The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-30
EVOLUTION or TIE sHIRTf.
Advent and Prosress ofthe smooth Bosom
= shirt--A Pieated shirt Revival.

'S"ES-A rlehteu bnirt Revival.
When the old fashioned pleated bosom
shirt, once generally worn, finally gave
way to the modern smooth bosom shirt, ="
said the shirtmaker, there we're made In
the new shirts eyelet holes for studs; the
pleated bosom shirt had been commonly
made with buttonholes and buttons, to
button.
Some OF the modern smooth bosom
shirts were made with solid bosom, with
double eyed pleat down the middle to
give 1t a finish, this shirt opening In the hack
a radical departure from the old time
shirt, which invariably opened in the front.
The open back solid bosom shirt came into
very wide and extensive use and 1t is still
sold to some extent, though not nearly
in the numbers that II once was.
In the solid bosom shirt, In which studs
were set for ornament. or to relieve the broad
expanse Of the shirt front, the eyelet hole
was all right; for there the stud had to be
screwed through only single thick ness OF
bosom. But In the open front, or so-called
dress shirt, 1t was different. In that, OF
course, the stud served the purpose Of a
button also, and it had to be screwed
through both parts OF the bosom.
Shirt ironing is an art, and decided skill
and care are required in ironing an open
front eyeletted shirt In such manner as
to make the eyelets exactly meet. One
part OF the bosom may easily be stretched
out, In the ironing, to be q quarter of an
inch or more longer than the other, with
the result that the eyelets do not come
under each other, but are that far apart
In shirt SO ironed it was difficult work to
SIT the studs through both eyelets, and
when the stud had been put in place the two
parts OF the shirt bosom did not lie fat
and smooth, but the outer part pulled up
and rounded out between the studs.
TO overcome this tendency the shirt
makers took to making In the under part Of
the open front bosom instead of an eyelet
buttonhole-like OPT ming for the screw of
the stud, this longer opening giving some
room for the shank of the stud to play In
and so helping to equalize the two parts of
the bosom of shirt not perfectly ironed,
and 80 to make them lie fiat.
Later the eyelet In the upper or outer
part Of the bosom also was changed to
buttophole- like slit, giving still freer
play of the two Parts ot the bosom on the
shank of the stud and helping still further to
make the two parts lie fiat and smooth as
they should do, And now the stud openings
are made with those in the outer part of the
bosom in vertical line, while those in the
under part are cut horizontally, giving
play On the shank of the stud not only
endwise of the shirt bosom, but crosswlse
as we'll.
And now the open front shirt is opened
down into the body of the shirt for an inch
mr. tuyN InlN he Df he
giving the bosom still more play on the
studs, thus h lping sJill further to keep
the bosom fiat. With these improvement
in the construction of shirts i; Is now pos.
sole TO buy even moderate priced, made
up shirt whose bosom will fit properly
after laur dering.
Another Improvement In dress shirts
consists in what is called the ST lii collar
band. People were disturbed by the chat
ing of the base Of their back collar button
OH their necks, and the split collar band
did away with that.
The split collar band il double or
folded over band, with the buttonhole for
the collar button made through the outer
fold only The base OF the button rests
against the inner fold, which keeps it clear
OF the neck entirely.
when the modern smooth bosomed
shirt came into use the commonly used
shirt stud was the screw stud What with
the repeated twistings required 10 turn o.
the bosom, as we'll as of cluunl ling it, ana
TO avoid this there was invented the dress
shirt that opened in the back as well as the
front. You screwed the studs into tbs
open front shirt before you put il on wheu
you had it where you could handle l. to the
greatest advantage.
THE ne was a II odsrn shirt, sure ly--th,
shirt that OPP ned front and back, too;
and this shirt came into Ext nsive u.s. as
it still rtmains. though now the drss shirt
ct least. in larger nun,bc rs than the op n
front land hack shirt, and the proportion
OF OPP n-front-only Dir SIS shirts is all tn
tir-ie incrr asing. In oth'r cities and 'ls.-
where the sale Of the open-front -and-back
shirt still CONTINUES large, but with the
proportion OF OPP n-front-only shirts every
VIII re incrs asinG.
9Th" scr'w stud has zone out and with
II have rome the difficulti's attending its
use, which lNd to tn" introduction Of the
shirt OPP ning front and back; Improve
as IA shrs and n s sn Of fGas ass
is so contrivcd that II can EASILY be plac d
in a shirt bosom without ar of n ussini
or soiling it, And now the dr. AZ shirt in
favor. and with its favor growing, is the
shirt that OPENS front only.
rWhilo smooth bosonG' q shirts have thus,
in one form and another. practically sup
plants d the old time pleat'd bosom shirt,
yet tho plc at.d bosom has never rene
wholly out Of use, and just now II Is having
a little revival Their wrr older rontle-
men who, when the smooth bosomed shirts
came in, chung TO tho plt atcd bosom shirts
from. force Of habit or be cause they like d
thom better anyway, and there were parte
of the country in which thy wern still
rora or ] ss pr ferr d. And now pl atcd
bosom shirts are in favor overywhcr"
with younger mon as we'll, for W. ar with
dinner coats. with a turnover collar and
black tie.
and very appropriate ard comfortable
they are with such costur e., too, a,
some your ger n'er are now wearir & pleated
front white shirts with brsi ess clothes.
BIT the SLY, srooth nh, ho tSo s ed 1hirt
tail coat a d even II the pleated hosor
shirt shorld agar corre- d itself for or
div any wear, there Is ore thir g, that alore
would now probably prevent Its ge,, eral
adoption, ard that is the cost of its laun-
dering q. II costs twice as much 20 haze a
fire pleated bosom shirt Numbered as it
does for the laundering Of smooth bos-
orr shirt.
hosor, nA1igee shirts but / don't look