A chemisette (from French, "little
chemise") is an article of women's
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials ...
worn to fill in the front and neckline of any garment. Chemisettes give the appearance of a
blouse or
shirt worn under the outer garment without adding bulk at the waist or upper arm.
Chemisettes of
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
or
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...
were often worn with
day dresses in the mid-19th century, and could be decorated with
tucks,
embroidery
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...
(especially
whitework), or
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
.
When wide
pagoda sleeves were fashionable (1850s), chemisettes might have matching
engageante
Engageantes are false sleeves worn with women's clothing. They were worn during the 18th and 19th centuries, with a brief revival in the 20th century.
In the 18th century, engageantes took the form of ruffles or flounces of linen, cotton, or l ...
s (false undersleeves).
See also
*
Godey's Lady's Book
''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civi ...
(links to online editions)
*
1850s in fashion
1850s fashion in Western and Western-influenced clothing is characterized by an increase in the width of women's skirts supported by crinolines or hoops, the mass production of sewing machines, and the beginnings of dress reform. Masculine styl ...
*
1860s in fashion
1860s fashion in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by extremely full-skirted women's fashions relying on crinolines and hoops and the emergence of "alternative fashions" under the influence of the Artistic Dress movemen ...
*
Dickey (garment), a similar false-front mostly for men's shirts in the early 20th century
*
Trim (sewing)
Trim or trimming in clothing and home decorating is applied ornament, such as gimp, passementerie, ribbon, Ruffle (sewing)s, or, as a verb, to apply such ornament.
Before the industrial revolution, all trim was made and applied by hand, ...
*
Victorian fashion
References
*S.F.A. Caulfield and B.C. Saward, ''The Dictionary of Needlework'', 1885.
*
Picken, Mary Brooks: ''The Fashion Dictionary'', Funk and Wagnalls, 1957. (1973 edition {{ISBN, 0-308-10052-2)
External links
Apparel Search glossary of textile and apparel terms
19th-century fashion
History of clothing (Western fashion)
Tops (clothing)
Fashion accessories