Because fashion is always searching for the new "It" thing, it's sometimes difficult to keep up with the latest trends, terms and people. Instead of simply pretending to be in the know, read this mini fashion dictionary and you'll actually understand when someone mentions dolman sleeves or André Courrèges.

Brogues
Commonly refers to men's dress shoes with patterns at the toe made from punctured dots. While these patterns can be in simple geometric designs, designers have been getting creative — men.style.com features Miu Miu brogues in the shape of a regal shield, and Barker Black has shoes with a skull and cross bones at the toe.

Courrèges, André
A French designer known for creating the shift dress and miniskirt, which were extremely popular in the 1960s. Another one of his "hits" includes the space age look, which also was prominent during the '60s and featured futuristic, angular designs in metal and metallic, such as metal bustiers.

Desert boots
Whenever there's a war, it is reflected in fashion trends. One recent trend for men includes desert boots, which originally were used by British troops in North Africa. Today, however, they've moved into the mainstream, and are trendy this spring. The laced, ankle boots come in a variety of colors — such as white, brown and blue — and materials — such as suede and calfskin. Take your pick.

Dolman sleeves
Sleeves that begin as large and billowy at the shoulders and become tight at the wrists, usually seen on blouses.

Oxford
While this term refers to the classic button-down shirt, it also is a type of shoe as well. And this season, the oxford shoe isn't just for men, but women too. Urban Outfitters carries an original take on the lace-up, traditionally dressy shoe. While it has the classic black oxford, it also carries casual oxford styles in off-white and black with floral patterns for $38.

Princess heel
Otherwise known as the kitten heel, this low heel is a comfortable, in-between alternative to wearing 4-inch heels or flats. They give you some height, but not too much.

Rabanne, Paco
Along with Courrèges, the designer Paco Rabanne is known for his space age dresses. He designed dresses of metal squares, which were linked together with chains. A modern interpretation of this trend can be seen in Versace's short and metallic dresses featured in the designer's spring ads.

Sartorialist, The
Scott Schuman, who worked in the fashion industry for 15 years, began a blog more than a year ago, in which he photographs men and women with unique outfits on the streets of New York and around the world. Style.com has picked up his blog, and he also has a monthly page in GQ magazine. The Sartorialist is updated daily and is a great source for style inspiration — especially compared to hundreds of paparazzi photos featuring stylist-bred celebrities. Pretty soon, everyone's going to get dressed with the hopes of being photographed by The Sartorialist. Find his blog at thesartorialist.blogspot.com.

Toe cleavage
You know those little lines between your toes? Aside from wrists, they're the least suspecting body part one would think as chic. But when worn with sleek, classic flats, a little toe cleavage peaking out looks classy. On the opposite end, stay away from flats that cover too much of the foot — this can make flats look clunky.

Trapeze dress
Also referred to as an A-line dress, these are short, minidresses that have triangular shapes, flaring out at the bottom. Trapeze styles also can be seen in the form of longer tops and cropped jackets.