DRESS SHIRTS

In the early 1820's, a New York housewife was tired of having to freshly launder a shirt for her husband each morning.  So, she simply snipped the collar off the shirt and washed it.  Thus was born a 100 year influence of the detachable collar for mens dress shirts.

In 1854, paper shirt collars were invented by pasting a sheet of paper between thin muslin and then coating with shellac.  This collar could be wiped clean for days and cost less than laundering a detachable fabric collar.

Dress shirts actually closed in the back as late as the Turn of the Century and formal shirts until the 1930's.  Once shirts started buttoning down the front, there were over 400 distinctly different styles of collars to compliment them and fit the owners preference.  A collar varied in height from front to back with the most distinction being the points which could be as short as 1" or as long as 5".

In a 1915 catalog, mens dress shirts had either a placketed or unplacketed button cuff or French Cuffs which could be either attached or detachable.  Standard sizes ran from 14 1/2 to 17 only.  It is interesting to note that mens shirts had vertical buttonholes. 

  1930's shirt with detachable collar

After WWI, men began buying and wearing silk shirt in whites, colors and stripes and detachable collars were available to match all of these.  Also came the introduction of the buttondown collar, pinned collar and tab collar.

Attached collars on dress shirts started in 1927.

 -showing attached pinned collar and French cuffs

1930 brought the patent for Sanforizing to limit shrinkage; 

And, the early 30's introduced collar stays to prevent curling collars; 

There was also a two-piece sleeve which showed a seam down the back of the arm as well as under it.

The light colored Palm Beach Suit of the mid 30's made contrasting dark shirts popular.  And the Gangster influence on made of dress made monogramed shirts (monogramed on the breast towards the waist) popular.

By 1941, buttonholes on mens shirts had shifted to horizontal.  After the War, checked material emerged for a "bold look" in mens dress shirts as the white collar workers went back to their jobs.  Collars sported a line of bold stitching 1/2" in from the edge, as did the center placket which became about 2" wide.  Buttons were bigger and easier to button;  French cuffs were over 2 1/2" wide to showcase the big gold disc cufflinks.

In 1951, Van Heusen introduced the Van Chick Shirt which was the first shirt to not have any stitches showing on the collar, cuffs or front.

Small print dress shirts, like the print on a Foulard tie, were introduced in 1957.

Buttonhole orientation again shifted to vertical in the early 60's.  The mid to late 1960's brought easy care perma press blends of cotton & synthetic fiber to replace sanforizing. And, 1971 ushered in the era of knit dress shirts and brought the mandatory garment care labels which we still find in our clothing today.

Patent numbers, Trademarked company names, labels,  overall style and details can all be clues to help with dating.

 This patent number dates to 1936;  info available at the US Govt website for patent numbers and issue dates.

   Phillips-Jones Corp (Van Heusen) started in 1919 and kept that name until 1957. 

Some label / maker information is available at the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource Guide website. 

A gentleman knows that the term "short-sleeved dress shirt" is an oxymoron. - John Bridges

Copyright July 2007.  This Guide is still a work in progress;  pictures and more info are to be added.