Shirtdress Beginnings The garment owes its origins to the shirtwaist, a Victorian dress style that borrowed heavily from men's shirts. The shirtwaist marked a step away from the fussy, constraining style of the day, and coincided with a burgeoning feminist movement.

1860s The shirtwaist first emerged in the 1860s as a casual, daytime alternative to the matched bodice and skirt ensembles worn by nearly all well-dress women. Most frequently worn by young women, the shirtwaist was usually paired with a dark colored skirt and accessorized with a belt or sash.

A shirtdress is a style of women's dress that borrows details from a man's shirt. These can include a collar, a button front, or cuffed sleeves. Often, these dresses are made up in crisp fabrics including cotton or silk, much like a men's dress shirt would be.

1950s During the 1950s the shirt dress became more of a mainstream look. Its increased popularity was partly down to TV shows such as Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy, in which the housewife protagonists were often seen wearing shirt-style day dresses.

noun. a tailored blouse or shirt worn by women. Also called shirt-dress, shirtwaist dress, shirtwaister. a dress with a bodice and a front opening tailored like those of a dress shirt.

The origins of the shirtwaist dress actually began with the “shirtwaist top” (aka what we now know as the “blouse,” originally fashioned from men's shirts), which emerged in the 1890s as a uniform for the “New Woman, who demanded the same educational and professional opportunities as men.

: a woman's tailored garment (as a dress or blouse) with details copied from men's shirts.

Meaning of button-up in English used to describe a piece of clothing that fastens with a row of buttons up the front: The server uniform was dark denim jeans, a button-up shirt with any striped pattern, and a pair of trainers.

A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers the torso and hangs down over the legs.

The origins of the shirtwaist dress actually began with the “shirtwaist top” (aka what we now know as the “blouse,” originally fashioned from men's shirts), which emerged in the 1890s as a uniform for the “New Woman, who demanded the same educational and professional opportunities as men.

Shirtwaists were modeled on men's shirts, with a collar, cuffs, and buttons down the front. The name comes from the predominant fashion of wearing them tucked into the waist of a skirt. Though they began as practical workwear, shirtwaists came to symbolize the new independence of working women.

Shirtwaists worn by housewives and female factory workers usually were solid white cotton blouses with simple pleating that allowed for mobility. Shirtwaists also served as garments of women office workers, or even as dressier fare. Better quality daytime shirt-waists were made of fine cotton, silk, or linen.

A button-down blouse, the functional shirtwaist was valued for its ready-to-wear, workplace appeal and its simple design, originally modeled on menswear shirts. It could be worn jacketless and fashionably tucked into the waistband of a skirt, and it was sold as both an individual piece and as an ensemble.