Have you ever borrowed a shirt from someone of the opposite sex and noticed that the buttons were on the other side? You’re not imagining it. Traditionally, men’s shirts have buttons on the wearer’s right, while women’s shirts have buttons on the left. But why do two garments serving the same purpose follow different conventions? Let’s find out. (Also read: Everyday explained: Those little ribbons inside your tops and dresses help prevent them from stretching. Here’s how )
Over time, this difference may have become a familiar convention in clothing production. Another theory links the placement of buttons on men’s garments to historical military clothing. Another suggestion connects women’s button placement to breastfeeding and childcare. The theory proposes that mothers who held babies in their left arms could use their right hands to adjust their clothing. Some accounts suggest that the traditional placement of buttons may have made this easier. Manufacturers, designers and consumers are familiar with the traditional arrangement, so there has been little pressure to standardise button placement across all garments. The widespread production of ready-to-wear clothing may also have helped reinforce established design patterns. Importantly, these conventions are not universal rules. Modern clothing may use either arrangement, and some garments are designed without traditional gender distinctions.
Because clothing conventions tend to endure once they become established, whatever its original cause, the difference has persisted largely.
One of the most widely repeated explanations concerns the clothing worn by wealthy European women in earlier centuries.
