In Part Four, Shari is back to revisit the origin of the Shirtwaist, the earliest fashionable sportswear for women!
Towards the end of the Victorian Era the railway made it possible for people to travel to parts of the world that were once out of reach, opening up a whole new world of ideas and pursuits. It was a particularly liberating experience for women. As they were able to explore the world around them, they began to take an interest in a wide variety of outdoor sports, activities, and work opportunities that were once off limits to them.
This sudden liberation had a dramatic effect on the fashion leading up to the Edwardian Period as the highly structured and restrictive clothing of the Victorian Era was cast aside in favor of looser fitting clothing that was easier to wear and launder, allowing women to engage in more active pursuits with a full range of motion and the ability to navigate confined spaces without ones skirts getting in the way.
Although shirtwaists first start to appear in the 1860s, it isn't until closer to the turn of the century that they would become a mainstay in women's wardrobes. Inspired by men's suits, which were by nature less restricting than women's dresses, active women began opting for shorter sleeker skirts that they paired with a suit coat and shirtwaist that were carefully tailored and styled to give them a more feminine appearance. It was the first attempt at sportswear for women. The looser fit of the shirtwaist allowed them to wear less restricting corsets making them feel every bit as liberating as changing from dress clothes to jeans and a tee-shirt is for us today. Because the earliest shirtwaists were made to be worn underneath a suit jacket, they didn't stray much from the original men's shirt design.
Follow along in this video as I show you how I reworked the Liberty Jane Boy Fit Button Up Shirt into an Edwardian Shirtwaist following the instructions laid out in my reproduction book, originally published in 1905, Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques edited by Kristina Harris. It's chock-full of historical sewing techniques!
To keep this reproduction piece truly authentic, I used the French Seam sewing technique for the seams in this pattern. You can see more detail on how to do this in my Smocked Hemd tutorial (Part 3 of the Renaissance Era Topic).
I hope you enjoyed that tutorial and I challenge you to try that out yourself! If you're looking for the perfect pairing for your new shirtwaist, I'd recommend the Thimbles and Acorns Edwardian Bicycle Skirt of course!
A Little More Fashion History...
As a nod to it's inspirational origin, these shirtwaists were always worn with some sort of neck wear that could range from a standard men's tie to a more improvised scarf or sash that was carefully knotted or pinned at the neckline.
This week we have a bonus FREE resource just for you!
Pop over to the SWC Bonuses section to download your PDF copy of the One-Piece Broad Neck Tie pattern.
More on Shirtwaists
The shirtwaist was one of the first women's garments to be sold ready-made in an wide range of fabrics, styles, and price points making them a wardrobe staple for women of all classes, especially younger active women.
Shirtwaists could be tailored with starched collars and cuffs in a masculine style or femininely soft and lightweight, with lace and needlepoint inserts.
In what seemed like a final gasp for Victorian fashion, shirtwaists in the 1890s were made with large puffed sleeves that expanding to sizes that rivaled the enormous balloon sleeves that ushered in the Victorian period in the 1830s before the sleeker more refined styles of the Edwardian period took over.
From Cinnamon... And for a more modern day example... I recently watched the movie Fountain of Youth and was pleasantly surprised to see Natalie Portman wearing a button-up shirt made in the same Liberty Tana Lawn, Poppy Forest print, that we used in our Le Marais pixie pack! And to top it off she was sporting a lovely floral necktie to complete her look! It's fun to see the things we're focusing on pop up in movies or in local shops!
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Bev
May 31, 2025
I’ve been enjoying the historical fashion patterns along with the information of when and how they came into existence. The time period pictures tell a story within themselves.
I too, would like to find a reference chart on fashion color trends.