1930s / 40s shirt research, input needed

[nihil]

Hello

I'm researching 1930s/40s shirts, and after reading this forums archives for a multitude of hours, I need some input.

I used to own a few original shirts, but I foolishly sold them because the didn't fit me. Oh, I was I had them here right now

I have seen many, many, many different designs, but it seems that some features are especially common.

The illustrations are from a modern shirt, but they show the details very well:

Plain back


Simple bottom cutout


Box pleated buttoning




Collar height seem to be 1,5-1,75", measured at the back, and the front design is depending on the collar style. With spearpoints being 3,5-4,5"



Are my assumptions correct?

 

[herringbonekid]

nihil, if you're thinking of have a 30s-40s style shirt reproduced i would advise buying one off ebay, even if it doesn't fit perfectly, to examine the details.
they aren't hard to find in UK and Europe.

(the part you call 'box pleated buttoning' is usually called the 'placket')

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

There was a high variety of all the mentioned details. Depending on the country and the formality of the shirt I have seen different plackets, cuffs and collars. The simple bottom cutout often was reinforced with a "gusset" for example.

Different "placket"

 

[nihil]

Thank you for your input and suggestions

I do already have a pattern, but I am working on the detailing, as the pattern is for a rather uninteresting piece, with features that wouldn't be out of place on a modern business/dress shirt.
That is also why I am trying to establish an idea of the most common features of a 1930s/40s shirt, in order to make a garment that is interesting to wear and look at.


Herringbonekid> Correctly guessed My trouser project is so far ahead in the process, that I am looking at the next stage of products. Affordable spear point collar shirts being high on my list.

 

[Nick D]

A plain back would be unusual, they generally had some form of pleat or gathering at the back, either at each side or center.

 

[Two Types]

In my experience, they are also longer than most modern shirts. They also tend to have a different shape. Ones I have owned have been narrower in the shoulders than modern shirts, but very full in the chest.

And also, in the UK in the 1930s (and i assume the rest of Europe) most shirts were still not fully opening at the front. There's a wonderful quote from the James Curtis novel 'The Gilt Kid' (1938) where the main character sends someone out to buy him a shirt. He asks for one in 'Yankee style ... the type that you put on like a coat.'