The Secrets of Dress Shirt Buttons
Today, dress shirts are available in so many styles, colors, and patterns. Such details as collars, cuffs, pockets and the like weigh a lot in determine the style of men's embroidered dress shirts. Have you paid attention to buttons? The various button styles can decide the whole look of a dress shirt. This article will make a brief introduction on dress shirts buttons.
First, we discuss materials. Usually, there are two kinds of button materials: (MOP) and plastic buttons. Which one is better? While these smooth, elegant mother-of-pearl buttons have their own distinctive feel and texture, it does not mean plastic buttons are not good at all. Plastic buttons can accomplish the same task as MOP buttons, are available in more colors and hold up equally well when it comes to the wear-and-tear of cleaning. If you're satisfied with plastic, don't let anyone poo poo your choice.
If you check carefully, you'll find that men's dress shirts buttons are on the left. But why? During the 19th century, many of the wealthy people had servants, and often the women would have help getting dressed. Since the servant was often the one buttoning up the women's garments, they were put on the left so they were easy for a right handed person to manipulate. However, even the wealthy men who had servants would usually dress themselves and most were right handed, which is why the buttons of the men's dress shirts were placed on the right. Another reason is because men often carried swords in ancient times. It was important that their clothing was designed so they can draw that sword without a problem. With the buttons on the right, the man was able to reach over to the left to grab the sword without it snagging on their shirt or other garment.
Third question: how many buttons should a dress shirt have? Some say 6, others 7, and then again others 8. Although these numbers may vary - most shirts, by the way, have 7 running down the placket - depending on how long the shirt is and how far apart the buttons are spaced. Tall guys may need an extra button added upon request, but in general more buttons do not equal a better shirt.
How high or low should the buttons start on the placket? If you unbutton your shirt and the buttons are placed too low, you run the risk of showing too much skin (or chest hair); too high and you could look like a nerd. With no standardization, stances can vary by several inches, influencing when, where and how you wear your shirt. As you might imagine, this subject has gotten a lot of talk among dandies but has earned curiously little notice by the general shirt buying public, who may be buying shirts unsuitable for their purposes without realizing it.
Last, you should know how buttons are attached. The quality of the sewing is usually indicative of the shirt's overall quality, so take a look at the way your button is fastened. You shouldn't have too much slack between the button and the front of the shirt. You can tell how firmly a button is sewn on by pinching the fabric it's attached to and moving the button in a small circular motion - with high quality shirts, the thread should remain tightly secured around the button holes.
A missing button will ruin the look of the garment. So how to sew the buttons? First, find the button if it has fallen off. If you can't find it, try to find a spare that matches the other buttons on the shirt. Cut off 6 inches of thread. Put it through the eye of the needle. Thread the loop halfway through the eye of the needle. Stick one end of the thread through that loop, and pull the loop back through. Tie the ends of the thread together. This gives you an extra strong thread. Poke the needle through the shirt. If you start on the inside, the knot stays invisible. Pull the needle all the way out. Tug on the thread a few times to make sure it holds. Pull the needle through one of the holes on the button. Push the button all the way down the thread. Put the needle through a different buttonhole and back through the shirt. Continue sewing until there is 1/2 inch of thread. Use the remaining thread to tie a knot on the inside of the shirt.
Next time you choose a dress shirt, keep those things in mind, and you'll find the best dress shirts for men.
