LONG the staple of a well-co-ordinated wardrobe, the white shirt has emerged this season as a fashion statement in its own right. The selection of styles is enormous, the prices vary and to be without one this winter would be a fashion foul.
The big white shirt has always been a favourite of poets and Hollywood pirates. Byron, Shelley, Keats and cross-dressing author George Sand wore romantic white blouses as a symbol of their non-conformist attitudes; Errol Flynn seemed to wear one in all hisfilms.
The white shirt moved easily through the decades, becoming tighter or shorter as fashion dictated. It resurfaced as a major trend in the new romantic movement of the early '80s - Duran Duran Mark 1 - when avant-garde designers such as Vivienne Westwood created a contemporary version of the pirate shirt.
The current revival may be a revolt against the '80s power suit. Also, in a season where styles swing wildly from elaborate, costume-inspired designs to spare, modern lines, the white blouse is perhaps the single constant.
Nearly every major designer has come up with his or her version of the white shirt for winter, from Yohji Yamamoto's artistic smocks to Chanel's dazzling white shirts with the double C logo and over-long cuffs. Gianni Versace offers a romantic poet's blouse. Sonia Bogner adds frilly cuffs to a classic shirt. Invariably, designer shirts are full and flowing in silk, rayon or fine cotton, with open necklines and long full sleeves. Some are translucent to subtly reveal curves. Others have shirring at the shoulders or cuffs and exaggerated shirt tails. Collars flap, ruffles flow generously along the necklines and cuffs don't just peek from jacket sleeves: they hang down to cover knuckles.
Diffusion lines and chain store boutiques have equally good offerings. Versatility is synonymous with the white shirt, which can look as good with a Levi's jacket as a Chanel suit.
