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Interesting shirt feature

Hercule

Practically Family
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I was brousing some of the highlights frm the John Wayne estate auction (as referenced in a hat thread) an noticed an interesting feature on the shirt Wayne wore in The War Wagon. Note the small flap with the button hole juist above the lowest button. Can anybody elaborate on this feature? To button the shirt to the trowsers preventing pull out perhaps?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44459727/Highlights_From_the_John_Wayne_Auction?slide=11

This one has it too. apparently called a "tuck in tab placket".

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44459727/Highlights_From_the_John_Wayne_Auction?slide=18
 
Last edited:

Marc Chevalier

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You answered your own question, Hercule. The tab is meant to be buttoned onto a button on the inside of the trouser's waistband, right at the top of the fly. Some high-end tuxedo shirts are still made with these tabs. The tab keeps the shirt's bosom from riding up and 'bowing outward' from a waistcoat.
 

Hercule

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Strangely enough, years back when I was performing regularly and spent a lot of time in a tux or tails, I actually thought about trying to rig up some way to keep my shirt (my vest as well) from riding up by attaching it somehow to my pants. Never got around trying anything though. Now, come to find out, something already existed. Too bad I never heard of it before now!

Interesting how the Marines do it - garters that attach the shirt tails to the socks. Kills 2 birds with one stone!
 

Undertow

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Des Moines, IA, US
Looney Tunes and other cartoon classics often depict an orchestra conductor (Bugs, Elmer, etc) performing so violently that his shirt and vest roll up like a window shade. The aforementioned tab can be see there, too, albeit animated. ;)
 

Marc Chevalier

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Looney Tunes and other cartoon classics often depict an orchestra conductor (Bugs, Elmer, etc) performing so violently that his shirt ... roll up like a window shade.





That's a bit different. If a man didn't want (or couldn't afford) to buy a tuxedo shirt, he could instead purchase a linene or celluloid 'bosom' front to attach to a daytime dress shirt, instantly making it look like a tuxedo shirt. Unlike the one in the photo below, some of these detachable bosom fronts had a tab placket.


What you see in those old cartoons is a detachable bosom front coming loose from its tab and rolling up like a windowshade. (Which wouldn't happen in real life, by the way.)


detached_shirt_bosom_1912_nypl.jpg
 

carldelo

One Too Many
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Astoria, NYC
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You answered your own question, Hercule. The tab is meant to be buttoned onto a button on the inside of the trouser's waistband, right at the top of the fly. Some high-end tuxedo shirts are still made with these tabs. The tab keeps the shirt's bosom from riding up and 'bowing outward' from a waistcoat.

I dimly remember using a formal shirt with this feature in a play many moons ago - but I believe the button placket attached to the normal closing button of the trousers (on the outside) and was hidden by the cummerbund. I guess that was because they weren't the proper pants.

I have a feeling a manly gent like John Wayne might button his shirt to the outside of his pants, covering it with the belt buckle - it seems like buttoning it inside would be fussy. Are the rougher-type shirts meant to button on the inside as well?
 

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