Fashion & Style Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- In 1926, which famous car did Vogue compare Chanel's 'little black dress' to?
- A. The Beetle
- B. The Ford Model T
- C. The Rolls-Royce
- D. The Bugatti
- Which fashion designer dared, in 1966, to dress women in a tuxedo, until then reserved for men?
- A. Pierre Cardin
- B. Hubert de Givenchy
- C. Christian Lacroix
- D. Yves Saint Laurent
- Under Louis XIV, what colour were the shoe heels reserved for the nobility?
- A. Red
- B. Gold
- C. Blue
- D. Black
- Which British designer popularised the miniskirt in the 1960s?
- A. Vivienne Westwood
- B. Stella McCartney
- C. Mary Quant
- D. Twiggy
- What is the sole of espadrilles traditionally made of?
- A. Braided jute rope
- B. Rubber
- C. Cork
- D. Wood
- Which British designer dressed the punk movement in the 1970s, with a London shop shared with the Sex Pistols' manager?
- A. Mary Quant
- B. Stella McCartney
- C. Alexander McQueen
- D. Vivienne Westwood
- Which synthetic fibre, launched by DuPont in 1939, caused real riots in the United States when stockings came back into shops after the war?
- A. Polyester
- B. Elastane
- C. Nylon
- D. Viscose
- What is the criss-cross coloured check fabric, emblematic of the Scottish kilt, called?
- A. Gingham
- B. Tartan
- C. Madras
- D. Houndstooth
- How long can the fabric of an Indian sari, draped around the body without stitching, be?
- A. About 1 metre
- B. About 2 metres
- C. More than 30 metres
- D. Between 5 and 9 metres
- Where does the name 'trench coat', popularised by Burberry, come from?
- A. The trenches of the First World War
- B. An English detective
- C. A Scottish town
- D. A fabric brand
- According to the United Nations, roughly how many litres of water does it take to produce a single pair of jeans, from growing the cotton to dyeing?
- A. About 7,500 litres
- B. About 10 litres
- C. About 100 litres
- D. About 1 million litres
- Which designer, inspired by the 1960s space race, was one of the first to license his name, even on frying pans and pens?
- A. Yves Saint Laurent
- B. André Courrèges
- C. Pierre Cardin
- D. Karl Lagerfeld
- What does the expression 'fast fashion' mean?
- A. Sportswear
- B. Express fashion shows
- C. Cheap fashion renewed very quickly
- D. Racing drivers' fashion
- According to historians, high heels were originally worn by…?
- A. Italian dancers
- B. Alpine shepherds
- C. Greek actresses
- D. Persian horsemen, to stay firmly in the stirrups
- Where does the French name 'smoking' for an evening suit (a tuxedo) come from?
- A. From a tailor named Smoking
- B. From smoke from textile mills
- C. From a New York jazz club
- D. From an indoor jacket the English wore to smoke
- What is the textile pattern of small broken checks, typical of Chanel and Dior suits, called?
- A. Houndstooth
- B. Glen check
- C. Gingham
- D. Herringbone
- Which Belgian-American designer invented the famous jersey "wrap dress" in 1974?
- A. Coco Chanel
- B. Mary Quant
- C. Vivienne Westwood
- D. Diane von Fürstenberg
- Which brand makes the white "Stan Smith" trainer, named after an American tennis champion?
- A. Adidas
- B. Nike
- C. Puma
- D. Le Coq Sportif
- Where does the name 'bikini', launched in 1946 by Frenchman Louis Réard, come from?
- A. A Brazilian dancer
- B. A Pacific atoll where nuclear tests took place
- C. An ice-cream brand
- D. A Polynesian word meaning 'small'
- Which small metal parts did Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent in 1873 to strengthen work trousers?
- A. Zips
- B. Rivets
- C. Press studs
- D. Belt buckles
Answer key — Fashion & Style Quiz
- B. The Ford Model TLike the Model T, it was simple, accessible and made for everyone.
- D. Yves Saint LaurentSome smart restaurants initially refused entry to women dressed this way.
- A. RedThe king, who was about 1.63 m tall, wore high heels himself.
- C. Mary QuantShe reportedly named her creation after her favourite car, the Mini.
- A. Braided jute ropeBorn in the Pyrenees, on the Basque and Catalan side, they are named after 'esparto', a plant once used to make rope.
- D. Vivienne WestwoodSafety pins, torn fabrics, subverted tartans: she turned rebellion into style.
- C. NylonDuring the war, nylon was used for parachutes. In 1945, thousands of women queued for hours, sometimes shoving violently: these were the 'nylon riots'.
- B. TartanEach Scottish clan has its own registered pattern. After the Jacobite rising of 1745, wearing tartan was even banned for 36 years.
- D. Between 5 and 9 metresThere are more than a hundred regional ways of draping it. Worn for over 2,000 years, it remains one of the oldest garments still worn every day.
- A. The trenches of the First World WarBritish officers wore it at the front. Its epaulettes and D-ring were used to hang maps and equipment.
- A. About 7,500 litresThat is roughly what one person drinks in seven years. A figure that makes you think about the impact of 'fast fashion' and the value of second-hand clothing.
- C. Pierre CardinHis name ended up on hundreds of products worldwide. A visionary, he was also one of the first Western designers to show in China, in 1979.
- C. Cheap fashion renewed very quicklySome brands release new designs every week. The downside: huge textile waste and often criticised production conditions.
- D. Persian horsemen, to stay firmly in the stirrupsThe heel stopped the foot slipping from the stirrup when shooting arrows.
- D. From an indoor jacket the English wore to smokeThe 'smoking jacket' protected clothes from the smell of tobacco after dinner.
- A. HoundstoothIts jagged checks look like a hound's tooth, hence the English name.
- D. Diane von FürstenbergEasy to put on and flattering, her wrap dress sold millions and put her on the cover of Newsweek in 1976.
- A. AdidasFirst launched under the name of French player Robert Haillet, it was renamed Stan Smith in 1978.
- B. A Pacific atoll where nuclear tests took placeRéard wanted a swimsuit as 'explosive' as the American atomic tests held a few days earlier at Bikini Atoll.
- B. RivetsCopper rivets reinforced the corners of the pockets, which tore under the weight of miners' tools.