White Shirts of Yesterday and Today

Take advantage of the gorgeous summer weather and wear a cute white dress. Nothing is better than having the nice feel of a cotton dress against the skin. Our beautiful white dresses will make any girl happy especially our little ones who will feel like princesses!

At the Bastille...

The Parisians are hungry! In France the price of bread has never been so high! For many weeks now people have been gathering on the streets staging angry protests, a revolt is in the works

On the morning of 14 July 1789 a crowd of store owners and artisans decide they are going to go on a search for weapons and so they go to The Invalides where a large stock of weapons are stored. The convince the governor to let them in and he opens the doors for them where they find 28,000 guns and 20 torches but no gun powder...where can they find it?

"Let's go to the Bastille!" they cry and the large mob heads towards the Bastille where they think they can find gun powder...

Thus begins the first day of the French Revolution. Each year this day is celebrated in France as a national holiday. It represents liberty and all the values that La République holds near and dear and which led them to overthrow the monarchy back in the 18th century.

In towns all over France recreations of this event are held each year. Lots of our white shirts can be used as costumes for these events if you'd like to organize one in your town ! If not wear the white shirt just to feel revolutionary! The white Danton shirt is one of our favorites...

In the 3rd century the Romans were already wearing white linen clothing that we can consider as the "ancestor" of the white shirts we know today. We can also point out that the word 'candidate' comes from the Latin "candidus" meaning white- the candidates running for office in Rome wore white.

Until the Middle Ages only men wore white shirts, however they were worn only underneath their clothing or as a night shirt. They were collarless without cuffs they could only be put on by passing it over the head.

After the Middle Ages thr white shirt became a piece of clothing that was meant to be seen with its perfect white color being considered a sign of social recognition. Made out of linen and sometimes out of silk, some had fixed collars whereas other ones has detachable collars.

After the 18th century, the collar got noticeably larger and it was decorated with embroidery and lace. Also, frilly front pieces and shoulder pieces became larger and more elaborate.

A classic piece of clothing in our closet...

Despite its long history, the white shirt crossed all these centuries without getting wrinkled. Many fashion trends have come and gone but the white shirt has stayed: it's a classic piece.

Often considered as a piece of clothing that can measure professional success it has however remained open to interpretation. As one can use a blank white page to express themselves, the whiteness of a shirt can do the same thing!