had riding breeks

The trews that you mention, I knew them as ski-pants, goodness knows why, I had been nowhere near a ski slope at that time, I wore them with my first anorak. ‘Trousered’ reminds me of the late Terry Wogan.

I think an honourable mention might be given to drindl skirts, sack dresses and pumps!

I called them ski-pants too, haven’t a clue why. I remember when plimsolls started to be called trainers. I was quite puzzled by that for a while - how do they train you?

When I was a child our plimsolls were called runners.

Weren't they called ski pants because the elastic under the feet was to keep them in place, as you skied?

I wondered if I just hadn't been noticing everyone talking about 'tops' which were clothing.
Seems not.