A shirt is a sort of top,
i.e. a piece of
clothing for the trunk
of the body.
In the
UK, it refers almost exclusively
to what Americans call a dress shirt, i.e. a garment with
a collar and a full vertical opening with buttons. In the
US is tends to have a vaguer
meaning, being applied to many types of (mainly men's) tops,
leaving the word "top" generally for ladieswear.
guayabera an embroidered dress shirt with four pockets
golf shirt a polo shirt
baseball shirt usually distinguished by a three quarters sleeve
fishnet shirt,
transparent, see e.g.
first shirt the "shirt" is a nick-name for a
First Sergeant
Tops which would generally not be called shirts:
tube top or
boob tube a shoulderless, sleeveless "tube" that wraps
the torso (not reaching higher than the armpits, staying
in place by elasticity, see e.g (http://store4.yimg.com/i/americanapparel-store_1750_508537))
halter top a shoulderless, sleeveless, backless garment for women.
It is mechanically analogous to an
apron with a string
around the back of the neck and across the lower back
holding it in place.
Many terms are used to describe and differentiate
types of shirts and their construction. The smallest
differences may have significance to a cultural or occupational
group.
Recently, (late 20th century) it has become common
to use tops to carry messages or advertising. These
can be screen printed or embroidered.
leaving the belly button area bare (much more
common for women than for men)
until the waist
covering the crotch
covering part of the legs (essentially this
is a
dress; however,
a piece of clothing is either perceived as a shirt
(worn with
trousers) or as
a dress (worn by women, and by men just in the special
case of
cross-dressing).
and levels in between.
With regard to opening:
vertical opening on the front side, all the
way down, with
buttons or
zipper.
left and right front side not separable, put
on over the head; with regard to upper front side
opening:
V-shaped permanent opening on the top of
the front side
no opening at the upper front side
vertical opening on the upper front side
with buttons or zipper
With regard to the
neck:
with polo-neck
with
collar. Furthermore
the collar may have buttons at the tips for a "button-down
collar".
without collar
With regard to
pockets: how
many (if any), where, and with regard to closure: not
closable, just a flap, or with a
button or
zipper.
Discussion boards are a great place to meet other
members of the fashion
industry, get advice, and share information. This forum was created to
discuss the topic of this page. If you have questions, or information to
improve this page, please join in the community discussion below. Please
keep the communication on topic and for the purpose of education.
