Why Men’s and Women’s Shirts Button Differently
Why Men’s and Women’s Shirts Button Differently …The History Behind the Design
Most people get dressed every day without ever noticing a small but curious detail: men’s and women’s shirts button on opposite sides. While it may seem like an arbitrary design choice, this difference actually traces back centuries and reflects social customs, class structures, and practical realities of the past.
Traditionally, women’s shirts button on the left, while men’s button on the right. This convention emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries, a time when fashion was deeply intertwined with wealth and social status.
Women’s Fashion and the Role of Servants
The real, historically accurate reason women’s shirts (and blouses, jackets, dresses, etc.) button on the opposite side from men’s is rooted in how wealthy people dressed in the 19th century and earlier.
The Core Historical Explanation
Men’s clothing buttons left-over-right (buttons on the right side, buttonholes on the left) because most men are right-handed. When a man dressed himself, it was easier and faster to push the button through the hole with his dominant hand.
Women’s clothing buttons right-over-left (buttons on the left, buttonholes on the right) because, for centuries, upper-class women did not dress themselves — they had maids or ladies’ maids who did it for them.