Blouse

A blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that may be worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women, and children. It is typically gathered at the waist or hips (by tight hem, pleats, parter, or belt) so that it hangs loosely (“blouses”) over the wearer’s body.^[4] Today, the word most commonly refers to a girl’s or woman’s dress shirt, although there is considerable confusion between a true blouse and a women’s shirt. It can also refer to a man’s shirt if it is a loose-fitting style (e.g. poet shirts and Cossack shirts), though it rarely is. Traditionally, the term has been used to refer to a shirt which blouses out or has an unmistakably feminine appearance, although even many “standard” shirts today have a somewhat blousy fit, and the numbers of men wearing such shirts may match (or even exceed) that of women wearing actual blouses.