Print it Out
Let’s get right into this cursive printed shirtdress. While I ordinarily opt for a more fitted look, I went up a size to have the dress lay over my baby bump for extra length, a more comfortable feel, and so my belly wasn’t as noticeable. This piece is designed to be cinched at the waistline and slightly puff out at the hips to create those curvy lines. You can grab this one from here.
So where does the modern-day shirtdress come from? This style was started back just before the 1950’s and they were primarily longer versions of a man’s shirt. They consisted of the elements of a typical dress shirt (a collar, a button front, and cuffed sleeves), but were usually belted for a more flattering, feminine appeal since they weren’t made with cinched waistlines. But as all things in the world work, someone had to come up with a more chic version of this staple. Out with the old, in with the new…
Along came Christian Dior’s post-World War II “New Look” couture designs, which included a new take on the shirtdress with a full skirt and cropped sleeves – a much more informal version. With each new-coming decade, revised versions continued to pour out. In the 60’s, the full skirt was thrown out for a shorter, more leggy dress, and you would often find this in thicker fabrics, like corduroy or denim. Like it’s predecessors, the 70’s shirtdress style continued, but with more tailored cuts and BOLD prints, oftentimes eye-wateringly clashing. The 80’s was an expressive time where people really liked to live out loud, especially through their choices of wardrobe – our beloved lovechild shirtdress was no exception to this and was yet again altered for the decade with puffy sleeves and a longer skirt again, but in odd color palettes. From the 90’s up to the current 2000’s, things look fairly similar with small changes to keep things modern with our quickly ever-changing trends of the moment.
