The White Shirt - The Essential Wardrobe Staple

The white shirt has gone through many changes from when it was first introduced - it was made famous by Marie Antoinette back in the 18th century when she wore a white ruffled cotton robe in a 1783 portrait - back then it was more of an under garment! 

Not so anymore it has morphed into visible outwear.

Up until 1920s the white shirt was only worn by wealthy gentle men but by the 1920 designers like Coco Chanel radicalised the way women dress by making it more relaxed, inclusive and contemporary bringing about a dramatic transformation - I would refer to it as the ' Androgynous effect'.

The white shirt for women became more prominent in the following decades when actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Lauren Bacall wore it in their movies.

This followed in the nineties with the likes of Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and DNKY incorporating the white shirt on their runways.

The white shirt in the 21st century is still very much seen on the catwalk - with different variations to the once classic to avant - garde look to an over -sized shirt one can wear also as a dress.

As a stylist - the white shirt is a must for every woman to have in their wardrobe - especially the classic white shirt - you can never go wrong with - it can be styled in so many ways - it is so versatile in that one wear as work wear and can then dress up with accessories to give a more dressy look.

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