Victorian-Style Shirts for Men
- Many men's shirts of the 19th century, according to Gentleman's Emporium, online sellers of authentic historical clothing, were pullover styles made of cotton and cut full. Though dress shirts featured lace and embroidery on the cuffs and neck openings during the early part of the period, such frills were rarely seen after the 1860s, writes Joan Nunn in her book "Fashion in Costume, 1200-2000." They were replaced by shirt fronts that were plain, starched to stiff perfection and fastened with decorative studs. Collars were separate from the shirts and highly starched.
- Though colored patterns might be seen in a man's collection of informal shirts, "the fine white shirt was touted as the mark of a gentleman," according to online clothing retailer Victorian Bazaar. Nunn relays that blue and pink stripes became acceptable in the 1890s, and as long as the collar was white, were considered "in perfectly good form," even with frock coats. Though solid, colored shirts were more common among working men, some artistic and unconventional gentlemen preferred them as well. One such gentleman recognized by Nunn is artist, writer and textile designer William Morris, who had a shirt dyed indigo blue for himself.
- Shirts made to accept detachable collars allowed a man to swap a dirty collar for one that was crisp and clean. The need for this convenience is explained in "The Victorian Gentleman's Personal Guide" at the Gentleman's Emporium website: "Since washing machines were not available clothing was washed much more infrequently than today. As a result men wore band collar shirts and for dress occasions added a separate collar and cuff."
- Instead of wearing bibs to protect their shirts from spills and stains, men donned them to hide damage that was already done. Also called dickeys, these bibs were shirt fronts of starched linen that were attached to a collar and worn over flannel shirts. Frowned upon and never worn by gentlemen, these bibs were often "a source of humor or ridicule," writes Nunn.