For many, the average men’s shirt is simply a utility garment, worn by men around the world for function and not necessarily fashion reasons. But this attitude belies hundreds of years of trends in men’s shirts. From the typical billowing-sleeved collarless shirts worn by classical painters to the modern button-down formal shirt, men’s shirts have captured the imagination of designers and everyday men alike for generations. In the 20th century in particular, a range of different styles of shirts have become popular with men of all ages.
One of the most important developments in men’s shirts in the last hundred years, for example, has been the invention of the polo shirt. The polo, or ‘tennis shirt’, was created by legendary French tennis player René Lacoste in 1929 as an alternative to the stiff dress shirts and ties typical of tennis attire of the time. In the 1960s, Ralph Lauren pushed the polo shirt to new heights as a featured item in his ‘Polo’ collection; and since then, the polo shirt has become so popular that it is now a standard category of clothing, although it has fallen out of favor with most tennis players.
The grandfather shirt has also been an enduring trend in men’s shirts in the 20th and 21st centuries. These collarless shirts have been popular with men in hot countries for decades and have seen a variety of incarnations over the years. The Nehru jacket, for example, is a South Asian version of the modern grandfather shirt that was popularized by the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in the 1950s and early 1960s, and has been in use ever since. worn prominently by various celebrities, from Sammy Davis Jr to Steven Segal. Today’s grandpa shirt takes advantage of bright colors and an ethno-bohemian vibe that appeals to a variety of menswear trends, from festival wear to summer-chic casual wear.
The button-down shirt has also been one of the most influential men’s shirts in fashion history, but memories of how it was created tend to be somewhat hazy. Some fashion experts claim that the button-down collar shirt was invented by an American shirt maker who was inspired by an English polo match, in which the players had their collars buttoned to prevent flapping in the wind. Others say that button-down shirts were created in New York, when their (as yet anonymous) inventor buttoned up the collar of the button-down shirt in a fit of annoyance at the oncoming wind.
But whatever the origins of the button-down shirt, its impact on the men’s shirt industry has been historic, as button-down shirts are now worn in both formal and informal settings. Today, men’s short-sleeved shirts are often worn with skinny jeans, big belts, and tailored vests for a cool, casual look that still exudes dapper elegance. And with men’s shirts available in a variety of colors, from gray to raspberry, and in a variety of striped and floral prints, it’s clear that the evolving trends in men’s fashion are far from over.