Why are buttons on men’s and women’s shirts always on opposite sides?
The reason why buttons on men’s shirts are on the right side and buttons on women’s shirts are on the left side reveals to us the fashion context of the past and also explains its continuity in contemporary fashion.
This particular fashion standard has its origins in the 13th century, marking an interesting blend of social status, wealth, and practicality that has persisted through different eras. Buttons, invented in the 13th century, quickly surpassed their functional purpose to become symbols of wealth and social status.
Buttons, invented in the 13th century
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, in the 13th century, common women fastened their clothing with fabric strings or wooden clips, while middle-class and upper-class women wore elaborate garments fastened with expensive buttons made of gold, silver, pearls, gemstones, and ivory – a trend that laid the foundation for the distinction between high fashion and everyday fashion in the future.
Melanie M. Moore, the founder of women’s blouse brand Elizabeth & Clarke, says, “When buttons were invented in the 13th century, they were very expensive. Only the upper-class women of that time wore buttoned clothing. They would not dress themselves, but rather have maids assist them. At that time, most people were right-handed, so the buttons would be on the left side for the maids who stood facing their mistresses to easily button them up.” Meanwhile, Thorstein Veblen’s book “Theory of the Leisure Class” published in 1899 also indicates that buttoning women’s clothing on the left side subtly implied her family’s wealth, a characteristic of the upper class.
What about men’s garments? Melanie suggests that “in general principle,” many aspects of men’s fashion can be traced back to the military. The principle assumes that most men are right-handed, and having buttons on the right side of their clothing would make it easier for them to draw hidden weapons from inside their garments.
Furthermore, since ancient times when men were hunters, the motion of reaching for weapons during hunting was usually from left to right. As a result, buttons and fasteners on men’s clothing were designed on the right side to accommodate the body’s movements. In battles, they also often held shields with their left hand and swords with their right. Even as times changed and weapons evolved, men’s clothing still retained the influence of military uniform. This long-standing habit of thousands of years of warfare made men accustomed to buttoning and unbuttoning their clothes with their left hand.
Another theory about the difference between men’s and women’s buttons
The aforementioned theory has some evidence but also some gaps. Upper-class men also had servants to help them dress, but their garments still had buttons on the right side, unlike women’s clothing.
Another theory suggests that in the past, breastfeeding women often carried their babies on their right side. Therefore, women had to use their left hand to unbutton their clothing. With the arrangement of buttons on the left side in buttoned shirts, it would be easier for them to unbutton with one hand. In addition, the right front panel of women’s garments often does not have buttons, preventing the baby from getting tangled while breastfeeding.
Furthermore, it is also argued that when humans began to mass-produce garments using sewing machines, the resulting designs were very similar to each other. So, it was necessary to make a clear distinction between men’s and women’s clothing by arranging the buttons differently.
Buttons on men’s and women’s shirts are always on opposite sides
Historical research in the 1840s-1850s shows a 50/50 ratio of women’s shirt buttons on the right or left side. By the 1860s, shirts with buttons on the left side became more prevalent. This could be due to the popularity of sewing machines at that time. Clothing became cheaper, and sellers chose to imitate the upper class. As a result, the arrangement of buttons on men’s and women’s clothing on opposite sides became popular from then on.
In conclusion, there is still no convincing explanation or specific evidence for this issue. It may simply be a standard or habit of designers and garment makers from several centuries ago. And it has been kept unchanged until now simply because no one complains about it, or even not everyone is aware of this small difference. There is no absolute accurate explanation for the placement of men’s shirt buttons on the right and women’s shirt buttons on the left, but today that design style is still maintained as an unchanging default. If someone accidentally changes women’s shirt buttons to the right side, it will certainly be considered a flaw in the shirt.
