Research: Shirt

When researching the shirt I felt like it was really important to make sure it fit the context of the character. When talking to Rose she pictured him in a kind of undershirt. Not something that was formal or very stiff. Her design featured a small stand collar and a long button stand. Within my research I found it more relevant that there would have been a yoke or a short button stand (something more like a placket); even on an undershirt. This is some of the research I found: 

Cariou, G. Shep, R.L. (1999). Shirts and Men’s Haberdashery:1840-1920’s. California: R.L. Shep Productions.

This is one of the patterns I found for the shirt, you can see the use of a yoke for the front and at the shoulder. I think this is a strong pattern for a period shirt but a little too formal for this character.

Liddle, P. (1979). Testimony of War 1914-1918. Great Britain: Butler and Tanner Ltd. 

I think this is a really good image to represent the how casual the shirt could be in the context of the war. This was an especially good find because, aside from a few changes this is how the soldier's costume will look/be worn. The army trousers help up by a belt and wrapped around with putties and a casual shirt with the sleeves rolled up. But focusing on the shirt there are some major differences between this image and my design like: the size of the collar and the pockets. It's difficult to tell as well if the button stand ends or is the length of the shirt. 

Cariou, G. Shep, R.L. (1999). Shirts and Men’s Haberdashery: 1840-1920’s. California: R.L.Shep Productions.

This is the pattern Rose and I chose for the shirt. It is actually an historical undershirt from 1909, so even though the show was written and set in 1918 I think it is a good fit. The collar is the right size and shape. It also has the right type of button stand. It was very easy to go an talk to Rose about what she was expecting and I think with the breaking down techniques it will fit the design. It's simplicity in style and cut will make it more casual and understated on stage.