Have you ever noticed how the buttons on shirts and clothes for men are different from those for women?
Well, maybe not, but you can vaguely remember a drunken conversation in the pub about it, after being subjected to your mate’s bizarre theories on the subject for several hours.
While there is no officially confirmed reason why shirts for men have buttons on the right side and women on the left, there are a number of ideas about this – most of which are rooted in the story.
First, men’s buttons are believed to have been on this side because their clothing traditionally contained weapons.
Chloe Chapin, fashion historian and PhD student at Harvard University. candidate for American studies, previously said Today: “I think it’s important to ask what period we’re talking about, because buttons on shirts and jackets are a relatively new phenomenon.
“But as a rule, a lot of elements of men’s fashion can be attributed to the military.”
Paul Keers, author of A gentleman’s wardrobe, seems to agree, having said The Guardian: “A gentleman’s sword was always carried on the left side, so that it could be drawn with the right hand.
“If a jacket buttoned right over left, the sword handle might get caught in the opening of the jacket when pulled, so any serious swordsman would demand a tunic buttoned from the left.” on the right.
“Indicator of a male lifestyle, this tradition was later extended to other men’s fashion items. ”
But while that may be the reason why men’s buttons tend to be placed on the right, it doesn’t necessarily explain why women’s buttons are on the opposite side, especially when the majority of people are right-handed.
Some historians and fashion experts believe this is also due to habits of the past, when wealthier women – who could afford new fashions like buttons – would be dressed by someone else.
Melanie M. Moore, founder of women’s blouse brand Elizabeth & Clarke, also told Today: “When buttons were invented in the 13th century, they were, like most new technology, very expensive.
“Back then, rich women didn’t dress, the maid did. Since most people were right handed, it was easier for someone standing in front of you to button your dress.
Live Science Writer Benjamin Radford adds: “Depending on the era, men may wear woolen vests, pants, gaiters and jackets. But women’s clothing was much more elaborate and could consist of a dozen or more items of clothing, including petticoats, bloomers, dresses, corsets, and corsets.
“So, especially in middle and upper class society, men usually dressed, unlike women. Instead, maids and servants could spend an hour or more dressing the hostess.
“Fashion designers quickly realized that reversing the buttons on women’s clothing made the job faster and easier for everyone involved. Because the men were not dressed by servants, it was not necessary to reverse the buttons on their clothes, and so a custom arose.
Other possible reasons include, such as Smithsonian magazine note, the fact that some people think that many women breastfeed with their babies in their left arm, or that Napoleon “mass produced clothes that were intentionally difficult for women to put on”.
Whatever the rationale, as to why these styles are still prevalent in an age when men (hopefully) don’t wear swords and women can generally dress, Radford simply attributes it to custom.
“For the same reason that most people still type on the QWERTY keyboard – it’s customary,†he says.
“There’s no reason the buttons couldn’t be switched, it’s just that no one has bothered to change a tradition that few people notice or that few people complain about in the first place. ”
