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The shirt dress

The shirt dress

25/04/2023

A staple in our closets, but how much do you really know about it?

The shirt dress is a clear favorite in our wardrobes for its combination of comfort and femininity, along with the fact that it can be adapted to any body shape. But it is also the perfect example of how the evolution of fashion is never an isolated event.

Although the origins of the garment come from what we now know as a blouse, the first shirt dresses as such did not appear until World War I, in the form of a work garment for nannies, waitresses, nurses, and factory workers, along with the beginning of a new woman: working and free. In practical terms, it was a buttoned-up front dress rather than the back, which released the servants’ help and allowed for a more independent and functional lifestyle.

Throughout the 1940s, the shirtdress was more commonly known as a house dress and was worn on a daily basis by all kinds of women. It was the United States that made it their own, starting its mass production, so much so that the fashion magazine Vogue, in 1938, declared the garment as “an American institution”.

The shirtdress developed over the ensuing decades as the economy picked up, from a more feminine and completed skirt in the 1950s, thanks to Christian Dior's iconic 'New Look', to the popular epaulettes and long sleeves of the eighties. The look ushered in a new generation of glamor and changed the language of the shirtdress from purely daytime to nighttime.

Currently, we can find many variations of this dress, but they all have two unalterable elements: the shirt-like collar and the buttons that go all the way. Below, we show you some examples that have taken television by storm recently and will make you fall in love, as much as we do, with this incredible garment.

Sarah Jessica Parker in 'Just Like That'

We couldn't not mention the iconic Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, in the reboot of the famous series And Just Like That. In this case, Bradshaw appears in a spectacular shirt dress, signed by Carolina Herrera, with low fullness and paired with a studded belt that contrasts the classicism of the garment. A look that confirms that this kind of relaxed choice can also be sophisticated.

Aubrey Plaza in 'White Lotus'

Looking like the leading lady in a black-and-white Italian film, Harper, played by Aubrey Plaza in the hit series White Lotus, wears a vintage Moschino pleated shirtdress, combined with a cashmere scarf, a gold necklace, and sneakers. A very 60s look that brings comfort and elegance in equal parts.

Jordan Alexander in 'Gossip Girl'

Jordan Alexander, who plays the it girl Julien Calloway in the Gossip Girl reboot, wears, in one of the episodes, a mini shirt dress with a neck bow and floral sequin lace, signed by Valentino. A totally different option from the previous ones, confirming that the shirt dress can also be a formal and festive alternative.