The meaning of “shirt” has changed over time, from a tailored women’s blouse to a dress with a bodice like a man’s shirt. Shirt dresses were popular in the 1950s, and were practical and comfortable for working women. The design was simple and modest, and later became more ornate.
The meaning of the word “shirt” has evolved over the years, with changing fashions. In the first sense, a shirt was a type of tailored women’s blouse worn separately from a skirt or pair of pants. In the later sense, the term came to mean a woman’s dress with a bodice more like a man’s shirt. Shirt dresses were particularly popular in the 1950s, and are still closely associated with this time in history.
The original shirt was extremely popular from the late 1800s through the Edwardian era. The design was typically simple and modest, without the excessive frills and ornamentation that sometimes characterized women’s wear. Many working women wore shirts because they were practical and comfortable to work with, while upper-class women wore the garments to enhance a sense of independence. Many suffragettes, for example, wore shirt belts to their marches instead of the more limited dresses of the day, and the popular Gibson Girl look was achieved in a nightgown and long, skinny skirt.
The dress style also began to emerge around this time, although it did not become as popular until the middle of the 20th century. A shirt dress is designed to mimic the lines and design of men’s shirts, with a crisp collar and button down front. The sleeves can be long or short, and the dress itself tends to be at least knee-length, if not longer. Dresses can be very practical and restrained, or they can be more ornate, and a variety of materials and stitching styles are used for a variety of desired looks, from bridal and professional to more sensual.
In its earliest incarnations, the shirtdress was highly recommended for working women, and a vast improvement over the more stuffy clothing of the day. Teachers, for example, were encouraged to wear blouses and shirt dresses because they were comfortable, practical, and professional-looking. A variety of materials were used, from light wool to cotton, and the cuts tended to be relatively simple, with clean lines that ushered in the styles of the 1920s.
In the 1940s, the shirtdress began to emerge as a common fashion, and by the 1950s, it was closely associated with capable housewives and secretaries. The simple design could be very elegant when executed well, and the pattern was considered very feminine. A classic shirtdress has a bent waist with wide hips and rounded shoulders, projecting a confident and comfortable image.
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