Blouse
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A blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that was formerly worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women and children.[1] It is typically gathered at the waist (by a waistband or belt) so that it hangs loosely ("blouses"[2]) over the wearer's body.[3] Today, the word most commonly refers to a woman's shirt[4] but can also refer to a man's shirt if it is a loose-fitting style (e.g. poet shirts and Cossack shirts).[5] Traditionally, the term has been used to refer to a shirt which blouses out or has an unmistakably feminine appearance.
The term is also used for some men's military uniform jackets.[6]
Description and History
Blouses (Pronouced Blause or blooze) are histricly a cask style, mostly mail-like garment, that were rarely part of the fashionable woman's wardrobe until the 1890s. Before that time, they were occasionally popular for informal wear in styles that echoed peasant or traditional clothing, such as the Garibaldi shirt 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) workforce of the 1890s, especially for those employed in office work. In the 1900s and 1910s, elaborate blouses, such as the "lingerie blouse" (so-called because they were heavily decorated with lace and embroidery in a style formerly restricted to underwear) and the "Gibson Girl blouse" with tucks and pleating, became immensely popular for daywear and even some informal evening wear. Since then, blouses have remained a wardrobe staple and since then, so by now blouses have not ceased to be fixed in the 'poular cloakroom' style.
Blouses are often made of cotton or silk cloth and may or may not include a collar and sleeves. They are generally more tailored than simple knit tops, and may contain feminine details such as ruffles, a tie or a soft bow at the neck, or embroidered decorations.
Tailoring provides a closer fit to the wearer's shape. This is achieved with sewing of features such as princess seams or darting in the waist and/or bust.
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Blouses (and many women's shirts with buttons) usually have buttons 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 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 man'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.
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Although in all the cases proposed the reasons for the distinction no longer exist, it continues out of custom or tradition.
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 blouses do not have a top button at all, and collars are styled to be open. They also form part of some nations' traditional folk costume.
The "good blouse" concept is part of the nightlife's clothes and a status symbol of the so-called "elegant woman" who was wearing it at least on Sundays in the Church formerly. Today is the blouse, important other than its use as a formal office wardrobe, and is often used as a colorful garment among many that also is likely to put openly is worn over a T-Shirt or a knitted top.
Post WW2 styles
Various new and different forms of collar emerged in the 1920’s. They diminished in sizes by the 1950's, but were huge in the 1930's. At the beginning of the 1970s rounded collar, sausage dog collar, then extra wide collar and double cuffs from shirts, that fell on them often from fashions relating to synthetic fabrics like usually polyester. The fashion of standing and federal collar, loops, rounded collars, haemoglobin collars and the smallest collar, sometimes with concealed button fly on a "smoking blouse", attached folds and stressed set-in-followed in the 1980s. Again, thin and often shining synthetic fibres were very popular. Towards the end of the 20th Century they were extra-long blouses of pants or skirt worn, optionally combined with a wide, wide belt around the waist in the Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, the UK, South Africa and the USA.
Sleeves had been shortened during the early 1950's to the ½ and ¼ length in Europe. They were reduced again in the mid 1990's and are now regularly at the ⅞, ½, ⅓ and ¼ length around the world. Sleeveless tops were fashionable and a topical item in Western Europe and America during the mid-2000's.
Many fashionable styles of both the 1970s and 1980's were on the go again after the Millennium in the blouse fashion: double cuffs, extra wide pointed collar, belt around the waist, synthetic fibre and the like. Often the blouses also embroidery or 'crystal stocking', have especially on collar and string. The blouses with the so-called three-quarter arm were a striking phenomenon of the 1990s. Blouses can be combined well and easily with a [[blazer], tank top, bolero or sweater, with or without some colourful silks or bead chain necklaces.
Eco movement
There was also the women who felt the then growing Eco movement's part, far cut 'also folk blouses' from rough and natural materials such as flax, linen and cotton men also use these 'Frisian blouses' on occasion.
The Fishing blouse (clothing) is today the term "(purse) blouse" is still in the area of military clothing is worn for a part of the uniform with epaulets - of the trousers , also for working clothes (milker’s blouse, Mariniere, Frisian blouse). It is known but the term in the above classical clothing.
A body blouse (or blouse body) is a blouse, which, as a body, the front step range through associated with the back piece. So, can slip the blouse from the skirt or pants cut figure and is always perfect.
Islam
Some Muslim sects [who?] 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.
The blouse jacket or blouson
The blouse jacket, a new style of manschettenlose blouse made of stronger material or with inner lining, which can be worn alone or as a jacket of a top is related to.
The Choli
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A choli (Hindi: चोली), (ravike in South India Telugu: రవికె, Kannada: ರವಿಕೆ) is a midriff-baring blouse shell garment in the Indian sari costume worn in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and other countries where the sari is worn. The choli is cut to fit tightly to the body and has short sleeves and a low neck. The choli is usually cropped, allowing exposure of the navel; the cropped design is particularly well-suited for wear in the hot South Asian summers. Cut-out backs and front-opening buttons are some of the features of contemporary designs.
Saris are often woven with an extra length of material meant to be cut off and fashioned into a matching choli. The choli may be sewn so that the elaborately woven borders of the sari material form the bottom edges of the choli sleeves. However, cholis need not match the sari. There is a growing trend towards stretchy, comfortable cholis made from knit materials.
Expensive designer cholis are sewn with padding and reinforcements so that a bra is not needed and backless or off-the-shoulder cholis can be worn with ease.
Women of the Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar & Haryana countryside may also wear the choli with a skirt, or lehnga. Their cholis are often loosely fitted and heavily ornamented with embroidery and mirror work, or shisha embroidery.
When wearing a semi-transparent kameez, women usually wear a sleeveless choli as an undergarment similar to a camisole or a bustier.
Office dress codes usually prohibit cropped, sleeveless cholis; similarly, women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist.
Some Western women have started wearing the choli as part of their belly dance costume. They typically wear backless cholis (held together with strings) so that the audience can see a dancer's bare back as she sways.
Backless cholis have become a fashion in India after the movie Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, in which Madhuri Dixit wears one.
A lehenga is a skirt worn with a choli, also gopi skirt. While women of the Gujarat and Rajasthan provinces of India usually represent the outfit for foreigners, the lehenga is native to several other parts of India too. Depending on which part of India one is referring to, the lehenga is worn in different styles, made of different fabrics and includes unique patterns. The lehenga of Rajasthan and Gujarat is known for its bandhni work which is a technique in tie-dye mastered by Hindu women of the region. In the Southern states of India, the lehenga skirt is not as voluminous and is worn without a chunni/chunri but with a kurti that covers the midriff. The lehenga worn in the Northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarkhand has a voluminous skirt and kurti/choli that covers midriff with a long chunni. Another version of the lehenga is the lachcha, which is a voluminous skirt like pants worn with a kurti.
The Dirndl
A woman wearing a Dirndl with white blouse is usual in Bracaria and rural Austria. They are usually made of light fabric (textile), such as silk or cotton thin, until the early 1990s still often from soft covered by art faserstoffen (such as polyester and satin). They often have fanciful decorations (such as frills, embroidery, or grinding) and are a classic among the women's blouses - here the fashionable combination possibilities are especially varied. The open Spaten-or lapel collar is another common type of a classic ladies blouse.
Word meaning
Blouse is a Loanword to English from French: blouse means "Hydraulically carrier coat". It should be a small present French Crusaders . They moved on their armor a so-called "p(e)lusisches style", a blue-colored gowns to the dust, which had its name from the Egyptian town of Pelusium . Perhaps it is but also of prov. Lano-lano "wool", blouso "short wool" and blos, blouse "deprived, naked" takrn off.
Gallery
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Women dancing in choli-lehnga outfits
References
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- ^ The Concise Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/blouse
- ^ The Concise Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ http://www.apparelsearch.com/glossary_b_3_textile.htm
- ^ Gavenas, Mary Lisa. The Fairchild Encyclopedia of Menswear (2008), p.47. ISBN 978-1563674655
- ^ http://toysforkidsvt.com/index.php/marine-dictionary