What are pumps and why?

Kewreeuss

This may not be the right place to ask this question. I was thinking of putting it in literature, but it's not really literture, just where i got them from.
Anyway in the course of reading american novels I have come accros a few things that I dont understand.
Men wear coats that are called dusters. Why "dusters", are they heavy or light, is the term confined to certain areas in america?
Men also wear slacks, as opposed to what?, just jeans? Do they mean our trousers?
What about dress shirts? Do they mean shirts that would be worn with a suit or in the office? I always thought they were the ones with the ruffles down the front a la seventies or those that would be worn with those grooms suits for weddings.
Then, a hero will also wear a tank top. They were little sleeveless things men and women wore in the seventies, usually over a shirt. For some reason that group called Sweet springs to mind!
Finally, with womens shoes, what are pumps and how could they have three inch heels? Again, pumps as opposed to what, trainers? Would they be what is quaintly called court shoes here? Would an American girl really say "these pumps are killing me"? I mean, pump, that mechanical/electical device!
Anyone who can explain these things, please do, I'm very interested.
Thanks

Jesus Wept

Moved to .... erm.... Fashion.

fillefatale

Errrrr...?

Pumps are usually plain, smart shoes with a low heel, in America anyway. Sometimes we call ballerina style flat shoes pumps.

Slacks are casual trousers.

Twee.

A dress shirt is a button up shirt, what we call a shirt. They call t-shirts/tops shirts, so dress shirt implies they are for dress, or formal wear.

SBWife

Pumps do not necessarily have a low heel unless you consider 3" or 4" to be low. They are the kind of shoes a woman wears with a skirt suit.

A tank top is a vest or singlet. What British English calls a tank top is a sweater vest in the US.

A duster is a lightweight long canvas coat. It's considered ranching wear so would be more common in the mid-west and west.

A dress shirt is one which could be worn with a suit, a button down is a step more casual than this but still be called a shirt in British English.

A jumper is what would be called a pinafore over here. A US pinafore is an apron over here. And what's a jumper in Ireland is a sweater in the US.

Slacks are trousers which aren't suit pants, aren't jeans, aren't khakis, think along the lines of the grey flannels kids have as part of their school uniform but in a variety of colours.

Kewreeuss

Thank you each, for replying.
It's all clear now. Happy to have it sorted out.
One last thing: would an american woman actually say 'pumps' or is it more a written usage?

Carawaystick

Amy Winehouse mentioned them on one of her songs on "Frank", so I'd say it's a verbal thing

(even though she was english and all0

amdublin

Kewreeuss wrote: »

Thank you each, for replying.
It's all clear now. Happy to have it sorted out.
One last thing: would an american woman actually say 'pumps' or is it more a written usage?

IMO they would say it.

It is the generic term for what we would call a court shoe I think??