The shirt, like most things, has stood the test of time and has evolved in design and concept in a slow and steady manner. It won’t be wrong to say that a shirt is only second to the suit and has always been considered a definite symbol of being a gentleman…
If You Want to have Clean Ideas Change Them as Often as your Shirt
It doesn’t hold a lot of relevance today, but this quote by Francis Picabia would have been sworn by, in the olden times when shirts were mere undergarments and donning or having a clean shirt added to one’s social acceptance of being
prosperous. Having this as the background let us unfold the story of how a garment as such as the shirt evolved and gained importance in our lives.
Everyone has at least one shirt in their wardrobe. Some are for daily wear, some for those lazy brunches and some crisp ones for those razor- sharp business meetings. But have we ever thought how did this piece of garment come into our lives? Well everything has a start or an inception and so does the “shirt” that today is a staple of the men’s wardrobe. The shirt, like most things, has stood the test of time and has evolved in design and concept in a slow and steady manner. It won’t be wrong to say that a shirt is only second to the suit and has always been considered a definite symbol of being a gentleman. But have shirts always enjoyed this reverence?
A Shirt’s Journey from an Undergarment
The Middle Ages – A Mere Underwear
Let’s start with taking a walk into the stone paved lanes of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Back in those days in Europe, the shirt was not as celebrated as it is today but was a mere piece of fabric that separated the skin from the outer garment. Yes! The shirt was worn as a washable underwear between the skin and the expensive outer garments such as waist coats and frock coats that were never laundered. Traces of this concept of the shirt, which was a buttonless garb in those times as an “inner garment” can still be seen at all formal gatherings. Black tie events (events that will be reflected on as among the greatest memories of one’s life, which means there’s no cutting corners.), or the Royal Ascot in England are a few such formal events that have strict protocols of how a shirt must be worn in a gathering.
Today, the shirt is mass produced to cater to the burgeoning many, all with different price tags and designs.
The protocols are such, that the Royal Ascot only after much deliberation recently relaxed the strict dress rules in the prestigious royal enclosure for men dressed in top hat and tails to remove their jackets in the sweltering heat – previously seen as an un- gentleman like behaviour, especially in the presence of ladies. Given the drudgery of repeatedly washing the shirts (predominantly white) to keep them clean, word has it that a clean shirt was seen as a status symbol and a mark of sobriety and uniformity. Only men who could afford to have their shirts washed frequently were considered close to being prosperous. Due to this prominence, shirts were often exchanged for cash and given as gifts in weddings.
18TH Century Onwards– The ‘White Collar’
It was only in the 18th century that shirts assumed the status of an important piece of garment. During this time, the shirt of course underwent the period of the famous “detachable collar” that gave an impression of a fresh shirt every day, to the evolution of incorporation of buttons – a design feature patented by London based tailor, Brown Davis & Company, who registered the first “button-down” or “coat-style” shirt in 1871. It was also during this time, that the famous expression “white collar” came into being – a way of referring to a wealthy person who could employ means to keep his shirts white and virgin.
The popularity of the shirt as an essential piece of garment was furthered with the contribution of dandies such as Beau Brummell – an iconic figure in Regency England. Brummell is considered the epitome and arbiter elegantiarum of men’s fashion. He insisted on everyday personal hygiene (not the norm in those times) and always wearing a washed clean shirt. He is also considered to be the inventor of the modern day “suit” which elevated the status of the shirt from mere glamour to a symbol of power and prestige. Brummell thus became the catalyst for what is remembered as ‘The Great Masculine Revolution’. It is to be noted that during this period, no shirt was mass produced in factories, where the wealthy got their shirts made to order by a tailor, the not so wealthy wore shirts made by their wives.
The popularity of the shirt as an essential piece of garment was furthered with the contribution of dandies such as Beau Brummell – an iconic figure in Regency England. Brummell is considered the epitome and arbiter elegantiarum of men’s fashion.
The 1900s – Power Dressing and Labels
Through the 1900s, the shirt has seen changes in designs and functionality. Though the crisp white shirt continued to be seen as a status of elegance and extravagance, the design evolved from striped and patterned designs, to a more romantic style of loose and frilled collars which was also popularized by some actors Where previously tailoring and putting a shirt together involved individual skill and a lot of time, it was only in the late 1900s that the corporate culture took over the world and the expression “power dressing” came about bringing with it the concept of designer shirts and labels such as Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Versace and the likes. In line with this, the shirt was also no more a man’s garment, as with the advent of corporate dressing it became an integral part of the female formal ensemble as well. As a part of the female wardrobe, the shirt complemented the broad tailored jackets, knee length skirts and trousers in the 1980s, which took the focus away from the women’s petite figure.
The Shirt as We Know it Now
Today the shirt is not a privilege and is available to all through mass production. One does not have to plan to get one’s shirt stitched, not to mention the repeated visits for trials to the black-rimmed glasses and hanging measuring tape tailor. Today, the shirt is mass produced to cater to the burgeoning many, with all different price tags and designs. Where on one hand there are luxury brands like the Italian Anna Matuozzo, Barbara Napoli, the Roman brand Brioni, and the New York based 200-year-old Brooks Brothers that cater to the fashion forward and luxury conscious men, promising a combination of the best textile and designs that would complement one’s body type. The other side to this opulence, are brands like Peter England and Van Heusen in India that provide for mass production of shirts for all occasions. However, there would be not much of an argument to say that the mass-produced shirts are no match to the bespoke handcrafted shirts that employ traditional tailoring techniques.
The Indian (Gentleman) Instance
This old concept of made-to-fit tailoring in India has now been furthered by companies such as the Bombay Shirt Company or BSC, Threads & Shirts, 16 Stitches, The Stiff Collar and Tailorman. These are dedicated online and offline platforms that customise shirts like the good old tailors and arrange home visits for you if you do not want to step out. The prominence of customisation can be seen from the fact that companies like Raymond, which is predominantly an apparel company, has also ventured into offering concierge tailoring services to cater to the growing demand. Even though the shirt might have had its origin in the west, today, Indian companies are foraying into the overseas markets and fashioning the concept of “bespoke design in competitive pricing.” One such recent example is the Bombay Shirt Company, that opened their first concept store in SoHo Manhattan in New York City. The company believes every man should have a custom shirt and it does not have to be an expensive one.
The shirt, like most things, has stood the test of time and has evolved in design and concept in a slow and steady manner. It won’t be wrong to say that a shirt is only second to the suit and has always been considered a definite symbol of being a gentleman.
Concept of a “Shirt Hub”
So, it is evident, that evolving from an inconspicuous piece of garment, the shirt has
come a long way today and has a place in everyone’s wardrobe. Given its frequency and use, it will not be an over ambitious thought to think of a “shirt hub” or a unique retail destination exclusively for shirts and men’s fashion. Take for instance Jermyn Street in London. The street in the City of Westminster is probably the oldest brick-and- mortar hub of shirts in the world. Jermyn Street was built in 1664 and slowly came to be known as the “street of the gentleman’s clothing in London”. The street is house to several tailors that traditionally sell custom-made shirts and other men’s accessories and garments.
Similar to London’s Jermyn Street, there are Indian examples of these bespoke tailors or shirt hubs coming under one roof. One such example is the Mohan Singh Place in Connaught Place in Delhi. The complex was built in 1965 and is an example of a crude agglomeration of a dedicated hub for shirts and other formal garments. The tailors here stock different types of fabrics and provide end to end service to the customers and a discounted rate to the branded shirts. Taking leads from these old crude hubs, companies like the Bombay Shirt Company and Raymond have not only kept the traditions of the old tailoring system alive but have augmented it with an online presence and convenience. Raymond has always understood the importance of men’s clothing, but it is only now that they have cashed in on the need for this in smaller towns. The apparel giant under its brand ‘Mini The Raymond Store (TRS)’ is targeting the suiting and shirting market in Tier II and III cities. The company in this age of online shopping has already opened 200 outlets under TRS and plans to open about a 100 more annually. Given the demand, it will not be ambitious to say that the clothing streets of the olden days will soon be recreated into swanky fashionable retail destinations, which will be a dream come true for the father of dandyism, Beau Brumemell who started the trend – One clean shirt a day!
