Dress shirt
This article possibly contains original research. (July 2021) |
A dress shirt, button shirt, button-front, button-front shirt, or button-up shirt is a garment with a
A dress shirt is normally made from woven
In
History
Traditionally dress shirts were worn by men and boys, whereas women and girls often wore blouses, sometimes known as chemises. However, in the mid-1800s, they also became an item of women's clothing and are worn by both sexes today.[2]
Components
A shirt has several components: A one-piece back, which is usually pleated, gathered, or eased into a section of fabric in the upper part of the back behind the neck and over the shoulders known as the yoke (either one-piece or seamed vertically in the middle); one-piece sleeves with
Collars
There are various styles of collar, which is the primary indicator of the formality of a shirt.[3] Those discussed here are all attached collars, not styles specific to detachable collars. The very top button is number 1.
- Spread collars measure from around 3+1⁄2 to 8+1⁄2 inches (89 to 216 mm) between the collar points, and the wider collars are often referred to as cutaway or Windsor collars after the Duke of Windsor. This city style is more formal, though it is common in Europe, and predominant in the UK.
- Point, straight, or small collars are narrow, with 2+1⁄2 to 4 inches (64 to 102 mm) between the points of the collar.
- Button-down collar (sport collar) with a button-fastening point on the front of the shirt. Originally a British sports (football, cricket, polo, etc.) shirt. The British polo player's shirt was found in the UK by John E Brooks in 1896 and copied by Brooks Brothers after his return to the USA. Brooks Brothers is not the original.[importance?]
The less-common styles below were all once common, but have waned in popularity.
- Eyelet collars require a barbell-style collar barto join the small stitched hole on each point.
- Tab collars are point collars with two strips of fabric extending from the middle of the collar and joined behind the tie. These lift the tie, giving an arc effect similar to a pinned collar. The tabs can be closed with a metal snap, button or stud.
- Club collars have rounded edges, and were very popular in the first few decades of the twentieth century. They experienced a surge in popularity due to television shows like Downton Abbey.
- The varsity is a type of spread collar in which the points curve outward from the placket of the shirt.
- Shirts designed to take a detachable collar have a tunic collar, which is a low standing band of fabric around the neck, with a hole at the front and back for the collar studs.
- "Winchester" shirts are colored or patterned shirts that have a contrasting white collar (conceivably of any style) and, sometimes, contrasting white cuffs. This style is a remnant of when shirts had detachable collars and the collars were (usually) only available in white. Winchester shirts have fallen in and out of fashion over time but became strongly associated with the financial industry in the 1980s when the character Gordon Gekko wore Winchester shirts in the film Wall Street.
Cuffs
The main distinctions between cuffs are whether they require buttons or
- Barrel cuffs, the standard style fastened by one or two buttons according to taste.
- Double, or French, cuffs, which have an extra length of sleeve folded back and fastened with links, and are usually considered more formal than barrel cuffs.
- Single cuffs, the most formal style, usually only worn with formal evening wear (i.e. "white tie"), are fastened with cuff links but are not folded back.
- Milanese cuffs in which the barrel has a portion of fabric that is folded back similar to a French cuff with no cufflinks. sometimes called gauntlet cuff.
In addition, there are some variations, for example barrel cuffs may be mitred, with the corner cut off at 45°. Less common styles include the Portofino, or cocktail cuff, which is a double cuff closed with buttons rather than cufflinks, first made by the Jermyn Street shirtmakers Turnbull & Asser, and later popularised by the fictional character James Bond in the films from 1962 onwards.
Other features
A high quality traditional shirt has long tails, extending almost to the knees at the back,[citation needed] and so has seven or eight buttons. The vertical strip of fabric running down the front opening is called the placket, and gives a more symmetrical appearance to the joint between the left side, on top, and the right. This left over right order is also seen in waistcoat and coat fastenings, though women's clothing buttons the other way (right over left). The buttonholes, aligned vertically, are placed on the placket, though the top button and buttons at the bottom of stiff fronts are aligned horizontally. The buttonholes are one of the few places where the difference between hand and machine stitching can be observed while the shirt is being worn, and fashion designers sometimes use contrasting thread here or on the buttons themselves for extra impact.
To give extra fullness to the back, there are often pleats where the back panel joins to the yoke. On some fittings these are not needed, and handmade shirts may feature the extra fabric being worked continuously into the seam. In America, a box pleat is common (two pleats together in the centre), while in Britain the pleats are placed wider out under the shoulders.
The less casual shirts in Britain will have no pockets, but the standard shirt in America has a single one on the wearer's left side, which is a sewn-on patch with a plain upper hem, optionally with a single button for closure. This small pocket is large enough to hold a pack of
Short-sleeved shirts have a plain (no-button) hem above the wearer's elbow. They are considered a casual summer or tropical option, though many people wear only the traditional long sleeves in all circumstances.
Formal shirts
In the UK, the term dress shirt is reserved for a particular type of formal shirt. There are formal day shirts for wearing with morning dress, and the white dress shirts used as eveningwear.
A day dress shirt is fairly similar to a normal shirt, and is usually white, with a stiff detachable collar, though other designs, such as a vertical blue stripe, are also appropriate. Double cuffs are most common. This sort of shirt is also conventionally worn by some barristers and judges.
An evening shirt, for wear with eveningwear, for example as part of black or white tie has some unique features. In the U.S., this shirt is often called a tuxedo shirt or tux shirt. The shirt is always white.
The shirt required for
Materials
Shirts are made of woven cloth. The natural fibers used more commonly in the past were cotton (the most frequent), linen (the oldest), ramie, wool or silk. Nowadays, artificial fibers, such as polyester or polyester blends, are also used, due to their low cost, despite being considered by most shirtmakers the poorest material, owing to less softness and breathability.[6] However, while high quality cotton shirts can survive with care a few decades, a polyester/cotton blend may be used in more demanding environments. Giza cotton is a type of high-quality cotton which is the preferred choice among high-end shirtmakers, because of its long staple length. Linen produces a cool fabric that wrinkles heavily, and is mostly used in light summer shirts. Cotton is therefore the standard material for all but the cheapest shirts. Silk is occasionally worn, though it is hot to wear and has a marked sheen.
Yarns from these fibers are woven into a variety of different weaves, the most notable of which include
The use of pattern and colour is also significant. Originally, in the
For more formal business shirts, a plain weave or subtle pattern like
Non-iron
A resin used for making non-wrinkle shirts releases formaldehyde, which could cause contact dermatitis for some people - particularly those who have already developed an allergy; no disclosure requirements exist, and in 2008 the U.S. Government Accountability Office tested formaldehyde in clothing and found that generally the highest levels were in non-wrinkle shirts and pants.[9]
Shirt wearing
The hem is tucked into the
) are compulsory. When a tie is worn, the top button of the shirt is fastened, so the tie can fit snugly around the wearer's neck with a neat appearance.When a tie is not worn, conventions on buttoning differ globally: in the United States and the United Kingdom, the top button is virtually never buttoned if a tie is not worn – but unbuttoning two or more buttons is seen as overly casual. In France, unbuttoning two buttons is more common, and politicians appear on TV in this style. Buttoning the top button in the absence of a tie, has been in recent years popular with younger people, while it has become an identity of Lesbianism, often with plaid or checked shirts and rolled up sleeves.[citation needed] Polo shirts are more likely to be worn with the top button fastened however, mainly that of Fred Perry shirts.
In casual usage, these conventions are often not followed, with many choosing to wear shirts not tucked in, or leaving the top button undone with a tie. This is commonly done by children and young men, particularly as part of school uniform, where it is not allowed. Even more casually, some now choose not to iron their shirts, or use non-traditional 'non-iron' fabrics.
Similarly, as part of more casual work attire, some American men wear shirts with the top two buttons unbuttoned (buttoned at the third button), though buttoning at the fourth button is widely seen as too casual. Accordingly, some shirts are manufactured with a difference at the second or third button, by way of subtle cue as to where to button.[10] Most casually, the shirt can be worn entirely unbuttoned, over a T-shirt.
Fit
In the US,
In the bespoke (custom-made) industry where each shirt is made from an individually drafted pattern, these sizing problems are avoided, though there are still different ways of making the shirt fit. While many choose to cut the sleeve long and have the cuff catch on the hand to regulate its length, some prefer the much harder option of using a high armhole and carefully tailored shape, so that the cuff can be loose and still sit in exactly the right place wherever the arm moves.[11]
Made-to-measure shirts may not fit quite as well as bespoke, but can provide a similar degree of customisation and fit at a lower cost.
For sixty years, US designers and manufacturers of neckties and dress shirts were members of the Men's Dress Furnishings Association but the trade group shut down in 2008 due to declining membership caused by the declining numbers of men wearing neckties.[12]
As part of dress codes
Dress shirts were formerly worn by men most times for nearly all activities. Although they have largely been replaced in recent decades[
Traditionally, only solid or striped shirts in white, shades of off-white (such as cream or ecru), and light blue were seen as appropriate for business attire in North America. In the United Kingdom, lighter shades of pink and lavender are usually seen as equally appropriate. Checked shirts, particularly tattersall patterns, are associated with British country clothing and are seen more in rarer occasions when dress shirts are worn casually. Darker colors such as black, navy, and red are not usually seen with business attire and are sometimes associated with mobsters in North America.
Industrial production
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Dress Shirt finished product
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Production line
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Sewing operation
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Quality checking
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Fitting checking on dummy
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Dress shirt on conveyor
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Pressing standard
See also
- Shirt
- Shirtdress (worn by women)
References
- ^ "Definition of BUTTON-DOWN". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- ^ Brough, Dean (April 2013). "The classic white formal shirt: a powerful emblem of social change". 15th Annual IFFTI Conference: The Business & Marketing of Icons: 1–14. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
- ^ Antongiavanni (2002). p. 101
- ^ Flusser (2002). pp. 238–239
- ^ Antongiavanni (2006). p. 174
- ^ Antongiavanni (2006). p. 109
- ^ Flusser (2002). pp. 135, 277–305
- ^ Epaminondas, George, "The War Over Non-Iron Shirts" (Archived 2018-06-25 at the Wayback Machine). The Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2016.
- ^ When Wrinkle-Free Clothing Also Means Formaldehyde Fumes Archived 2017-01-16 at the Wayback Machine. New York Times.
- ^ Fashion comes unbuttoned: How low will it go? Archived June 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, June 22, 2009, The Seattle Times
- ^ Antongiavanni (2006). p. 106
- ^ Smith, Ray (June 4, 2008). "Tie Association, a Fashion Victim, Calls It Quits as Trends Change". Wall Street Journal. pp. A1. Archived from the original on 2018-09-16. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
Sources
- Antongiavanni, Nicholas (2006). The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style. ISBN 978-0-06-089186-2.
- Keers, Paul (October 1987). A Gentleman's Wardrobe: Classic Clothes and the Modern Man. ISBN 978-0-297-79191-1.
- ISBN 0-394-54623-7. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ISBN 0-06-019144-9.