Horizontal buttonholes on mens shirts

[Talbot]

All,

Probably a whimsical question, but here goes. I was at my tailor the other day having some vintage casual shirts copied. The buttonholes on these shirts are all in the horizontal.

All the modern shirts I see have vertical buttonholes (with the exception of the bottom buttonhole on some of the better quality dress shirts).

When did the vertical buttonhole take over, and why do some shirts still have the bottom buttonhole horizontal?

Talbot

 

[Rachael]

I have always held that horizontal buttonholes are for stress-bearing areas. Being horizontal, it allows for some pull where a vertical buttonhole shows 'gappage' by bowing at the button. So an overcoat has them since it is worn over a suit or sweater, as do vests. Women's clothing are more likely have vertical buttonholes since the era when corsets kept one from breathing too heavily, therefore eliminating stress on the outer garment.

Perhaps men's casual shirts, aka work shirts, have horizontal buttonholes because they are designed for active wear, whereas formal shirts are designed for more leisurely pursuits when on would not be using full range of motion. I do know that men's dress shirts of the 1840's had vertical buttonholes but there aren't many surviving work shirts of that era since no one really saw the need to save any for history's sake. pity.

Does this make sense to anyone else?

 

["Skeet" McD]

I do know that men's dress shirts of the 1840's had vertical buttonholes but there aren't many surviving work shirts of that era since no one really saw the need to save any for history's sake. pity.

Does this make sense to anyone else?

Yes, makes perfect sense, to me.

As far as the mid-19C workshirts go, we have more to go on now than just a few decades ago, thanks to several shipwrecks whose cargo was preserved: Two from the middle of the US (the river boats BERTRAND which foundered in 1865, and the ARABIA which foundered in 1856) both of which had large stocks of work clothing going west; one is from the deep blue Atlantic (the steamer CENTRAL AMERICA, which went down in 1857) carrying the personal effects of many Gold Rush miners returning home. Very little of this material has been published, to the best of my knowledge, but if you are near the museums in question....a visit and examination would be very worthwhile. Here's a link to whet your appetite:

http://www.1856.com/

 

[Tomasso]

horizontal buttonholes are for stress-bearing areas.

Yep, that's why they're used on shirt collars. Some shirtmakers will also use them on the bottom button for two reasons: 1) So the button won't come undone when seated and 2) To anchor the placket, keeping both sides of the front in line; especially important for patterned shirts.

Also, vertical buttonholes are favored for use on shirts because they tend to be less cumbersome than horizontal when spaced closely together.

 

[lazydaisyltd]

http://www.1856.com/[/URL]

Thank you for the link--that museum looks facinating...I will put it on my list of "must-sees"!