Mariniere

By Crusader1307

The Mariniere was a type of Uniform Shirt first developed by The French Navy in the 1850s. Also called The “Breton Shirt”, it was thought to have originated from Sailors who were recruited from Brittany. Fishermen wore a type of Shirt which could be seen from a distance  (should they fall overboard). The Mariniere was White in it’s entirety, and featured a pattern of horizontal Blue Stripes. Long-sleeved, they were used as a type of Common Seaman’s Fatigue Uniform. When a Jumper  (one-piece garment or large pullover outer shirt), The Mariniere was worn very much the way a modern undershirt was. A low-cut “V” Front allowed the Upper portion of The Mariniere to become visible.

Several Countries adopted The Mariniere Shirt for standard issue with their Naval Forces (Germany, England and Russia – among the first. American Forces briefly tried it in the 1860s, but discontinued their use rather quickly). In Russia, The Mariniere is known as a “Telnvashka”. They are designed in both short and Long-sleeved variants. Still used by The Russian Navy, they were also adopted by certain Elite Forces in the 1940s (Airborne and Special Operations Forces).