Clothes in German: A complete wardrobe of 160+ terms, idioms & cultural tips

The fashion industry wouldn’t be the same without Haute Couture Designer Karl Lagerfeld and German top models like Claudia Schiffer and Heidi Klum. So if you happen to be in the fashion industry, you might have already come across some terms for clothes in German.

Even if you’re not that into fashion though, sooner or later you’ll run into clothes-related vocab when you’re learning German. After all, you and the people around you are probably wearing clothes most days of the week - and at some point you might want to talk about them!

Clothes in German

The proper way to say clothes in German is “Kleidung”. While the English word “clothes” has no singular, the German one has no plural. Some German slang terms for clothes are “Klamotten” or “Anziehsachen” (literally: to-dress-things).

There are a number of situations, in which it’s helpful to know the basic clothing terms from “hat” to “boots” in German:

1. You might visit a German-speaking country and do some clothes shopping. Frankfurt, Vienna and Lausanne are great shopping destinations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland!
2. If you don’t know a person’s name, you can make it clear who you’re talking about by referring to their clothes. So it’s good to know how to say “The lady in the brown coat” or “the guy in the yellow shirt” in German. It saves you from impolitely pointing fingers.
3. Complimenting someone’s clothes is a safe and easy way to compliment a stranger, colleague or friend in German. Tell them they’re wearing a nice dress or you love their shoes. It will make their day!

Some helpful phrases you might want to remember include these important wardrobe-related questions and suggestions:

• Was soll ich anziehen?
  (What should I wear?)
• Wie ist der Dresscode?
  (What’s the dress code?)
• Wie seh ich aus?
  (How do I look?)
• Zieh einfach etwas Bequemes an.
  (Just wear something comfortable.)
• Ich würde an deiner Stelle lieber etwas Schickes anziehen
  (I’d rather wear something fancy if I were you.)
• Du siehst toll aus!
  (You look great!)

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Dress codes in German

Usually German dress code is pretty casual. The most common styles are comfortable and casual or business casual in official settings. If you’re not going to the “Wiener Opernball” (the Vienna Opera Ball), the “Berlinale” (Germany’s biggest film gala) or similarly fancy events, it’s rather rare to see people dressed up in ball gowns and suits.

Underwear in German

Let’s hope you never encounter any underwear-related emergencies on vacation in Germany, but just in case, here is a list of underwear terms in German that will help you out.

Outerwear in German

From windy Hamburg to snowy Munich, Germany isn’t exactly known for its great weather. So you better know what to wear for an outdoor activity. It always helps to ask a local what they suggest. All these outerwear words in German will come in handy for clarification.

Dress in German

There’s the perfect dress for almost every event - from comfy shirt dresses to the classic black dress for any nighttime event.

Pants in German

“Pants” in German are “Hosen”. The most famous type of pants are the traditional “Lederhosen” but in everyday life, the most popular ones are probably shorts.

Shirts and tops in German

The German word for “top” is “Oberteil”. Typically German, it’s very logical: The literal translation would be “upper thing”!

Jacket or coat in German

These are especially important in the cold weather. Never, never forget your jacket in Germany! Even in the warmer months, it can get chilly here.

Skirt in German

“Skirt” in German is “Rock”. Easy to remember since skirts do kinda rock, right? Whatever your style is - mini denims or airy ruffled skirts - skirts are just easy and cool.

Shoes and boots in German

In German there are almost as many words for slippers as for all other kinds of shoes combined: Germans say “Pantoffeln”, “Puschen”, and “Latschen”, while the Swiss say “Finken” and the Austrians say “Schlapfen”, “Schluffen”, and “Patschen”. That almost sounds like someone is just making up German-sounding words, but they’re all real!

Hats in German

If you’re up for a big fashion statement, choose a hat! They’re one of the most versatile pieces of clothing and probably the boldest one.

Other important clothing-related terms

Accessories can make or break an outfit. Most of them are somewhat seasonal, like scarves and gloves or sunglasses and summer hats. These are a number of accessories and other clothes-related terms we wouldn’t wanna miss including our personal favorites: pajamas!

Clothing-related German idioms

Here are eight fun clothing-related German idioms that we found for you. We have shaken them out of our sleeves, you might say.

Clothes related verbs in German

We do so many things with our clothes: put them on, take them off, wash them, dry them, fold them. Laundry is a never-ending circle and this is how you describe that circle in German with a number of clothes-related verbs.

Cultural considerations when it comes to clothing in German

When you travel to Germany, you’re in for a few clothes and laundry-related surprises. Don’t expect a dryer in every household and definitely don’t expect all Germans to actually wear Lederhosen or Dirndl!

• While you might picture Germans wearing “Trachtenkleidung”, the famous clothing that consists of “Lederhosen” (Leather pants) and “Dirndl” (A traditional dress), you might be surprised that this is exclusively a Bavarian tradition. In all other parts of Germany, it’s rather unlikely you’ll see people wear anything like this!
• Washing machines are significantly smaller. Most washing machines are only the size of what would be considered a half load in the US.
• You probably won’t find any top-loaders either because European homes tend to be a lot smaller, too. In apartments, washers are often part of the kitchen and therefore designed in a way that leaves some counter space on top of them.
• Only around 40% of German households have a dryer and even those who do use them a lot less frequently than Americans.
• Dryer guilt is a thing in Germany! Even if dryers are used, they tend to run for a long time because they’re often set to a more eco-friendly setting. To be honest, dryers are kind of frowned upon by many people because of their environmental impact.

Fashion is fun but clothes are even more than that

Clothes are a huge part of our lives, bigger than some of us may realize. As Stanley Tucci rightfully points out in The Devil Wears Prada: “Halston, Lagerfeld, de la Renta - what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it.” - and he’s right. We do spend our lives in clothes.

So take the time to learn some of these clothes-related German terms and make your language learning journey that much more fashionable!

Want more free German language and culture tips? Check out the other great articles we’ve got for you on our German language blog.