Shirt overview: Winchester

Where did the Winchester shirt come from?

Many years ago, the Winchester shirt was a compulsory element of gentlemen’s morning dress code. They were worn strictly within business and formal matters. White, stiff, attachable collars and cuffs with characteristic possibilities of use…

Instead of dressing up in the workplace, the reputable and respectable nineteenth-century surgeon (that had to look adequately to his job) detached his cuffs to let them be white and have started to get hands full (literally). What if there occurred some complications and perfectly starched and snow-white collar got stained by a tear of blood? There was no necessity to wash the whole shirt, just detach the collar and give it a special „treatment”… 😉

In old days the whiteness of the collar was a priority and described somebody’s social status. Accordingly to the civilization progress, this detaching and attaching make no longer any sense. Therefore, the only thing that’s left after the first Winchesters are the characteristic white collar and cuffs (single fastened by buttons or double with cufflinks) that greatly contrast with shirt’s corpus. Even Prince William is a big fan of them.

Due to a highly formal look, Winchester shirts became a symbol of the stock market – that’s why they are also called „stock shirts”. Chosen through 80’s and 90’s by the financial tycoons and big fishes accented manhood, strength, power and belonging to the top business.

Winchesters are worn only among formal events and always with a tie that smoothens the effect of contrasting collar. Outfit with this kind of a shirt and colourful patterned tie (i.e. Paisley one) fits perfectly to the chic suit jacket or dark formal suit.

Any ideas you try to match it with casual look are just forbidden! Winchesters have got a strong formal and business character so just deal with it!

1866-2016. The dates worth remembering!

It’s been hundred and fifty years since the first Winchester shirts were sewn. Designed by visionary – Olivier F. Winchester – were made in his factory in New Haven, Connecticut and last to current days. Undoubtedly, it’s the classic worth having! What’s interesting, Winchester became famous not only because of his shirts. He predicted the potential of a firearm and later on started manufacturing the Winchester rifles.

It seems logical! With this shirt, you can also go for a „hunt”! 😉