{{short description|Women's undershirt}} {{Redirect|Cami}} [[File:Woman in white top looking down 22March2009.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A camisole of the variant common since the 2000s|A woman in a white camisole. Lycra led to closer fitting camisoles in the late 2000s and the 2010s.]] A '''camisole''' is a sleeveless undershirt typically worn by women, extending to the waist. The camisole is usually made of satin, nylon, silk, or cotton.
== Historical definition == Historically, ''camisole'' referred to jackets of various kinds,<ref name="Shorter_OED_1975">{{cite book |author1=Little, William G. |author2=Coulson, Jessie Senior |author3=Fowler, H.W. |editor=Onions, C.T. |title=The shorter Oxford English dictionary on historical principles |url=https://archive.org/details/shorteroxfordeng00litt |url-access=registration |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |year=1975 |page=272 |quote=1816.... 1. Formerly applied to jackets of various kinds. 2. A woman's underbodice 1894. |isbn=0-19-861126-9 }}<!--|access-date=2009-01-15 --></ref> including overshirts (worn under a doublet or bodice),<ref name="Kent_2001">{{cite book |author=Timothy J. Kent |title=Ft. Pontchartrain at Detroit: A Guide to the Daily Lives of Fur Trade and Military Personnel, Settlers, and Missionaries at French Posts |publisher=Wayne State University Press |location=Detroit |year=2001 |page=553 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r03BQK5WdHQC&q=Camisole&pg=PA553 |isbn=978-0-9657230-2-2 |access-date=2009-01-15 }}</ref> women's négligées, and sleeved jackets worn by men.<ref name="Random_House_2006">{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/camisole |title=camisole definition: Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) |work=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |publisher=Random House |year=2006 |quote=1. a short garment worn underneath a sheer bodice to conceal the underwear. 2. a woman's negligee jacket. 3. a sleeved jacket or jersey once worn by men. 4. a straitjacket with long sleeves. |access-date=2009-01-15 }}</ref> thumb|right|150px|alt=A silk camisole of the variant common in the late 20th century|A late 20th century camisole
== Modern usage == In modern usage, a camisole or ''cami'' is a loose-fitting<ref name="Compact_OED_2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/camisole |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117125433/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/camisole |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |title=AskOxford: camisole |work=Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English |publisher=Oxford University Press |quote=a woman’s loose-fitting undershirt for the upper body. — ORIGIN French, from Latin camisia ‘shirt or nightgown’. |access-date=2009-01-15 }}</ref><ref name="Patent_4798557_Loosefitting">{{cite web |url=http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4798557/description.html |title=Camisole underwire bra garment description - US Patent 4798557 |author=Scott, Lucretia M. |date=1987-09-22 |quote=Up until the present time when a woman wished to wear a camisole due to its loose fitting nature and she still required support for her breasts, she was required to wear a bra underneath her camisole to achieve the desired results. |access-date=2009-01-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403050606/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4798557/description.html |archive-date=2009-04-03 }}</ref> sleeveless undershirt that covers the top part of the body but is shorter than a chemise. A camisole normally extends to the waist but is sometimes cropped to expose the midriff, or extended to cover the entire pelvic region. Camisoles are manufactured from light materials,<ref name="Webster_1970">{{cite book |editor=Thatcher, Virginia S. |others=McQueen, Alexander |title=The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of The English Language |url=https://archive.org/details/newwebsterencycl00that |url-access=registration |publisher=Consolidated Book Publishers |location=Chicago |year=1970 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newwebsterencycl00that/page/116 116] |quote=A short light garment worn by ladies when dressed in ''negligee'';strait jacket for lunatics or criminals condemned to the guillotine. |isbn=0-8326-0021-0 }}<!—|access-date=2009-01-15 —></ref> commonly cotton-based, occasionally satin or silk, or stretch fabrics such as lycra, nylon, or spandex.
A camisole typically has thin "spaghetti straps" and can be worn over a brassiere or without one. Since 1989, some camisoles<ref name="Patent_4798557">{{US patent reference | number = 4798557 | y = 1989 | m = 01 | d = 17 | inventor = Lucretia M. Scott | title = Camisole underwire bra garment }}</ref> have come with a built-in underwire bra or other support that eliminates the need for a bra among those who prefer not to wear one. Starting around the 2000s, camisoles have been known to be used as outerwear.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/fashion/shows/25LINGERIE.html | title=Now It's Nobody's Secret | work=The New York Times | author=Ruth La Ferla | date=25 October 2007 | access-date=2007-11-23}}</ref>
A variety of sleeveless body shaping undergarments have been derived from the camisole shape,<ref name="Application_20060166600_PriorArt">{{cite web |url=http://www.patentstorm.us/applications/20060166600/description.html |title=Composite support system - Application 20060166600 |access-date=2009-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403043833/http://www.patentstorm.us/applications/20060166600/description.html |archive-date=2009-04-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> offering medium control of the bust, waist, or abdomen. Such ''control camisoles'' are the most casual of shaping garments, covering the torso from above the chest to at or below the waist. They look similar to tight-fitting cotton or silk camisoles, but the straps are usually wider, the hems longer, and the stretchy, shiny fabric provides a smoothing touch.
== See also == * Sleeveless shirt * Slip dress, another item of women's underwear that has become outerwear * Teddy (garment) * Undershirt
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== Sources == * Barbier, Muriel & Boucher, Shazia (2003). ''The Story of Lingerie''. Parkstone. {{ISBN|1-85995-804-4}} * Saint-Laurent, Cecil (1986). ''The Great Book of Lingerie''. Academy editions. {{ISBN|0-85670-901-8}}
== External links == {{commons category|Camisoles}} {{wiktionary}} * [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/search/Search.aspx?By=0&SearchBy=4&Word=camisole The Free Library citations for camisole] in Thackeray (1847), Charlotte Brontë (1857), and Somerset Maugham (1915)
{{lingerie|state=collapsed}} {{clothing}}
Category:2000s fashion Category:2010s fashion Category:2020s fashion Category:Clubwear Category:Dancewear Category:Lingerie Category:Tops (clothing) Category:Undergarments Category:Women's clothing