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.

Reader L wonders how to keep white blouses white, and as summer's heat is upon us I think now is a great time to discuss this…

Currently, I'm living in hot and sunny south Florida. Not to be overly gross, but my whites just do not stay as white as they should simply because of all the sweating that I do here! I know that I could go see a dermatologist or I can try a new deodorant, but that's not my question/issue.

My question is: other than bleach, what do you do to keep your whites fresh and white? It's my opinion that Florida living prevents white clothing from ever looking totally clean, and that's a total damper on a DC girl who lives an ill-fitting black/gray/blue suit and a white button-up. What do you do?

We actually have talked about the best deodorants for the working woman — but as you note, this is a different question.

{related: how to keep whites white}

How to Keep White Blouses White

The tips that I know of for keeping whites white:

a) Think about your undergarments. A white blouse frequently needs a camisole anyway (I'm a fan of the nude-for-you bra paired with a white camisole, but that's me) and so look for one that has high arm-holes — the cotton camisole will help “catch” the sweat (yes, eww, but still).

When you're laundering it,

b) Avoid the dryer at all costs. Even if the shirt says “tumble dry low,” most of the yellowing comes from the dryer — so hang your white blouses, or lay them flat to dry. If the tag says “dry clean only” or even “dry clean” (the latter of which usually means it can be washed), I'd be inclined to get the shirt dry-cleaned if you really like it.

c) Before you wash it, pretreat areas that are likely to be dirty. My husband always sprays the collars, underarms, and cuffs of his button-down shirts with Spray n' Wash before we do the laundry. I've read about a number of other solutions for cleaning whites — peroxide mixes, baking soda mixes, etc, but I've never tried them myself — readers, please weigh in!

d) If all of this still doesn't help, look into products like underarm shields. I only know about this product because a friend wanted to invent it — alas for her, a lot of companies beat her to the punch, but this is great news for white blouse wearers.

Psst: As of 2023, there are products that can help you avoid getting sweat stains on your clothing (whoa!), as well as products that help you remove them… as well as special undershirts shirts that don't stain. Some more products are pictured below…

Finally: keep in mind that while the white blouse is classic, it is by no means the only thing you can wear to look professional — check out the Corporette Guide to the Best Tops For Under Suits!

Readers, what are your tips for keeping your whites sparkling white?

Hunting for opaque white T-shirts for work? As of 2024, we'd suggest checking the double-layer lines from Boden, Express, Old Navy, and Hobbs, as well as great sources for basic Pima cotton such as L.L.Bean, Uniqlo, Everlane, Banana Republic, and Talbots. (This $268 tee also gets great reviews for opacity, and Elizabeth swears by this tee under $30!)

As of 2024, the best spots to check for nude-for-you undergarments are Gap, Old Navy, or Nubian Skin for tons of options — Victoria's Secret also has a bunch!

The post How to Keep White Blouses White appeared first on Corporette.com.

When interviewing, must you button your shirt all the way to the top? How many buttons are acceptable to leave unbuttoned? Reader S wonders…

I am going for an interview at quite a conservative organisation. I have a navy skirt suit and was going to wear a white button up shirt. Do I need to button up all the buttons up to the top?

I have an immediate, initial gut reaction here — but I'm curious if the readers agree. Before we start, note that the WSJ just discussed this very topic for men's attire; in the past we've talked about whether shirt collars should be tucked into a blazer or splayed on top, as well as where to get the best button-front blouses. Here's my gut reaction $.02:

NO! Don't button it all the way to the top! That would look weird, and fussy, and… and… I'm thinking of a hitman in a movie but can't quite put my finger on which movie. (Also: Rainman.) I dug up a few pictures for inspiration, though, and my opinions shifted as I studied it. So I'm really curious to hear what readers say. Here are some notes:

Buttoned all the way to the top:

Personally, this is my least favorite look. It looks very severe to me; I'm surprised to see so many models styled this way. I'd say this is the dominant way I saw things styled online, which was a surprise.

Pictured: Source / Source / Source / Source (totally not an interview suit, but look how purty!).

Slightly Unbuttoned:

When I started writing this post, I also would have said this was WAY too high. It still isn't my favorite look, and personally I would want more of a V-neck effect. (Note that my personal preference here has ALWAYS been affected by the fact that I am busty and a V-neck is much more flattering on me than a closed-neck top — so add that grain of salt to the, uh, other grains of salt.) That said, it is a classic, very buttoned-up look.

Source / Source  (note that if you zoom in on the product page, there are two unbuttoned buttons — but it lays so neatly it could be only one)/ Source / Source

Unbuttoned and Open:

Think “top 2 buttons undone,” so there's a bit of clavicle showing. Honestly, this is how I've always worn a button-front blouse, and how most people I know have styled it in real life, whether accidentally or on purpose. (I have even adjusted the opening so it purposely lays a bit open, with the collar still tucked inside the jacket.)   But you can barely find any pictures with it styled as such online.

Source / Source / Source

Blouse Open:

Hi yo! Please do not wear this look to an interview or to work (at least not without a serious layer beneath it… like a turtleneck.) J.Crew is the big offender, here, and to me it's one of their little styling quirks. Admittedly, a lot of their styling quirks have become trendy (the half-tuck, the J.Crew roll, the disheveled ponytail), but I'd stay away from the blouse half-undone look.

Source / Source /Source.

Ladies, how do YOU wear your blouses with suit jackets: buttoned all the way to the top, slightly unbuttoned, unbuttoned and open, or very open?

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The post How High to Button Your Shirt for Interviews 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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