"VINTAGE BODY SHIRT"

I remember having several body shirts back in the sixties and early seventies! I can't say they were the most comfortable things to wear because generally they snapped in the crotch! The idea was to have a shirt that stayed put when worn with very low hip-hugger pants. A sewn crotch was worst, because in an "emergency," you had to practically undress to get it off!

But in the world of Barbie fashion, she, of course, didn't have that problem. So a classic item of clothing in her wardrobe is the body shirt, yes, with a sewn crotch. Actually, only the lower edge of the left front is attached to the crotch, while the right front is loose. This feature of the vintage body shirt made it easy to put the shirt on the doll, as well as align the front overlap.

The classic body shirt style had a collar, "cap" sleeves (not a separate sleeve), and a single button. This button was ¼" which was larger than the standard ⅛" buttons used on the vintage outfits (and also in the dressmakers packages). The first body shirt (also called body blouse) appeared with the Commuter Set collection in blue and white mini checks for daytime at the office. For after work, a more elegant satin body blouse in a different style was included.

Here is a list of outfits which included the classic body shirt:

#916	Commuter Set (1959-1960)	blue & white mini check
#967	Picnic Set (1959-1960)	red & white check
PAK	5 Blouses with purses (1962-1963)	red, white, pink, orange, black & white, leaf print
#1603	Country Fair (1964)	yellow
#1624	Fun At The Fair (1964)	red/blue/green, Barbie print on white fabric
PAK	Tailored Tops (1966-1967) (body blouse & sleeveless scoop neck)	white, red/blue/green, Barbie print on white
PAK	Top Twosome (1967) (body blouse & sleeveless scoop neck top)	white crepe

Although a few other body blouse styles show up after 1967, this classic design does not appear to be used again. One of the reasons I enjoy making patterns and sewing is that I especially like to do the vintage designs in a variety of interpretations. Hence, I have a line I call "Vintage Varieties™" for which I make a lot of the classic vintage designs in different colors and fabrics. The body blouse is great because of the other mix and match PAK items, such as full gathered skirt (like in Country Fair), slim skirt and slim slacks.

2 samples of the body shirt, one in a tiny red & white floral print, the other a black & white mini-check:

My lilac version of the classic body shirt with a coordinating gathered skirt (a repro of the vintage pak skirt) [for more pictures click here]:

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