WEARING WELL
Stories of the clothes we love SHIRT DRESS
“A sense of occasion – and sleeves to stop red shoulders in the sun”
Packing for a holiday, I realised that all of my favourite summer dresses are, in fact, shirt dresses. Squished into my wheelie case was a classic flared silhouette covered in a pineapple print, a couple of maxilength numbers – one particular goodie with an abundance of pleats – and another with a fabulously swishy skirt. In theory, all very different dresses but there’s no denying that they’re all cut from the same cloth of inspiration.
The shirt dress is my summer staple. I like the wide lapels, the nipped-in waist, the sense of occasion that comes from a flared skirt. Or, in the case of the straight-skirted number, the easy answer to first-thing-in-themorning clothing decisions. All this and the sleeves stop you from getting red shoulders in the sun.
For what is, perhaps, the ideal holiday dress, they’ve a history in workwear: nurses, governesses and nannies all wore them in the early 20th century, before it evolved into daywear. But, actually, a button-fronted dress was revolutionary: wealthier women could dress themselves without relying on their maid’s labour. It paved the way for a new kind of freedom.
Practicality persevered, however, particularly during WW2, when the shirt dress became the Utility Dress. It could be easily adapted to save on labour and resources. Turn ups and pockets were done away with to save on fabric, the number of buttons was reduced, and women cleverly accessorised their wartime shirt dresses with patches and embroidery to make them more individual.
Post-war however, Christian Dior did away with all that utility with his ‘New Look’. He went all in on the glamour, using swathes of gathered fabric, giving people the excess that they so badly craved. The utility shirt dress shape was there, but no one could ever call it understated. It was transformed.
To me, today’s shirt dresses maintain a little bit of that magic. Dior was right about that swish. While it’s unlikely that you’ll stumble upon any vintage 1940s Dior in your local charity shop – although let’s never give up hope – you’ll find an abundance of vintage shirt dresses from different decades. Or there’s the pleated maxi shirt dresses from Amsterdam-based brand Fabienne Chapot or the classic Collectif ‘Caterina’ style. All far removed from their utility roots and still feel fresh and bright. There’ll always be a print and fabric that feels summer ready.