French word

prêt-à-porter

Pronunciation

IPA/pʁɛtapɔʁte/

Meaning

  • masculine nounready-to-wear

Example

Quand je voyage, j'achète souvent du prêt-à-porter.

When I travel, I often buy ready-to-wear clothing.

Illustration for prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear)

More examples

Elle préfère la collection prêt-à-porter pour le bureau.

She prefers the ready-to-wear collection for the office.

Core concept

A rack of factory-made clothes that can leave the shop ready for immediate wear.

Common phrases

  • collection prêt-à-porter

    ready-to-wear collection

  • rayon de prêt-à-porter

    ready-to-wear section

  • achat de prêt-à-porter

    purchase of ready-to-wear clothing

Similar words

vêtement: One piece of clothing worn by a person.
habit: Clothing considered as a general category.
mode: The prevailing styles and trends in clothing.

Definition in French

Désigne des vêtements fabriqués en série et vendus prêts à être portés, contrairement à la haute couture.

Word origin

The noun phrase combines prêt, meaning 'ready', with à porter, meaning 'to wear', and its meaning follows directly from this construction.

Usage tips

  • Prêt-à-porter is masculine and commonly appears as the mass noun du prêt-à-porter, as in the example sentence.

Opposites

  • haute couturehaute couturenoun

Word lists with this word