Chemise
Chemise
A chemise or shift is a classic smock type of women's undergarment or dress. Historically, a chemise was a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils, the precursor to the modern shirts commonly worn in Western nations.
Etymology
The English word chemise is a loanword from the French word for shirt and is related to the Italian camicia or Latin camisia, which, according to Elizabeth Wayland Barber, is likely derived from Celtic.
History
!17th-century Holland: Linen chemise beneath a young woman's everyday domestic bodice; [Girl Singing by Frans Hals), about 1628](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Hals%2CFrans-SingingGirl-1626-30.png/250px-Hals%2CFrans-SingingGirl-1626-30.png)
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