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Zappos.com - Glossary Terms
In addition to offering a wide variety of shoes, handbags and accessories, we strive to provide you with the best service in the industry. We feel it is our duty to not only provide you with great service, but we would also like to provide a reference guide for you to learn more about us and our industry. We are giving you the inside scoop to our company glossary so you can learn about shoes, handbags and accessories just like us. We hope this guide is useful to you and will make you feel more confident about the features that our products provide. Enjoy!
Other Guides:
- Measurement Guide:
- A guide to how we measure our products
- Size Conversion Chart:
- A guide to find your correct size no matter the shoe's origin
- Back Seam
- The vertical seam at the center of the back of a shoe or boot.
- Backpack
- A cloth or leather bag held to the back with double shoulder straps. Originally designed for a functional purpose, the backpack has now become a fashion item as well.
- Ball
- The padded area of the foot between the big toe and the arch of the foot.
- Ballerina Flat
- A ballet-style flat meant for everyday wear.
- Balmoral Shoe
- A shoe construction featuring a laced "V"-shaped panel across the foot.
- Bateau
- Otherwise known as boat-neck, it's used to describe a wide slit neckline that follows the curve of the collarbone.
- Bellows Tongue
- A shoe tongue that is attached at both the top and the sides of the shoe.
- Bezel
- Generally, the upper part of the watch body. Specifically, it refers to the ring around the outside of the crystal of the watch face.
- It may be covered in diamonds or crystals in fashion watches or calebrated markings on sportier watches.
- Blucher
- A shoe construction featuring two side flaps of material that are joined across the foot with lacing.
- Bolero
- A short jacket that is open in front and ends above the waist.
- Boot
- A style of footwear extending to the height of the anklebone and above. May extend as high as the thigh.
- Box Handbag
- A box-shaped handbag, typically of a hard material such as plastic or wood. Features a handle at the top and latching hardware.
- Brannock Device®
- A device used to measure the length and width of the foot in order to ensure proper shoe fit.
- Break
- The natural crease created across the vamp of the shoe from everyday wear.
- Brogue
- A heavy oxford-style shoe featuring pinked and perforated detailing.
- Bucket Handbag
- A large, bucket-shaped bag of cloth or leather. Typically features a single shoulder strap.
- Buckle
- A clasp at the end of a length of fabric or leather that joins one end of the material to the other.
- Bunions
- A painful swelling at the base of the big toe, frequently leading to permanent enlargement of the toe joint.
- Burnish
- The process of buffing a shoe surface to acheive an antiquing effect of the leather.
