Fitting button ups

Traci

I feel like this may be the stupidest fit question of all time, and one I've struggled with forever.

When I sit down, my button up shirts gape between the buttons. Because of this I pretty much gave up on ever wearing button ups for 2 decades. Recently I've started wearing button ups again and notice I'm constantly tugging at the front to fix the gape. I'm assuming the answer is to size up, but in that case I lose the fit everywhere else. I can try to catch some pictures if it would help. I wouldn't say the shirts are tight fitting by any means.

Is there a fix?

8 years ago

Dressing

12 replies

Latest reply was from DonnaF

kkards

Veteran

i would think a a small snap between the buttons would fit the problem.

(or wear a cami and leave the button open)

8 years ago

Nomad

Active Member

Ugh, button front shirts seem to be one of the finickiest pieces of clothing for fit, don't they?

Different brands or cuts may fit very differently, so try different places to see if you find one of those magical places that uses a fit model who's a good match for you. Otherwise, size up so there's no gaping and take the shirt to a tailor to have it properly fitted to you (or if you can sew, take it in yourself). My mother is magic with a sewing machine and has tailored a few shirts for me; it makes a world of difference and she tells me it's not a difficult alteration (I really should learn to sew).

8 years ago

Traci

Veteran

My. oncern with sizing up is that I lose the fit in the shoulder. I've heard shoulders aren't an easy alteration?

8 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Tradlands shirts have 8 buttons instead of the usual 6, but they are pricy. Reviewers rave about the fit. They seem to have "solved" button up shirts for women.

8 years ago

Aquamarine

Veteran

There are certain brands that work better for women with larger busts. I remember Allie from Wardrobe Oxygen doing a lot of posts on this issue a few years ago. I think she has featured the brands Clarissa Rose and Foxcroft as being good for the well-endowed.

8 years ago

Anonymous

Carissa Rose is no longer in business.

8 years ago

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for the Tradlands link, LP. I'm intrigued.

8 years ago

Liz

Veteran

I literally sew my button-front shirts closed by running a seam down the front placket. This means the shirt always stays buttoned and I have to put it on over my head, but it nixes any gapping. I always figure that if a shirt pulls enough to gape open it's going to pull a snap open as well, and fashion tape won't stand a chance.

8 years ago

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

This problem used to aggravate the heck out of me. I never found the perfect solution--back when I wore them regularly, I don't even know if anyone made shirts specifically so women could avoid it. My stopgap has long been to place a safety pin through the back of the placket so it doesn't show in the front.

But then my lifestyle and personal style shifted, and I rarely wear shirts anymore--at least the type where perfect classic fit is called for. However, I've raised the number of blouses that I wear by quite a bit. Is a blouse an alternative where you would normally wear a shirt?

Hmm...rereading your post, I see that you say you avoided shirts for a while, so you've probably tried that...!

8 years ago

Anonymous

Would moving the buttons a bit to give a bit more room help? As a small busted woman this is a rare problem but has happened. Also, maybe small shoulder pads would help pull up the front and lesson the gape.

8 years ago

barbaraq

Active Member

Ideally, there should be a button exactly between the breast sections, right where the center of your bra crosses center front . We sewists always starting marking for button placement from that point. I have had good luck sewing a small snap at that place on ready-made shirts. You can buy clear plastic snaps that are practically invisible. I think holding this spot closed is crucial and that gapping there is not necessarily an indication of an overall bad fit.

8 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

I agree with Srah; try various brands and know that some are unlikely to give you a good fit. Foxcroft gives me an excellent fit in the shoulders and bustline (but is too big elsewhere) and also comes in Petites and may work for you. Topshop Petite and Halogen Petite button front shirts work for me; Caslon not so much. My first chambray shirt came from J.Jill. Years ago, I had luck with Lands End and a tiny bit of luck with Talbots. BR and J.Crew are cut too straight for my body and none of the Brooks Brothers shirts work. Basically, any brand that caters more to young women won't work for me.

I have full breasts (larger cup size than you probably imagine because I don't have a lot of projection) and full upper arms. For some reason, I love button front shirts and have FINALLY found some that are cut for my shoulder slope, cut a little lower in front for my short neck, and don't gape.

It's not you; it's the shirts. And there were years when I gave up looking.

8 years ago

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