Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Collared women's shirts are a classic for a reason — and whether you're on the hunt for them as Zoom tops or for basic work outfits, we haven't done a roundup in far too long.

Readers, what are your thoughts — yea or nay on collared shirts? If you're going into the office, are they part of your work outfit rotation? Are you them out for the occasional Zoom call?

In the past we've talked about important issues such as whether the collar goes out or in, what color camisole to wear beneath a white blouse, how to keep white blouses white, some DIY options for gaping blouses, when to tuck your blouse, and 10 things to know about wearing button-front blouses.

Some of the Hall of Famers we've mentioned in the past include these lovely collared shirts:

• Hall of Famers: Hugo Boss, J.Crew, Foxcroft, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, Universal Standard, Equipment, Tucker, Everlane
• Under $50: Amazon Essentials (2,400 good reviews), Clovery (1,600 good reviews!)
• Under $100: J.Crew, Brooks Brothers (frequent sales), Ann Taylor, Hawes & Curtis, Everlane
• Brands with interesting blouses for a splurge: Rebecca Taylor, L'Agence, Tuckernuck, Anne Fontaine, Tucker
• Iron-free: Brooks Brothers, Foxcroft, Talbots
• Organic: Eileen Fisher
• Crisp collared blouses: Hugo Boss, J.Crew, Foxcroft, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor
• Silky collared blouses (spots to check): Equipment, Halogen, Everlane, M.M. LaFleur, Banana Republic Factory, Mango, Vince, Uniqlo, The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens, Loft, Tucker
• Jersey collared blouses (definitely more casual!): Boden, James Perse, Eileen Fisher, also check Eddie Bauer
• Bodysuits: J.Crew, Express, Amazon, Tuxe, Express, Venus (but see our whole post on the best bodysuits for work outfits!)
• For busty women: The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens, Bravissimo, Exclusively Kristen, Foxcroft
• Bespoke (custom tailored): Sumissura
• Petite options: Hotouch (bad name but #1 bestseller!), Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor
• Tall options: Ann Taylor, Lands' End
• Maternity: Lands' End, H&M, Gap, ASOS (also check Target!)
• Plus sizes: Universal Standard, Foxcroft, NYDJ, Ralph Lauren, Lands' End

5 Best Women's Collared Blouses

Some of our favorite brands for silky collared blouses for women are below:

If you're hunting for some of the best collared shirts for women in plus sizes, many of our favorites meet the bill!

Of course, gaping can be a problem with button-front shirts. If your bust is the problem, definitely check out some of the best blouses for busty women — we've rounded up some above, but here are some pictures:

As of 2024, some great dress shirts for women with large breasts include The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens, Lands' End No-Gape shirts, eShakti's made to measure tops, Tradlands' “Boob-Gap Improving Button-Up,” and specialty stores like Exclusively Kristen, PerfectDD, and Miriam Baker.

Some of the top products to help you fix a gaping blouse include:

Readers, if you're a fan of collared shirts, which are your favorites?

Curious about older iterations of this roundup? Here they were in 2019 (modern blouses for suits), 2017 (best women's dress shirts ) 2014 (silk button-front blouses), and 2013 (crisp button-down shirts).

Like this feature? Check out other recent installments!

The post The Best and Affordable Women’s Collared Shirts appeared first on Corporette.com.

Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you're buying one for the first time or replacing one you've worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Of all The Hunt features we've done, I'm kind of surprised that we've never done one on the best button-downs for women — a crisp white blouse is a classic for the office.

(All of these shirts come in white, even though I've mostly featured colored shirts so you can see the details better.)

Now, a few points: yes, yes, most women's collars do not button down, so these should all properly be called “button front” shirts. But most of these stores call them button-down shirts, and that's what I've always heard, so I'm going to go with “button down.” A second point: a big decision (as far as blouses go) is whether you want one that is non-iron.

Personally, my iron is gathering dust because I always buy the non-iron ones for myself — but I have heard (but not researched) that there are some health concerns regarding the chemicals that treat a fabric to make it “non-iron.” So — readers, if you HAVE researched the subject, please weigh in.

Finally, a few random tips: a) if you prefer silky button-fronts, check out our Hunt for that one, b) if you're busty, check out our guide to specialty shops for busty blouses, c) this post is being updated, but you can still check out our original top 10 ways to wear a button-down shirt, and, finally, d) as a laundry tip, I've had great success with putting the shirts in the dryer for no more than about 15 minutes and then hanging them up to air dry.

Oh, and I'm on Team White-Camisole-Beneath-White-Shirt–but many others are on Team Nude Camisole; you can check out our discussion here.

Readers — which are your favorite button-down shirts? Do you purchase non-iron shirts? And what are your best tips for laundering (and wearing) a button-down shirt?

Some of Our Recent Favorites for Button-Down Shirts For Women

(And related items! All of these picks have been updated as of 2020 except where otherwise noted.)

Some of our favorite crisp button-fronts:

Some of our favorite silky blouses:

Some of our favorite blouses if you're busty:

As of 2024, some great dress shirts for women with large breasts include The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens, Lands' End No-Gape shirts, eShakti's made to measure tops, Tradlands' “Boob-Gap Improving Button-Up,” and specialty stores like Exclusively Kristen, PerfectDD, and Miriam Baker.

Some of our favorite products if you're trying to solve problems with gaping:

Some of the top products to help you fix a gaping blouse include:

Also: some of our favorite camisoles (another great solution if you've got gaping problems!)

Pictured above, our favorite camisoles for work: one / two / three / four (25+ different color combos in a 4 pack!)– don't forget about demi-camisoles too, such as this, this or this — or chemisettes!)

The below content concerns items that are probably sold out now!

In terms of pricing, you can't beat The Limited for this highly-rated button-down shirt (which apparently was seen in Vogue and InStyle recently). The black and white are $46.90, but the dark blue and purple are on sale at $34.99. Essential Button Down Shirt (2018 Update: Unfortunately The Limited no longer sells this shirt!)

Another usual suspect: Ann Taylor's “Perfect” long sleeve button down shirt, which has 190 positive reviews, is one of Kate Hudson's “latest loves,” and is apparently so reliable that Ann Taylor only sells it online right now. It's available in nine colors, sizes 00-16 for regulars and petites, for $68. Perfect Long Sleeve Button Down Shirt

J.Crew has a number of iterations of the “stretch perfect shirt,” including this cute mini-gingham. It's on sale — was $75, now marked to $60. Stretch perfect shirt in mini-gingham

Here is where we start to get into the non-iron stuff:  I love Brooks Brothers shirts. I think they're classics and they're great quality — and you don't have to iron them. Note that even at the height of my BigLaw days I still wore button-downs pretty rarely, though, so you may want to reconsider the chemical question if you wear them daily. This lovely fitted stretch shirt (shown here in pink and in blue at top) is $98.50; get two for $159 (note that they also have non-fitted shirts as well). Non-Iron Fitted Stretch Dress Shirt with XLA   (Note that Foxcroft (regular, petite and plus sizes), Talbots (regular, petite, plus, plus size petites) Land's End (regular and plus), Charles Tyrwhitt, and Eddie Bauer (“wrinkle free,” in regular, petites and talls) sell non-iron shirts as well.)

Another popular subset to the crisp-white-shirt group: the shirts fitted for bustier women, all in the interest of preventing gaping shirts. Pictured is The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens; check out our roundup on busty blouses if you're on the hunt.. Sample price point for The Shirt: The Skinny Shirt costs $132 and comes in six colors in sizes XS-XL. The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens

Ah, Thomas Pink: I love you so. When I want to splurge on a button-down shirt, I head to Thomas Pink (pro tip: wait for a sale). The shirts are classic and made of beautiful fabrics. (Maybe it's just me, but I feel like everything from the UK is somehow friendlier to a busty figure, even if it isn't advertised as such.)  Also in the “splurge” price range:  Anne Fontaine, and Boss Black. The Katherine shirt is $150, and available in UK sizes 4-22. Sasha Shirt

Like this feature? Check out other recent installments! Want to pin this? Here's a handy graphic!

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Button-down blouses can be great — if they fit you and don't gape in the bust. Some companies specialize in creating non-gaping dress shrirts for women with large breasts (e.g., The Shirt) but sometimes you just want a DIY fix for a shirt you've already got.

Guest poster Kathryn Rubino — one of my good friends — is a plus-sized fashionable overachieving chick who has some crafty suggestions for fixing the problem. (She has also posted about how to get a great-fitting blazer.) – Kat

We've all been there. You're getting ready for that big interview/meeting/presentation and as you look yourself dead-on in the mirror you are the image of professionalism. As you reach for the straightener to put the finishing touch on your perfectly coiffed hair there it is.

It's your bra. Peeking out from that infuriating gap in your button-down shirt.

It almost seems like it is mocking you, “maybe you aren't as put together as you think you are.” It is maddening.

So, how do you deal with this problem? I've tried all the work-arounds:

The camisole under an unbuttoned button-down.

A wrap-style dress shirt.

A button-down that is deliberately ruched at the bust.

And these are all pretty good solutions, but sometimes I yearn for the simplicity of the classic button down.

So this plus size writer test drove three potential solutions to the problem. Obviously, your mileage may vary, but here's how they worked for me. 

(Pictured: Mind the Gap, originally uploaded to Flickr by toastbrot81.)

Easy Ways to Fix a Gaping Blouse

Some of the top products to help you fix a gaping blouse include:

Okay, it was a white shirt so that wasn't too difficult a task, but Amazon has some options that seem pretty comprehensive at under $10.

I found it pretty straight forward to lightly tack the gap closed with a small x-shaped stitch, though more time consuming than other options.

I found I didn't have to worry about it too much throughout the day and I felt super strong ripping out the stitches with my bare hands at the end of the day.

And it was easy! I just worried over the tape peeling away throughout the day.

While I never had any major mishaps I did have to subtly press down on the gap to re-stick my shirt together several times throughout the day.

I would probably continue to use this for finer fabrics I worry about putting holes in, but it would not be my first choice for cotton shirts.

One tip that I haven't tried, but I received from a few friends in the costume industry is toupee tape.

It may sound silly but I am assured that it holds better and is generally cheaper then the other options.

Then I found these: black and white safety pins. (Jo-Ann's actually caries them in a variety of colors; so does Amazon.)

For me, this is the perfect combination of lazy and effective.

I didn't worry over the gap throughout the day, and I loved that I could re-use the pins.

But if you can't locate these little gems, or your gap emergency happens before the two day shipping arrives I still prefer the pinning option.

Usually button-downs will have an extra fold down of fabric along the button line and you can use this underside of material to keep your shirt closed without a pin showing through.

I also prefer smaller pins, and I attach them upside down (so that the closure points toward my feet) as that helps to disguise the usage of the pin.

Readers, do you consider gaping blouses one of your big problems? What has your solution been? (We rounded up everyone's comments into a second post, The Best Solutions for Gaping Shirts!)

As of 2024, some great dress shirts for women with large breasts include The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens, Lands' End No-Gape shirts, eShakti's made to measure tops, Tradlands' “Boob-Gap Improving Button-Up,” and specialty stores like Exclusively Kristen, PerfectDD, and Miriam Baker.

Picture credit on Pin: Deposit Photos / AILA_IMAGES. 

The post Mind the Gap: Some DIY Options for Gaping Blouses appeared first on Corporette.com.

Someone was telling us recently that they didn't wear button-down shirts, didn't even know how to wear 'em. So, here ya go…ten things to know about wearing button-down shirts!

1. If you're going for the crisp cotton look, go for non-iron. Brooks Brothers makes a great fitted non-iron shirt. Thomas Pink (very high end, typically thought of as a man's store) makes amazing button-down shirts for women, also, with interesting prints and a lovely fit.

2. Collars and jackets: Collars should stay on the inside of the jacket, not splayed open on the outside.

3. If you have a white shirt, try not to put it in the dryer in order to avoid yellowing. Actually, in our experience the iron-free shirts look best when hung dry. (Just pull them taut, a bit, when they're wet and you're hanging on the hanger — it always seems to help the fabric figure out where to go.)

4. If you've got a French cuff shirt, do not bother with those tiny knots you can buy at places for $10 — you're wasting your money and time, because they take forever to put in. Instead, make an investment in a good pair of cufflinks — Nordstrom also has some beautiful ones right now.

5. Tucking: If you're wearing a fitted, button-down shirt (such as the ones from Pink) you can experiment with how it looks untucked. The key is that it can't be too long — it should hit mid-hip, and no matter what should not be longer than your suit jacket. Silky shirts should always be tucked.

6. If you want a very clean tucked-in look, there are some stores that make leotard-like button-down shirts. See, for example, Victoria's Secret or Donna Karan.

7. Non-traditional style idea: Wear a short-sleeved button-down shirt beneath a vest or even a t-shirt. (We've given up trying to wear anything but silky button-downs beneath full-sleeve sweaters — the static cling gets us every time.)

8. Non-traditional style idea, Part 2: Wear a camisole/tank top underneath the button-down shirt, tuck in the shirt, and only button it up halfway, so people can see the camisole beneath.

9. Gaping: If your shirt is gaping, this could mean a few things. A) You need a larger size, and should take it to a tailor to get it to fit you the way you want it to. B) You need to wear a camisole beneath it, so when you turn to the side people don't get a view of your bra. C) You can experiment with Hollywood Tape and so forth to keep it from gaping — we've found the camisole is just easier.

Some of the top products to help you fix a gaping blouse include:

10. Beneath the slightly sheer white shirt: Wear a bra that matches your skin tone, and a white camisole, no matter how convinced you are that no one can see through it. We've tried the nude camisole, and trust us: white just looks better.

The post 10 Things to Know About: Wearing Button-Down Shirts appeared first on Corporette.com.