4 Womens Button Up Shirts You Can’t Live Without
4 Womens Button Up Shirts You Can’t Live Without
A white button-down shirt is the foundation of any polished wardrobe, whether it’s layered under a blazer with khakis come winter or worn open over a swimsuit in the summer. But a few key factors can make the difference between this wardrobe staple and a can’t-live-without piece.
Look for fabrics that don’t need to be dry cleaned and have a slightly oversized fit so you can button them up comfortably around your chest. A few options that our readers love:
1. Everlane The Silky Cotton Relaxed Shirt
A silk shirt is a bit of a wardrobe no-brainer. It feels polished and refined but also casual and lived-in—it’s the perfect option for everything from a serious day in the office to dinner with friends. This Everlane silk relaxed cotton button-down delivers that put-together polish with lived-in comfort. It’s made from a high-twist silky 100% cotton yarn in a traditional twill weave so it has that extra-smooth feel you usually only get from decades of wear—and the roomy slightly oversized fit is perfect for dressing up or down. (Everlane is currently offering new customers 10% off their first order.)
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2. White Linen Shirt
If you’re going to be wearing a white linen button up shirt in intense heat, this one has 3 important qualities: it’s really loose so there’s a lot of airflow, the color reflects rather than absorbs the sun’s rays and it’s made from an eco-friendly blend of cotton and linen. TFG readers are loving this cropped style, available in a wide range of summery colors and prints.
Made from lightweight and breathable long fiber flax, grown along the coastline of Upper Normandy in northern France (where it’s known for its superior quality), this sustainable linen button up is not only super chic but also ethical and environmentally friendly. It’s washed with biodegradable softeners and has a dialed-in straight-not-sloppy fit, plus it comes with naturally luxurious corozo nut buttons. TFG readers cite this linen shirt as being great for travel — pack it for balmy work meetings and faraway vacations.
A neatly pressed linen button down with just two undone buttons looks relaxed and cool, but more than that and you’ll start to look like a river raft drifter in a romance novel. This button up from Drake’s blends elements of classic menswear with an oh-so-breathable linen fabric that keeps you looking polished without breaking a sweat. Wear it with a tailored suit or tuck it into your billowy pleated pants for a vacation-ready ensemble.
3. Cubavera The Long Sleeve Sheer Blouse
With a subtle pick stitch pattern on soft linen, this shirt adds a refined touch to laid-back island style. It’s a smart casual option to wear buttoned up or untucked over shorts or Cubavera linen pants. Its classic guayabera-style buttons, vertical pintucks and embroidered accents elevate its look. Pair this tropical shirt with a Panama hat and mesh slip-ons for an easy, sophisticated ensemble.
This linen-cotton shirt has a relaxed fit, but it’s slimmer in the chest and shoulders than some other Cubavera styles, Lurie says. To get a more comfortable womens button up shirts fit, you can size up, but she suggests checking the brand’s (extensive) size chart to ensure it will work for your frame. The long sleeves can be rolled up to your elbows for a more casual look. And, like many of the other shirts in this roundup, this one is also available in tall-specific sizing.
Unlike the boxy, cropped Everlane shirt that Hailey Rizzo of fashion blog Feeling Good As Hail mentions in her best button-downs for plus sizes story, this J.Crew shirt is “more tailored and less boxy” thanks to its crinkled, airy fabric. She loves that it’s a bit longer in the back, so she can tie it around her waistline or do a half-tuck to create a flattering silhouette. The fabric is “lightweight enough that you can actually breathe, but it’s thick enough to keep you from feeling like a sack of cotton,” she says.
4. Anne Fontaine The Clodie
The Clodie shirt from Anne Fontaine offers a more fitted silhouette in a soft jersey pima fabric, which feels more relaxed than stiff. Micro-pleated panels elevate the look of this long sleeve pima jersey shirt. The fit is slim enough for a tailored look, and the crisp signature poplin collar, sleeve cuffs and button placket make it dressy enough for work or a night out.
Staci Brinkman, founder of sauce-and-salad-dressing maker Sips By, has been wearing this shirt since she saw it on Milk Street (she says the show’s producers requested her to wear white shirts for the cameras). She describes the linen-cotton blend as lightweight and airy, with a little stretch that gives it a “strolling-in-the-park vibe.”
Wardrobe Whisperer stylist Jessica Cadmus likes the fact that the sleeves end right at your wrists instead of extending past them, which she says “distinguishes it from a more basic, standard white shirt.” Another detail that distinguishes this white striped button down is its can’t-miss pleats, which are meant to follow the curves of the figure.
The cropped Everlane shirt also caught the eye of Milk Street producer Catherine Smart, who chose it because she wanted something structured to go with her high-waisted jeans. She says it’s the perfect fit for her petite frame and looks polished when left unbuttoned. Fashion blogger Hailey Rizzo is a fan of the Everlane’s boxy silhouette and notes that it doesn’t drown her petite frame, even when worn unbuttoned. Strategist Erin Schwartz prefers the Ole Shirt from Baserange, which she describes as “lavishly oversize,” adding that she double-cuffs it for a rolled-out-of-bed look.