Keep your shirt on !

History, function, codes and characteristics of blouses, bodices and vests

Give the shirt off your back, don’t lose your shirt, keep your shirt on, change your shirt, a stuffed shirt... these colloquial expressions show that, over the years, the shirt was considered to be a garment intimately linked with everyday living.

Worn next to the body but visible, the shirt had two important roles: hygiene and protection for the body and indicating social status. Always accessorized or accompanied by a vest, the shapes, fabrics and details on shirts, blouses and bodices have evolved to become part of a coded wardrobe that defines a rich vocabulary, often forgotten in modern times.

This premise is the basis for the third book in our "Grammar of Western clothing" series that illustrates the rules and characteristics typical of garments from yesterday and today.

To read this book, relax and take off your jacket to discover blouses, bodices and vests... but keep your shirt on!