A Mans Most Coveted Item

When someone says, “what do men wear?” perhaps the item that comes to mind first, is a crisp white dress shirt. It has been a staple in a man’s wardrobe for as long as any data has been documented, it is therefore difficult to imagine a world without them. As the new era is quickly changing, and athleisure gaining popularity by the masses in the western world, there will be products leaving shelves at department stores, though not the white buttoned down dress shirt, that’s here to stay!

A DRESS SHIRT IS BORN.

In the year 3467 BCE. Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1913 discovered in a tomb a cloth shirt that was spun from linen and flax which was recently dated all the way back to 3467 BCE.

BUTTONED DOWN DRESS SHIRTS ARE INCORPERATED.

In the year 1863, buttons were sewn on to dress shirts for the very first time reported. The British tailor Brown Davis & Co. patented this idea of buttons to be placed on a dress shirt for a more sophisticated look and prestigious design. 

THE WHITE DRESS SHIRT EARNS STATUS.

In the year 1876, the term that is frequently used nowadays ‘white collar worker’ started to be heard on the streets of business. As companies began growing into a more corporate system as we have today there was a need to differentiate between the common worker and the higherups in the company, so it happened that companies would ask their prestigious employees to wear white dress shirts to work, hence, the term ‘white collar worker’. Now, the reason it was chosen that the color be white of the dress shirt, was to show a signal of wealth by being able to stay clean in a white dress shirt all day. Being that in those days it was most common for folks to where dark colored clothing being that they were working hard manual labor on mills railroads and the like. So if you were In a pristine white dress shirt all day, that was a signal of wealth.

STRIPED DRESS SHIRTS BEGIN.

In the year 1907, The company Cluett & Arrow, posted an advertisement with two men wearing striped dress shirts. At the time this was considered a controversial ad, as dress shirts were associated with solids, so to change that was much. Also, being that the striped dress shirts has the ability to conceal dirt, at the time it was more frowned upon. Though, as time went on the striped dress shirt gained some popularity and began to be accepted. It is important to note, the white dress shirt still reigned, as it continues to until this very day!

PERMANENT COLLARS AND CHEST POCKETS.

In the 1940s, people were getting tired of changing the removable collar on their shirts every day, and about then the permanent collar became a standard feature in a dress shirt. Previously, people would have to switch the collars of their dress shirt every single day. In the 40s, chest pockets became standard features on dress shirts as well (how evolving lol). The reason for this creation was, the Bell coats and Duster coats etc. started losing popularity and they had many pockets in them, so it was thought to give a man some space for pens and papers etc. so the chest pocket was added.

NON-IRON DRESS SHIRTS START.

In the year 1953, Dr. Ruth Benerito, who was a chemist working for the Dept. of agriculture of the United States, started to concoct various chemicals with cotton for a project he was working on, at some point he soaked cotton materials in formaldehyde and mixed them with different resins, he then discovered by doing this it creates a stiffness in cotton, and from there the non-iron dress shirt we know today was conceived.

Our team of shirtmakers work extensive hours researching the constant evolving technologies of a non-iron dress shirt, and make sure to implement the best of it for you! So come check out our brand. ATICA.