Fashionable

Fashionable is an adjective used to describe items or people that conform to contemporary fashion or are widely regarded as stylish within a given social milieu. The term covers clothing, accessories, footwear, and related aesthetics, as well as behaviors or attitudes perceived as in vogue. Fashionability is often considered relative to time, place, and audience.

It derives from fashion, from Old French façon meaning manner or appearance; the adjective fashionable appeared in English by the early modern period, with the suffix -able forming the sense of “capable of being in fashion.”

Fashionable status is influenced by designers, brands, celebrities, media, and now social media, creating cycles that can be brief. What is fashionable can be fleeting; items may rise quickly and fall as trends shift. The term is generally neutral, though it can carry positive connotations of taste and sophistication, or pejorative ones when used to distance or exclude others.

Regional differences, subcultures, and norms shape what is considered fashionable. Globalization and online platforms have broadened access but also raised concerns about homogenization, fast fashion, sustainability, and cultural appropriation.

An outfit that aligns with current streetwear fashion can be described as fashionable. Related concepts include stylish, trendy, chic, and fashion; fashion is the broader system that governs what is considered in vogue, while trends and subcultures influence its direction.