Do you date vintage shirts by buttonhole orientation or style?  By color or pattern?  By fabric?  You may find a few surprises or affirmations in this guide.

CASUAL & SPORT SHIRTS

Work shirts, soft negligee shirts, knit shirts and sport shirts come from a different genre and evolution than mens dress shirts. 

By 1900, soft negligee shirts made of lightweight cotton fabric were a full 36 inches long, about 6 inches longer than a dress shirt, and usually had a full cut and pearl buttons.  Some were a light plaid or fancy stripe pattern, had detachable collars and could be worn for sleep or dress; But,  many had attached soft collars and made in chambray, linen, percale, oxford, flannel, cotton, or sateen twill and were worn by the masses for working.  They also had vertical buttonholes.

 - shirts from around 1920

WWI military uniform shirts had soft attached collars and were so popular that Arrow introduced a line of attached collar shirts made of the same fabric.  The actual khaki army shirt was worn after the war with all patches intact.

The tee shirt came out of the underwear drawer in the late 20's and became a fashion must with printed logos. 

 Cotton knit logo tee from the mid to late 30's

For the first 3 decades of the 20th Century, casual attire for golf, tennis or other sports was usually a soft negligee shirt without a necktie and rolled up sleeves.  But then a new kind of shirt came to the forefront of fashion for more than just the polo crowd:  Frenchman Rene LaCoste introduced a white knitted pullover with about a 5" opening from the top button,  a turned-down collar, and a croc logo embroidered on the chest.  These became so popular that a second version of the polo shirt that buttoned the whole way down the front and had turn-back (cuffed) quarter length sleeves was added to the line.  

  Shirts based on the knit polo and henley style.

In 1936, a sports shirt imitating the garment worn by sugar planters in Cuba, called a Guayaberra, brought unlined collars to be worn buttoned or open, side vents and a panel back into a leading fashion.

The Thirties was one of the most fashion influencial eras for mens clothing.  Shirts were no longer just a garment with a collar and cuffs.  They had convertible collars to be worn with or without a necktie; they could be worn tucked in or hanging outside the trousers or shorts; some were belted or had Norfolk backs; they came in all kinds of fabrics and could be shirred, pleated or tucked.  Fabrics such as viscose and acetate brought forth the opportunity to print patterns that would stay brilliant. 

 This boat neck style is based on a shirt introduced in the late 30's.  

By 1936, sport shirts walked away from the sports arena and onto the street.  The best selling Prince of Wales style had a single button under the collar which could be buttoned for a tie or left unbuttoned and worn plain or with a kerchief.  The second most popular was the gaucho model with its loop and button closure.   

 showing loop & button closure and horizontal buttonholes

Some knit sport shirts used a draw-string at the neck, cords threaded through eyes, or slide fasteners (zippers).

By the late 30's, copies of the African bush shirt / tropical climate shirt became popular.  Cowboy shirts of bright colors with trimmed pockets, edge piping and three pearl buttons on the cuffs were a must to visit the newly popular dude ranches.  The most used collar style was long & pointy.

The early years of WWII (1942-43) changed some buttonholes to a horizontal orientation while others stayed vertical, brought about the popularity of Hawaiian printed silk shirts, the military influence of the Army in the tropics, and His & Hers matching fashions.

  (1945) Ribbed cotton knit pocket tee

After the War and well into the 50's, men expressed themselves in bright colors and patterns in a time of conservativism.  The advent of more man-made synthethic fabrics meant that clothing could be laundered at home and needed little ironing.  Horizontal buttonholes and loop closures were a fashion statement on most casual shirts, and collars had shortened.

As the Continental look, Ivy-league look and beatnik styling surfaced in the mid 50's and continued into the early 60's, while comfort was foremost in everyday and sports wear.  Buttondown collars, open stitch knits, and light colored madras plaids and small paisleys were the utmost of fashion.  A change back to vertical buttonholes started in the mid 50's, and open collars shortened more than ever.  Oxford cloth buttondown shirts added a hang loop at the back yoke.  And the early to mid 60's gave us easy care permapress blends of Cotton and synthetic fiber.

1966 ushered in the Peacock Revolution from Carnaby Street in London to the American youth.  In 1971, the US Govt. mandated the use of Garment Care Labels.   The early 70's made the American flag a part of apparel for both sexes as a sign of rebellion and a sign of America's Bi-Centennial.  The 70's also brought body hugging shirts to wear with leisure suits, and update of the Guayaberra in Dacron & Cotton, and spirited paisleys, zigazags, skinny rib knits, tapestry prints and Aztec designs for shirts to wear with bell bottom jeans.   

And finally we come to the 80's Retro Look Era which was known for copying the look of the 40's & 50's: loop & button closures, horizontal buttonholes, fabrics and styles.  And the common usage of the overcast sewing machine for seam edges took away the need for French seaming.  Note that there has been zig zag and overcast seams since the 40's, but the stitches will look somewhat uneven. 

For more dating information using labels / tags, you can Google the company or check the Vintage Fashion Guild website for label resources.

Copyright 2007.  Guide will be updated as needed.