vestiary

plural vestiaries

1. countableA dressing room or storeroom for clothes, especially in a church or other religious house.

   They often had her return to the vestiary for different items two or three times before they were satisfied with what she brought them.

   1998, Catherine M. Odell, Faustina, page 75

   1 more example

   Here a novice appeared from the vestiary of the chapel at his call, and received commands to enquire at the hamlet whether Philipson's bales, with the horse which transported them, had been left there, or ferried over along with his son.

   1829 May 2, [Walter Scott], Anne of Geierstein; or, The Maiden of the Mist. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Company] for Cadell and Co., […]; London: Simpkin and Marshall, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: sacristy, vestry

2. rareuncountableClothing; garments.

   Synonyms: vestment

comparative more vestiary · superlative most vestiary

1. Pertaining to clothes or clothing.

   In 1964 she initiated ‘vestiary’ sculpture made of soft materials and designed to be worn by the spectators […].

   1981, Harold Osborne, The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Art

   2 more examples

   The Professor was left to stare into the depths of his ancient hat, as if it were a vestiary expression of his present situation.

   2006, Thomas Pynchon, “The Light over the Ranges”, in Against the Day, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Press, →ISBN, page 34

   Or the time, later that year, that she turned up to a presidential debate wearing a bright pink pussy-bow blouse just two days after audio had been released of her husband boasting how he likes to “grab ’em by the pussy”? The vestiary reference was, reportedly, “not intentional”.

   2024 July 20, Jemima Kelly, “Melania Trump really doesn’t care, do u?”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 19

   Synonyms: sartorial