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The word blouse most commonly refers to a woman's shirt
Shirt

A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an item of Undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become in American English a catch-all term for almost any upper-body garment other than outerwear such as sweaters or Coat , or undergarments such as brassiere ....
 , although the term is also used for some men's military uniform jackets.

Description and History
Blouses were rarely part of the fashionable woman's wardrobe until the 1890s
1890s in fashion

Fashion in the 1890s in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by long elegant lines, tall collars, and the rise of sportswear....
. Before that time, they were occasionally popular for informal wear in styles that echoed peasant
Peasant

A peasant is an agriculture worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground. The word is derived from 15th century French language pa?sant meaning one from the pays, or rural, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district ....
 or tradition
Tradition

The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means "handing over, passing on", and is used in a number of ways in the English language:...
al clothing, such as the Garibaldi shirt
1860s in fashion

1860s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by extremely full-skirted women's fashions relying on crinolines and hoop skirt and the emergence of "alternative fashions" under the influence of the Artistic Dress movement....
 of the 1860s.

During the later Victorian period, blouses became common for informal, practical wear.






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Blouse
The word blouse most commonly refers to a woman's shirt
Shirt

A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an item of Undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become in American English a catch-all term for almost any upper-body garment other than outerwear such as sweaters or Coat , or undergarments such as brassiere ....
 , although the term is also used for some men's military uniform jackets.

Description and History


Blouses were rarely part of the fashionable woman's wardrobe until the 1890s
1890s in fashion

Fashion in the 1890s in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by long elegant lines, tall collars, and the rise of sportswear....
. Before that time, they were occasionally popular for informal wear in styles that echoed peasant
Peasant

A peasant is an agriculture worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground. The word is derived from 15th century French language pa?sant meaning one from the pays, or rural, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district ....
 or tradition
Tradition

The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means "handing over, passing on", and is used in a number of ways in the English language:...
al clothing, such as the Garibaldi shirt
1860s in fashion

1860s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by extremely full-skirted women's fashions relying on crinolines and hoop skirt and the emergence of "alternative fashions" under the influence of the Artistic Dress movement....
 of the 1860s.

During the later Victorian period, blouses became common for informal, practical wear. A simple blouse with a plain skirt was the standard dress for the newly expanded female (non-domestic
Domestic worker

A domestic worker, domestic, servingman, servingwoman, or servant is one who works, and often also lives, within the employer's household....
) workforce of the 1890s, especially for those employed in office
Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people employment, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty....
 work. In the 1900s
1900s in fashion

Fashion in the period 1900-1909 in European and European-influenced countries continued the long elegant lines of the 1890s in fashion. Tall, stiff collars characterize the period, as do women's broad hats and full "Gibson girl" hairstyles....
 and 1910s
1910s in fashion

Fashion in the years 1910-1919 is characterized by a rich and exotic opulence in the first half of the decade in contrast with the somber practicality of garments worn during the World War I....
, elaborate blouses, such as the "lingerie
Lingerie

Lingerie is a term for fashionable and alluring women's undergarments. It derives from the French word linge, "washables" ? as in faire le linge, "do the laundry" ? and ultimately from lin for washable linen, the fabric from which European undergarments were made before the general introduction of cotton from Egypt and then...
 blouse" (so-called because they were heavily decorated with lace
Lace

Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric....
 and embroidery
Embroidery

File:Kazakh rug chain stitch embroidery.jpgEmbroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating Textile or other materials with sewing needle and yarn....
 in a style formerly restricted to underwear) and the "Gibson Girl
Gibson Girl

File:Gibson Girl.pngThe Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal as portrayed in the satirical pen and ink illustrated stories created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a twenty year period spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States....
 blouse" with tucks and pleat
Pleat

A pleat is a type of fold formed by doubling textile back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference....
ing, became immensely popular for daywear and even some informal evening wear. Since then, blouses have remained a wardrobe staple.

Blouses are often made of cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
 or silk
Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
 cloth and may or may not include a collar
Collar (clothing)

In clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. A collar may also be a separate or detachable accessory worn around the neck....
 and sleeve
Sleeve

Sleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. Originally invented to serve as a snot-rag or handy handkerchief; the pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period....
s. They are generally more tailored than simple knit tops, and may contain feminine
Feminine

Feminine, or femininity, normally refers to qualities positively associated with women.Feminine may also refer to:*Feminine , a grammatical gender...
 details such as ruffle
Ruffle

In sewing and dressmaking, a ruffle, frill, or furbelow is a strip of textile, lace or ribbon tightly gather or pleated on one edge and applied to a clothing, bedding, curtain or other textile as a form of trim ....
s, a tie
Tie

Tie may refer to:* Necktie* Tie , a finish to a competition with identical results, particularly sports* Tie , a strong component designed to keep two objects closely linked together...
 or a soft bow
Bow (knot)

A bow, meaning a sort of knot, can mean:-*See rosette .*Bow tie: a piece of decorative clothing .*An ornamental knot made of ribbon*A knot like a reef knot but with one or both ends folded back through so they can be easily pulled out, as often used on shoes: see...
 at the neck
Neck

The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The scientific term signifying "of the neck" is nuchal....
, or embroidered decorations
Embroidery

File:Kazakh rug chain stitch embroidery.jpgEmbroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating Textile or other materials with sewing needle and yarn....
.

Tailoring provides a closer fit to the wearer's shape. This is achieved with sewing of features such as princess seams
Princess seams

Princess seams are long rounded seams sewn into women's blouses or shirts to add shaping or a tailored fit to a closely follow a woman's shape. They are sewn into the front and/or back of a shirt, and extend from the waist up to the arms....
 or darting
Dart (sewing)

Darts are folds sewn into fabric to help provide a three-dimensional shape to a garment. They are frequently used in women's clothing to provide a fit that closely follows the shape of the wearer....
 in the waist and/or bust.

Blouses (and many women's shirts with buttons) usually have button
Button

In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small disc, typically round, object usually attached to an article of clothing in order to secure an opening, or for fashion....
s reversed from that of men's shirts(except in the case of male military fatigues). That is, the buttons are normally on the wearer's left-hand and the buttonholes are on the right. The reasons for this are unclear, and while several theories exist none have conclusive evidence. Some suggest this custom was introduced by launderers so they could distinguish between women's and men's shirts. One theory purports that the tradition arose in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 when one manner of manifesting wealth was by the number of buttons one wore. Another that the original design was based on armour which was designed so that a right-handed opponent would not catch their weapon in the seam and tear through, and also that a person could draw a weapon with their right-hand without catching it in a loose seam of their own clothes. Female servants were in charge of buttoning their mistress's gowns (since the buttons were usually in the back). They tired of attempting to deal with buttons that were, from their point of view, backwards and as such they started reversing the placement when making or repairing them. Another possible reason is so men can easily undo blouses as, from the front, buttons are on the same side as a men's shirt. One other theory is that women were normally dressed by their maids, while men dressed themselves. As such, women's blouses were designed so it could be easily buttoned by the maid but that of men were designed so it could be easily buttoned by the person wearing it.

Although in all the cases proposed the reasons for the distinction no longer exist, it continues out of custom
Convention (norm)

A convention is a set of agreement, stipulated or generally accepted standards, norm , norm or criterion, often taking the form of a Custom ....
 or tradition
Tradition

The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means "handing over, passing on", and is used in a number of ways in the English language:...
.

While most women prefer to have the top button open for better comfort, some blouses made for women have looser necklines so the top button can be fastened without compromising comfort, but giving the same stylish appearance.

Some women attach various pins and ornaments to their blouses over a fastened top button for style. Some of these attach directly to the button itself, others to the collars.

Some religions require women to wear blouses with the top buttons fastened while in public for modesty. Members of these religions who find this uncomfortable will often circumvent this requirement by wearing a crew-neck or mock turtleneck shirt under their blouse.

Some blouses do not have a top button at all, and collars are styled to be open.