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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25971
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25971
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Several people have said that you should look into the historical names for clothing. However, as you pointed out on what's answer, a name that the reader is not familiar with can confuse him. This has happened to me plenty.

There are two things that you can do here, both of which I would recommend:

1. Describe the function of the clothing 
2. Equate the look of the clothing with something in your setting that looks similar. 

**Describe the function.** The first thing is to stop relying on already-made terms. Pants, shirt, sweater... as you have pointed out, all have a futuristic feel. As what mentioned, you can use terms not tied to time, such as 'shoe' or 'loincloth'. But better yet, do not use any terms at all. Describe the clothing.

I know you said that description is not your strong suit, but you're going to have to do it. Describe the clothing and its function. Then you can call it whatever you want:

> He wore a _veldera_, a long piece of cloth draped over his shoulders, wrapped about his chest twice, and secured with a rope.

The other thing you can do is to **equate** the clothing with something that looks similar.

> It gave him the distinct appearance of a mummy.

You can also combine these two methods, and describe the function by equating it with something else:

> The _lator_ was made from rough wool, giving the wearer the look and feel of an elderly sheep. It fit snugly about the chest, with long sleeves that covered the arms, and was said to be as warm as the skin of a bear.

Note that the above could easily be used to describe a rough woolen sweater. Case in point.

I hope that helped!

Original score: 9