The Why of Buttoning a Shirt

On this site, I try to explain some deep topics, but I also hit a few lighter ones. 

If you have ever put on a shirt that was designed for someone of the opposite gender, you may have noticed that the buttons are on the “wrong” side. Men’s shirts button left over right, with buttons running down the right side and buttonholes on the left. Women’s shirts do the opposite, buttoning right over left. 

In the time before buttons, garments were laced together or fastened with brooches or clasps. Buttoned closures for garments only became prevalent in the 13th century with the advent of the reinforced buttonhole. 

The two opposing button configurations for men and women have existed for centuries. But why? 

Historians don’t know for sure, but some of the most common explanations involve military considerations. Medieval breastplates were formed of two separate and overlapping plates, and so that an enemy’s lance point would not slip between the plates, they were pieced together with the left plate overlapping the right. Why? Because it was standard fighting practice that the left side, protected by the shield, was turned toward the enemy.

Right-handedness accounts for about 90% of humans, and so swords were typically worn on the left side, so they could be drawn with the dominant right hand. Men’s shirts and jackets buttoning left over right would avoid catching the pommel of a sword in the opening, when drawing it right-handed.”

So, why didn't that just become the standard for women too? 

One plausible explanation is that those early buttons were often made from expensive materials such as gold, silver, and ivory, and were an indicator of status and wealth. Wealthy women with complex clothes often didn’t dress themselves and relied on the help of maids. 

I read some other explanations that seem less likely, such as breastfeeding. Due to right-hand dominance, women tend to hold their infants in their left arm to keep their right arm relatively free. So, the theory posits, a shirt with the buttons on the left makes it easier for mothers to unbutton using their right hand, while providing slightly easier access.