- Hello, Glamour.
I am Tan France.
I am known as a style and fashion expert,
so we are gonna play a little game
of vocabulary UK versus US.
My favorite British fashion term is dungarees
'cause it makes no sense,
and it confuses Americans when I say it.
My favorite American fashion term is overalls
'cause it just makes a lot more sense.
It's the most simple word
for something that is completely practical,
so dungarees versus overalls.
Every category of clothing has very different terms
in the UK and the US.
Outerwear is one of them.
You guys may say trench, we might say mac.
You guys might say raincoat, and we might say parka.
Shall we dissect which one's which?
Let's see.
Here, we have a trench coat.
In England, you can call it a trench.
You can also call it a mac.
Now, some Brits will say a mac doesn't have buttons.
I think a mac is either with buttons or without.
It's usually this kind of color.
I prefer the word trench though.
I think it sounds much better.
The thing that makes this a trench coat is
that it has military elements,
for example, a broader shoulder,
usually a yoke on the back,
a belt, that's what makes a trench a trench.
It's military-inspired.
It's something that is very much on trend right now
in a bunch of colors.
However, I would stick with something classic,
and it's gonna see you through decade
after decade after decade.
This we call a raincoat here in America.
However, in the UK, this is called a parka.
Some might say it's called an anorak.
However, an anorak is actually more A-line,
it doesn't have a gathered waist,
so I call this a parka.
This is called a windbreaker in America,
and I have just been told by a lovely young lady off camera
that this is called a windcheater in England.
This person has clearly never been to England
'cause we don't call this a windcheater.
This is a windbreaker.
Let me explain why.
It has a fabric that literally breaks wind,
stops the wind so it can't go through,
it can't penetrate you,
and so that's why we call it a windbreaker.
Now, here's the thing.
Sometimes, Americans and brits really do agree.
This is a blazer in the US.
In the UK it definitely is also a blazer.
There's no difference.
The reason why I love blazer, it's major right now.
You can wear it day to night,
dress it up, dress it down.
I love this kind of blazer
because it really is universal.
Like, you can wear it at the age of 18,
35, 45, 55, 65, doesn't matter what your size.
This is gonna look gorgeous on every one of you,
male or female.
This is a pinstripe, which is also universal.
England, America, anywhere else, this is a pinstripe.
What is also universal is that this has a peak collar,
which means this peaks up.
It is a peak lapel, actually,
if you really want to know the real real,
so this is a peak lapel.
Everything else about it is very much standard US, UK.
If you are wanting to be cool,
and chill, I would suggest wearing it
with a pair of jeans, a T-shirt,
even a little miniskirt with a pair of sneakers,
you're good to go, or, if you want to dress it up
in the evening, wear it with a dress.
Put it over a cute little dress,
a little heel, and you're good to go.
In the US, when you check your coat,
when you enter a restaurant, club, whatever,
you would leave it in a coat check.
In the UK, we leave it in a cloakroom.
Apparently, people were wearing a lot of cloaks
back in the day, and it really stuck,
so a cloakroom versus coat check.
Again, America, it makes more sense.
Here, we have what they call in America
a circle scarf or an infinity scarf.
However, in the UK, this was often referred to as a snood.
I don't love the word snood.
It sounds very peculiar,
and so I'm gonna say, let's change it
to simply infinity or circle.
It makes more sense.
Come on, England, get it together.
Okay, let's move on to what is under our outerwear, shirt.
So, in England, this is called a shirt,
simply a shirt, which means something
that is either buttoned up or buttoned down.
In America, you guys would call this a button up
'cause shirt is just generic for all things
that you would wear under a jacket, which is bizarre.
I like to be specific.
Difference between a button up versus button down.
So, yes, you could call this a button up
or a button down technically.
However, if we're gonna be really correct,
a button down is when the collar buttons down
on the actual shirt itself.
The rest of it is just a button up.
So England, shirt, America, button up.
Okay, everyone, in America,
I know that you call this a sweater,
and I've started calling it a sweater too.
However, in the UK, this is called a jumper.
Do I know why?
No, it makes no sense.
It also makes no sense that it's called a sweater,
but there you have it, America, sweater, England, jumper.
In America, we would refer to this
as a thrift store find.
It's from a thrift store.
However, in the UK, we call it a secondhand shop.
We don't really use the word thrift store.
We either use secondhand shop or vintage shop.
Let me tell you the difference, also, between those.
A vintage shop or a vintage store is somewhere
that sells vintage items,
so usually over at least 20 to 30 years old,
whereas a thrift store is just clothes
that somebody's donated, it could've been from this year,
it could've been from five years ago,
but it's not vintage.
In America, we call this either a tank top or a cami.
In England, we call this a cami or a camisole also.
Tank top is not this.
A tank top is usually a wider strap,
it usually comes up a little bit higher,
so this, in England, we would refer to as a cami.
Now this is a what you would call a tank top,
which is correct.
In England, we call this a vest top.
It's got a wider strap up top,
it's more like a jersey fabric as opposed
to a silky, sexy cami fabric.
Okay, so, I had said that that is called a vest top,
but in America, what you call a vest top is this,
which is, quite frankly, incorrect.
This is a waistcoat.
This is a waistcoat, not a vest.
This, in America, you call a pant.
In England, we call these a trouser.
So a trouser could be,
a trouser is something that's just not a jean,
or a camo pant.
It's this, this is a trouser, not a pant.
Now, this is not a pant, you guys.
These are pants.
In England, this is what we call a pant,
so if you're asking somebody about their pants in England,
you're asking them something very inappropriate.
That's none of your business.
We also call them Y-fronts.
I know that you call them tighty whities,
but the correct term is Y-fronts.
Now, America, I've got something to tell you.
This that you call a fanny pack we find so vulgar back home
because fanny, in England, means vagina,
and so when you're talking about your fanny pack,
that sends all kinds of weird signals to us.
This is called a bum bag, bum, bag,
and they've fitted it, weirdly, to pad it out
with what, in America, you call diapers, we call nappy.
It's all very confusing, I know.
You guys are usually right in the US,
so fanny pack, not bum bag.
All right, kids, we're almost to the end of our outfit.
Here we go with our final item,
what we're wearing on our feet,
you guys call rain boots in America, I think.
We call them wellies or galoshes.
Now, normally, a welly is a little bit taller,
but whatever footwear you're wearing
to protect yourself from the rain,
which is usually completely rainproof,
is called a welly or galosh.
You guys call them rain boots.
Probably makes more sense.
And then, if you were to get caught out in the rain,
don't forget to grab your brolly.
In America, you call it umbrella,
and in England, we call it a brolly.
Ask me why?
Don't know, don't have all the answers.
Google it.
Thank you so much, Glamour.
Sure do appreciate you.
Bye.
Thank you for watching.
This video was filmed before the coronavirus outbreak,
and it is my belief that we need to take a minute
to acknowledge the fact that we need to all do our part
during these challenging times,
so please stay home, spend time with your family,
even if that means virtually.
Together, we will get through this.
Thanks.