Improvements in and relating to Shirts.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Shirts.
I, JANET MACGOWAN, of Hill Street, Ardrossan, Ayrshire do hereby declare
the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in shirts, which I
term composite or combination shirts, and specially applicable to woollen or
"Union fabric" shirts, but it might be cotton shirts, with the object of making
them suitable for receiving or portably securing to them linen front breasts of
"dickies," and have other fittings; which will make such shirts more convenient
and useful than they have been as heretofore constructed.
The nature and novelty of the improvements, as applied to this class of shirt
which opens and is attached by a button or stud at the back of the neck, consist in
forming the front breast or "dickie" much as usual, with a front narrow collar
part, and centre stud, which may either be passed through the collar of the shirt or
not, and to which the front ends of the collar would be brought round and attached
and be secured at the back to the upper button or stud of the shirt; and have
slight scollop parts at their extreme ends over the collar bone to take under a cord,
as hereinafter described, attached to the shirt at that part. The outer contour of
the linen breast or "dickie" would preferably be of a pear or semi-egg shape, the
narrow end downwards at the lower part of the breast of the shirt, and the shirt
would have a flap of say from one to two inches broad, preferably of the same
material as the shirt and sewn to it a little out beyond or wider than the edge
contour of the "dickie." This flap would preferably be made double, or double at
its wider outer free edge for the insertion of a drawing cord or cords which would
have their upper ends attached as before stated to the shirt, close on each side of
the collar over the shoulder and scolloped ends of the "dickie" and upper free end
to retain this. The lower ends of the cords would pass out of the double inner
loose drawing edge of the flap through adjacent eyelet holes at the lowest bottom
part, so as to be crossed and drawn tight, which would draw in the "fulness of
the flap at its loose edge and make it lie down flat on the breast of the shirt and
over the outer edges of the "dickie" when it was put on as described, and have its
outer breast part inserted under the flap. The cords would then be drawn tight
and tied or knotted at the lower inner edge of the flap, and retain the dickie tight
and comfortable all round to the shirt. The shirt although opening and buttoning
in the back might be made with stud holes and imitation opening breast in
front and so answer as an ordinary tennis or boating shirt, when the dickie was
not used. The flap might be embroidered or otherwise ornamented to give a
pleasing look to the shirt when used without the "dickie" for such purposes,
and instead of the loose ended tying cords described, as inserted in the loose
drawing edge of the flap, an elastic cord might be inserted, and be stretched
out to place the edges of the dickie under it. And these shirts would be so
made in various sizes with their flaps of various shapes to suit the various sizes
and shapes of "dickies" required.
"
Another improvement consists in sewing to such shirts woollen knitted wrist-
bands which would gently grip the wrists and require no buttons or solitaires
unless for attaching linen cuffs.
By these improvements a composite shirt of this character can be made all
washable without buttons, and with the portable "dickie "present all the appearance
of a white dress shirt.
In some cases folding or hinged spring clip hooks of the character of those
used for gloves, might be attached or sewn to the shirt round the contour edge

page_text: of the "dickie," and made to fold in either to grip the "dickie" itself or fold in
the flap over the "dickie," and so dispense with the drawing cord. When the
dickies are made with approximately square shaped lower ends, slits may be made
at the corners of the new flap parts, so that the cords at the centre would both
draw the side and lower flap-parts tight.
Dated the 21st March 1891
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Shirts.
I, JANET MACGOWAN, of Hill Street, Ardrossan, Ayrshire, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, that is to say :-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in shirts, which I
term composite or combination shirts and specially applicable to woollen or
"Union fabric" shirts, but it might be cotton shirts, with the object of making
them suitable for receiving or portably securing to them linen front breasts or
"dickies," and have other fittings; which will make such shirts more convenient
and useful than they have been as heretofore constructed.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory heet of drawings in which the same reference letters
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1 shows a front fiew of a shirt A, preferably made all of wool or cotton,
with plain breast A and low collar A³, and as formed with my improved flap
fittings for retaining the firess linen "dickies" C thereto.
Figures 14 and 1 show forms of dress “dickies” C, suitable for the form of
shirt shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2 shows a similar shirt to that shown in Figure 1 but formed with an
imitation opening shirt breast at A' and embroidered or ornamented flap a a'.
Figures 3 and 4 show views of a shirt with imitation opening breasts A³, hut
with the lower parts a" of the flap a, as rounded and square respectively to suit a
rounded or square form of "dickie," as shown in Figures 3 and 4ª.
Figure 5 shows a view of a shirt similar to that shown in Figure 2, but with the
collar A made deeper to be able to be used without requiring a dress collar.
Figure 6 shows a view of an arrangement of shirt A in which the tightening
cord is dispensed with, and a button or stud a" used for tightening up the lower
ends all of the flaps a, the upper ends of the flaps a being merely attached to the
lower sides of the collar or shoulder of the shirt at
Figure 7 shows a view of a ladies' Garibaldi bodice as formed with a shirt
breast A and collar of same material and with a frilled flap a to secure a dress
"dickie" and collar as shown in Figure 7. And
Figure 8 shows a view of a Garibaldi bodice or jacket with the shirt breast A³
and collar Athe same as in Figure 7, but giving the flap the character and
appearance of the lapels of a ladies jacket, having its lower ends a" for buttoning
at all
as in Figure 6 over the dress "dickie" shown in Figure 7 when that is
inserted under the flap lapels a.
Referring to these drawings:-The improvements; as applied to this class of
shirt A, which preferably opens up and is attached by a button or stud at the back
of the neck at A¹, consists in forming the front breast or "dickie" C, much as
usual, with a front narrow collar part C¹, with centre hole and stud C2, which may
either be passed through the hole A" in the collar A² of the shirt or not, and in
which the front ends of the dress collar would be brought round and attached to

page_text: this stud C³ and be secured at the back to the upper stud or button of the shirt
at A¹; and the dress "dickies" C have slight scollop parts at their extreme
ends C³, over the collar bone to take under a cord as hereinafter described, attached
to the shirt at that part. The outer contour of the linen breast or "dickie" C, is
of a pear or semi-egg shape, as shown in Figures 1A, 1B, to suit the shirt A shown
in Figure 1, and in Figure 5A to suit the shirts shown in Figures 5 and 6, but
they might be rounded at the lower part e as shown in Figure 34 to suit the
shirts when made as shown in Figure 3 or they might be made square at the
bottom c as shown in Figure 4A to suit the breasts of the shirts when made as
shown in Figure 4. The shirt A has a new or improved flap of say from one
to two inches broad, preferably of the same material as the shirt A, sewn to it a
little out beyond or wider than the edge contour of the "dickie" C, as dotted in
at a'. This flap a is preferably made double, or double at its wider outer free
edge a² for the insertion of a drawing cord or cords which have their upper ends
attached at ¹ as before stated to the shirt A, close on each side of the collar A²,
over the shoulder and scolloped ends C³ of the "dickie" C forming the upper
free ends to retain this. The lower ends of the cords pass out of the double
inner loose drawing edge a² of the flap a through adjacent eyelet or open holes a³
at the lowest opening bottom part of the flap a so as to be crossed and drawn tight,
which would draw in the "fulness" of the flap a at its loose edge a², a², on opposite
sides of the "dickie" C, and make it lic down flat on the breast A of the shirt A,
which is shown plain in Figure 1, and over the outer edges c¹ of the "dickie " C,
when it was put on as described, and have its outer breast part inserted under the
flap a. The cords are then drawn tight and tied or knotted at the lower part A³,
of the shirt A, and inner edge of the flap a and retain the "dickie "C tight and
comfortable all round to the shirt. The shirt A, although made to open and
button at A', in the back might be made with stud holes and imitation opening
breast in front at A5, as shown in Figures 2 to 6, and so answer as an ordinary
tennis or boating shirt, when the “dickie" C was not used. The flap a might be
embroidered or otherwise ornamented, as shown at a in Figure 2, to give a
pleasing look to the shirt A when used without the "dickie" C, for such purposes,
and instead of the loose ended tying cords 6 described, as inserted in the loose
drawing edge a² of the flap a, an elastic cord might be inserted and be loosened or
stretched out as shown in Figure 1, to place the edges of the "dickie" C under it.
And these shirts A would be so made in various sizes with their flaps a of various
shapes to suit the various sizes and shapes of "dickies" C required. When the
" dickies C, are made with approximately square shaped lower ends e as shown
in Figure 44 slits may be made at the corners a' of the new flap parts a so that
the cords passing out through the cyelet holes a³ at the centre as shown in
Figure 4, would draw both the side flap parts a and lower parts at a tight
over the edges c of the dickie C. In some cases the cord may be dispensed
with, and the lower ends of the flap a buttoned over a stud a as shown in
Figure 6, or no slit or opening A³ need be formed at this part, as shown in
Figure 3, although the cord may be retained for tying the frilling flap a tight
or be retained without a tying knot to prevent the edge a² of the frilling flap
from stretching.
"
Figures 7 and 8 show the improved flap a as applied to ladies bodices and
Garibaldies in the form of a frill and lapel flap a, respectively, for inserting
and securing the dressed "dickie" and collar shown in Figure 74. In Figure 7
the frill passes round the back of the collar and dress with the tightening cord b
through its upper frilled edge a² while in Figure 8 the lower ends all of the
lapels are only shown as secured by a button or hook at all over the "dickie" C.
The "dickie' in this application has no scolloped end or end parts at C³, but
is continued right round to join the collar at C at the back, to prevent the
dress being seen at these parts under the frill or lapel a. These flaps a, for
securing dress "dickies" and collars may similarly be applied to ladies tennis
shirts, blouses, bodies of dresses, gowns, robes and the like.

page_text: 66
In some cases folding or hinged spring clip hooks of the character of those
used for gloves, might be attached or sewn to the shirt or garment round the
contour edge of the dickie," and made to fold in either to grip the "dickie
itself or fold in the flap over the "dickie" and so dispense with the drawing cord.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
"
First. The forming of a shirt or like garment with a flap or flaps for over-
lapping and securing the outer edges of a separate "dickie or dress breast,
substantially as herein described in reference to and by way of application shown
in the accompanying drawings.
Second. The forming of a shirt or like garment with a flap or flaps for over-
lapping the outer edges of a separate "dickie" or dress breast in combination with
a tightening up and securing cord or equivalent device, substantially as herein
described in reference to and by way of application shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Third. Shirts or like garments fitted with a flap or flaps which overlaps and
secures a separate dickie or dress. breast part, substantially as herein described, in
reference to and by way of application shown in the accompanying drawings..
Dated the 21st December 1891.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.