The Closet Essential: Perfect Women’s Button Down Shirt

eveentor — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 06:27:59 +0000

Finding the Perfect Women’s White Button Down Shirt Under $100

Just about every stylist says you need to have a good white women’s long sleeve button-down shirt in your wardrobe for whenever. They do look good with a pair of jeans. I’ve never really tried hard to find the perfect white button-down shirt because I’m usually disappointed with the way they look, jeans or not. I can only think of one white button-down shirt I overwore in the past ten years. It was a multi-blend fabric shirt, with Jersey-like sleeves and back, cotton-like front and I covered it with a faux leather jacket. I always found these shirts too boxy of a fit because I don’t have enough to fill the space to get some lift and shape to the shirt. Not to mention the extra fabric at the bottom. Then there is the wrinkle factor. I am intimidated by a shirt that requires ironing. I don’t like the dry cleaning either. Then there is the opaqueness of the white shirt. I just assume the sheerness means these shirts require a cami or shirt underneath.

Based on my reasons for “fearing” the white shirt, I think it makes a lot of sense to address each of these issues during our review of the white shirt:

Form – Is it too boxy? Flowy? Form-fitting?
Fabric – Am I feeling constricted or too warm?
Feel – Does the fabric feel nice against the skin
Opaqueness – How sheer is the fabric?
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – It will never get back to its original flatness after washing
Length – So much fabric it can’t be tucked in

Lands’ End No Iron Supima Cotton Long Sleeve Shirt

When I think Lands’ End, I first think of down coats and then conservative bathing suit styles. I also think about and love the kid’s clothes from Lands’ End as they feel a bit more quality in the fabric without breaking the bank. As you probably know, most kids outgrow their clothes in a season. The shirt arrived in a branded plastic bag folded perfectly and included a cardboard collar support around the neckline to keep it looking perfect. I am already intimidated. I think “I will never get this shirt to look this good again”. One reason I picked this shirt is because of the really white color. It reminded me of picking the really “bright white” paper color over regular copy paper. You really don’t notice the difference in white until you see them next to each other. This shirt has a lot of nice features, namely the “No Iron” factor. It is true…after washing my shirt with a load of other miscellaneous white things out of the dryer, the shirt looked good. A person that really hates to iron would go with it as is. I chose to spend a few minutes steaming out a few of the wrinkles.

[URIS id=911]

Form – Roomy
Feel – The fabric was soft and sturdy. As soon as I put the shirt on, I did feel the need to sit up straight and not make any sudden moves. It can be a very professional-looking shirt.
Opaqueness – I thought this shirt would be the opaquest of all the shirts, but it did show the outline of my nude bra.
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – I was sure this shirt will never look as good as it did out of the package despite the “No Iron” in the title however after a wash, it still looks good with just a little steaming.
Length – The length was not extraordinarily long. There was enough to tuck but not really enough tie in front and look cool.

Women’s Lands’ End Women’s A-Line Tunic Shirt by Lands’ End

This shirt is the opposite of the No Iron Supima shirt. It’s soft and flowy and includes pockets on the side that are not visible at first. I like all of these features mentioned so far but I think it’s shapeless on me. I know Lands End typically runs on the larger side but I am always worried about sizing down. It’s not the greatest fit for me. I found my favorite way to wear this shirt was to tie this shirt in the front even though at first glance it looks like too much fabric. I can’t help but feel like this shirt would be great with wide-leg palazzo pants on one of those days when you might feel bloated. I could also see it being an accent to cover up like a long cardigan.

[URIS id=914]

Form – Soft and Flowy
Feel – The fabric is 100% cotton. It is soft but not silky.
Opaqueness –It did show the outline of my nude color bra.
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – The soft and flowy fabric looks good with the natural wrinkling. After washing and drying the shirt was not as crisp.
Length – The length is long. It will cover your behind.

Women’s Long Sleeve Boyfriend Fit Linen Button-Down Shirt – Universal Thread

I was skeptical of this shirt from the moment I saw it online to when I saw it in the Target bag at pick-up. I imagined it would be so wrinkled it would just look ridiculous. Why do brands send out wrinkled shirts that look really bad? I saw white button-down shirts by a well-known brand at Macy’s and they were so wrinkled I didn’t bother looking at them. If they can’t get the wrinkles out to sell them how the heck can I? I took the shirt out of the bag and put it on. It had wrinkles but they didn’t look as bad as expected. The shoulders were also interesting as they were not stitched around the sleeve as most shirts are. There was a line of stitching on the shoulder perhaps to keep the shoulders from looking too broad. The fabric was not as soft as the VICI SHIRT fabric and could be considered a bit “scratchy”. The form of the shirt was nice as it didn’t balloon out to its own shape but draped along. There was just enough fabric to tie this shirt in front. This is a great casual white shirt. I could go as far as to say it would be great on the beach.

[URIS id=916]

Form – Nice and drapey. Not form fitting at all.
Feel – The fabric was thin and a bit rough.
Opaqueness –It did show the outline of my nude bra.
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – Interestingly wrinkled
Length –There was just enough to tie in front. I think too much to tuck.

White Epic Easy Care Nailshead Button Up – Women Cutter & Buck

I felt a bit confined in this shirt. There isn’t any draping but fitting happening. The fabric is woven, sturdy, and opaque. The fabric of the shirt is comfortable to wear. This shirt includes lining for shaping. You will not have a boxy shape but it will also expose your curves. I think I need to size up to enjoy this shirt.

[URIS id=917]

Form – Form fitting
Feel – The fabric is sturdy and soft.
Opaqueness –It did show the outline of my nude bra less than any of the other shirts in this group. You could also see some other curves in the shirt. I think I would require some Spanx under this shirt.
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – It wasn’t the same after a wash but it wasn’t the hardest to iron.
Length –There was just enough to untuck or tuck. You can force a tie but would expose your waist.

Puff Sleeve Button-Up Cotton Top by Vici from Nordstrom

The first is from Nordstrom and was recommended by Shea Whitney. She looks good in this shirt. Why not give it a try? It’s the Puff Sleeve Button-Up Cotton Top by Vici from Nordstrom. I checked the Vici website and did not find the same shirt on their website. Shea points out that this shirt has a very delicate pinstripe detail although difficult to see when you look at the shirt. The detail is so light that you hardly notice it. This shirt is 100% cotton. The puff sleeves give it a nice soft appearance as opposed to the straight sleeves seen on many white button-down shirts. The buttons on this shirt are fabric covered and very small. I like this detail as you are not looking at a typical white shirt button. I was surprised by the collar which was a peter pan collar with ruffled edges. My lip was upturned at this detail. I just overlooked it on the Nordstrom website and didn’t notice it when Shea wore it. Despite my preconceived notion of the collar being too cutesy, it wasn’t. The collar just blends into the shirt because it has so many other details to notice.

[URIS id=918]

Form – Drapey and flowy
Feel – The shirt was soft and not too heavy.
Opaqueness – Typical opaqueness for a white shirt but it is less sheer than I had expected in comparison to the other shirts reviewed.
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – The shirt was folded when it arrived. It doesn’t look pressed, but I don’t feel compelled to iron it nor do I feel intimidated that it will never be this pressed again.
Length – Good length as it can be tucked. It will not cover your behind if you are wearing leggings.

Tucker Shirt – White, Wrinkle Resistant from UNTUCKit

This shirt is a cross of the utility shirt with tab sleeves. This shirt is exciting because it is wrinkle-resistant linen. When I think linen, I think of a hot iron. The shirt comes with a special wrinkle-resistant tag noting that it has been treated to resist wrinkles. Wow! As I put this shirt on, I had a moment of apprehension as I thought the shirt was too small. Once I got my arms in, it was clear that the shirt was a perfect fit. The shape this shirt gave was fitting enough that my body wasn’t hidden in the shirt but outlined. It wasn’t too confining. It’s the worst when your clothes make you look larger than you are. This shirt just seemed to sit right without having to move the shirt around manually. The sleeves are a perfect length for my arms.

[URIS id=919]

Form –Fits Your Body
Feel – Fabric is linen so it’s not silky soft but not so rough that it’s itchy
Opaqueness – Typical
Wrinkle Maintenance Level – Fabric is treated to be wrinkle resistant
Length –There was just enough to untuck, tuck or tie.

*Bloom Ratings are based on other shirts in this review.

Resources

Where to Buy- Women’s Button Down Shirt

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