THE WHITE
We all have that one item in our wardrobe that never loses its allure. For many, it is the crisp cotton button-down shirt that we keep grabbing from the hanger, no matter the season or occasion. The recent evolution of the white shirt on the runway and in worldwide street style proves that the white button-down has transcended the boundaries of time, seasons and trends and evolved into a perennial wardrobe staple with endless stylistic possibilities. Season after season, designers use their sartorial skill to redefine the meaning of fashion by reworking its fundamental pieces for new seasonal relevance. Over the past few seasons, designers have turned their creative hands to the well-loved white shirt and amped-up the scale and upped the ante on the not-sobasic wardrobe essential. Its 2017/2018 iterations have rendered it a “new” must-have piece in every woman’s wardrobe.
At the core of the recent metamorphosis of the white shirt, the focus has been on deconstruction, playful proportion and embellishment. Designers have pulled apart the fundamentals of the iconic piece and reconstructed it in unexpected ways, such as mismatched and split seams, contrasting fabrication, architectural draping, dramatic volume and eyecatching detailing. The white shirt of 2018 has a daring personality – a stark contrast to its historical counterparts.
The stylistic history of the white shirt dates back centuries. From the days of Queen Marie Antoinette being painted in her chemise à la reine, an informal, soft cotton dress that was originally designed to be worn as an undergarment — a bold step towards minimalism and wearing shirting as outerwear — to the days when stiff white shirts with triangular collars and fitted cuts were a symbol of masculinity, wealth and power and were reserved for men in the workplace.
The fate of the white shirt veered in a new direction when it became more affordable, readily available and creatively designed. Gone were the days of it being considered restrictive 9-to-5 attire, and welcomed were the days of the white shirt as a fashion statement for men and women alike.
The white shirt thereupon garnered its early popularity, being worn by the likes of Marilyn
Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. By the 1980s, the presence of the white shirt in popular culture made a serious case for the versatility of the simple garment. From Julia Roberts wearing an unbuttoned, oversized white shirt tied at the waist with rolled-up cuffs in Pretty Woman, to Uma Thurman smoking a cigarette wearing a pointedcollar, wide-cuffed shirt complete with cufflinks in Pulp Fiction. Then, in 1992, Vogue Magazine cemented the relevance of the white shirt with the cover of its