thumb|345x345px|Chemise, linen, c.1790–1810. [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute: 2009.300.392.]]
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 or Latin , which, according to Elizabeth Wayland Barber, is likely derived from Celtic.
History
The chemise seems to have developed from the Roman tunica and first became popular in Europe in the Middle Ages. At this time, the chemise was commonly referred to as a kemse or kemes. A type of undergarment worn close to the skin in order to protect outergarments, though the term chemise has since been commonly considered a women’s garment, during this period (Medieval through to the 15th century), it was also used to describe an item of men’s underclothing. Because the chemise, shift, or smock protected the outer clothes from the skin and could be washed regularly, even the peasanty often had multiple; the wealthy had dozens.
The term chemise was first used to describe an outer garment in the 1780s, when Queen Marie Antoinette of France popularized a kind of informal, loose-fitting gown of sheer white cotton, resembling a chemise in both cut and material, which became known as the . Such a chemise gown was made from very lightweight, slightly sheer fabrics, including muslin, silk, or cambric. Though simple in design, the early 19th century chemise often featured small decorative elements, such as a lace or ruffled edge.