Brirain vs America: Fashion Edition!

How do you call THIS thing?

What a stupid question, KOŁCZAN PRAWILNOŚCI, one of the mythical artefacts of every self-respecting Polish lad.  

In America you'd call it a fanny pack but in the UK it might be a bit offensive as the word fanny refers to... a certain body part that isn't butt. In Britain they would call this a bum bag but either way, wearing it is a bit embarrassing...

To continue the subject of differences in the ways the Americans and the Brits call different things, today we'll focus on the articles of clothing.

Pants vs Trousers

In the US, these are called pants and in the UK trousers. When the Brits think of pants they think of these:

...which the Americans would call underwear. 
This led the Brits to mistakenly believe that The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was a very different kind of movie...

SHARE THE PANTS?!?!?! I mean, whatever floats your boat...

Pants is also a very soft swear word in the UK. It's often what people on TV say when they want to say sh*t, but they know that if they do say sh*t, the editors will put a nice, long BEEEEEP sound over the top of it so they just say pants instead.

Trainers vs Sneakers

In the UK, these...

are called trainers for pretty obvious reasons; they are used for training. In the US, they are called sneakers, because the Americans use them for... sneaking?

Eh, those sneaky, SNEAKY Americans...

Actually, they got their name after shoes with rubber soles were invented in the 19th century. Their soft rubber bottoms were perfect for school boys who wanted to sneak around. Some Americans also refer to these as tennis shoes. This comes from a time when athletic shoes were a luxury item. Only the wealthy had the money and the leisure time necessary for recreational sports. They would wear plimsolls while playing tennis and the sport eventually became associated not just with plimsolls but with all rubber-soled shoes. I guess there are worse rich-people sports that shoes can be named after. I mean they could be named croquet shoes....

Swimming Costume vs Bathing Suit

Because Americans usually associate the word costume with a type of silly dress, it's doubly confusing for them when they hear Brits talking about swimming costumes. To an American it sounds like somebody (once told me) dressed in a cat outfit swimming laps in a pool.
And Brits are just as confused when they hear Americans talking about bathing suits. The picture that comes to mind is somebody wearing a tuxedo having a bath.

Jumper vs Sweater

In the UK, this

a jumper. Nobody's quite sure about the origin of the word, although it may come from the French (those pesky Frenchmen again!) jupe meaning skirt, which is derived from the Arabic word jubba meaning a long garment. In the late 1800's, Americans started referring to this type of garment as a sweater because they believed that intense sweating would lead to dramatic weight loss so they would wear sweaters while exercising. They didn't lose any body fat but they did do a really great job at making themselves utterly dehydrated. Maybe that's why they really don't like exercises today...

Suspenders vs Braces

Now, everything may get even more confusing because sometimes Brits and Americans use the same words to refer to different things. For instance, you know those straps that keep an old man's trousers up? 

Well, in the UK they are they're called braces and in the US - suspenders. In the UK, suspenders are the things that hold lady's stockings up, and in the US they are referred to as garter belts. So, if you're an Amerian guy shopping in the UK you might get some strange looks if you ask the shop assistant for some stylish suspenders, but you know, whatever floats your boat, I'm not here to shame you.

Tank Tops vs Vests

A tank top in the US 

is called a vest in the UK. What Americans would call a vest 

... Brits would call a waistcoat. So, if you're an American in the UK looking to go to a wedding, don't ask for a vest to go with your tuxedo, unless the wedding is really casual. 

Fancy Dress Party vs Costume Party 

If you're an American living in the UK and you're invited to a fancy dress party you're probably going to show up wearing a tuxedo or a formal evening gown. Now, when you show up to the party, and see a bunch of people looking like this

don't run away screaming. It's just Brits dressed up for what Americans call costume party. So if you see a zombie or a vampire on such a party, fear not! They will not eat your brains or suck your blood. Or, at least I think they won't...


Now you can successfully dress yourself on either side of the Atlantic. Congratulations!