shirtwaist

American  

[shurt-weyst] / ˈʃɜrtˌweɪst /

noun

1. a tailored blouse or shirt worn by women.

2. Also called shirt-dress.  Also called shirtwaist dress,.  Also called shirtwaister.  a dress with a bodice and a front opening tailored like those of a dress shirt.

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Etymology

Origin of shirtwaist

First recorded in 1875–80; shirt + waist

Explanation

A shirtwaist is an old-fashioned blouse that buttons up the front. Shirtwaists were commonly worn by working women in the early 20th century. Shirtwaists were modeled on men's shirts, with a collar, cuffs, and buttons down the front. The name comes from the predominant fashion of wearing them tucked into the waist of a skirt. Though they began as practical workwear, shirtwaists came to symbolize the new independence of working women. They were so popular around the turn of the century that hundreds of east coast factories, including New York City's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, were dedicated to producing them.

Example Sentences

An opening scene shows Gold swapping her designer dress with a refugee’s dirty shirtwaist to allow the woman to blend more easily into society.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2023

Today, a shadowbox containing a miniature shirtwaist dress embroidered with the names of the 146 garment workers killed in the fire marks that address.

From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2021

Early on the five-part limited series named for the designer, played by Ewan McGregor, Halston forlornly realizes that inventing the shirtwaist dress trend wasn't paying the bills.

From Salon • May 14, 2021

Her clothing style ranged, too: shirtwaist cotton dresses, quotidian trouser suits, broad-shouldered designer blazers, formal first lady gowns.

From Washington Post • Jul. 20, 2016

Had the last washing split the shirtwaist so bad it could not take another mend and changed its name to rag?

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison