In the UK, a dress shirt is a formal shirt, always worn with a black or white tie, and is usually meant for evening wear. In the US, such a formal shirt is called a tux or a tuxedo shirt. Dress shirts come in many different materials, colours, styles and sizes. Broadly speaking, a dress shirt in America would mean a men’s shirt with a collar, a buttoned front and long sleeves ending in a cuff.
Dress shirts have a long history. They featured prominently in art and literature of the early 12th century, in the paintings of Caravaggio and others. In the 14th century, the real beauty of the garment came from its collar. The Italian version had many frills and was made of long flowing fabric, while the French version was shorter. In the 1860s, the primary functions of the shirt, or “subucula”, was similar to that of modern undergarments. The popularity of the garment grew and it was regularly given as a gift by family and friends to one another. The dress shirt was versatile, for example it would be collarless for the painter and with fluid sleeves for the dancer.
The simple white shirt got its classic cut and cult status from Hollywood cinema. For example, the lovely flowing white shirts of Rudolf Valentino, the no-nonsense crisp, smart shirts of John Wayne or the smart casuals made popular by Tom Sellek.
A distinct feature of the dress shirt is its pleats. These could be two small tucks at the back of the shirt or a box pleat in the centre. The shirts in UK don’t have any pockets while those in the US have a single pocket, generally on the front left side. Some informal shirts might have two large pockets or more or with flaps.
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