The practice of placing buttons on different sides of men’s and women’s clothing stretches back centuries, and while there’s no single definitive historical record, historians generally agree it stems from practical customs and social roles in early European dress traditions. Buttons and buttonholes became more widespread by the 13th century and were initially a sign of wealth and status, especially since buttons were expensive and ornamental.

For men, buttons on the right side likely emerged because most people are right-handed and men traditionally dressed themselves. Having buttons placed this way made fastening garments easier and more efficient for the wearer without assistance.

In contrast, women’s buttons have historically been placed on the left side. The most commonly cited explanation is that wealthy women often did not dress themselves; they were helped by servants or ladies-in-waiting who were usually right-handed. From the perspective of the person assisting — standing opposite the wearer — left-side buttons were easier to handle.

This practice was not about the wearer’s convenience, but rather the convenience of the helper, and gradually became an embedded social marker of femininity and class, long after the original context disappeared from daily life.

Over time, even as most women began to dress themselves and the reliance on servants disappeared, the left-side button tradition persisted. Fashion houses, tailors, and later industrial manufacturers continued replicating established designs — partly out of convention and partly as a visual shorthand distinguishing men’s and women’s garments. This cemented the pattern into standard practice despite the original practical reasons fading from memory.

In addition to servant-based explanations, there were other cultural narratives — such as the idea that button placement became a status symbol or a way for the masses to mimic elite fashion.

Another commonly cited factor in men’s button placement is tied to military and functional needs of earlier eras. For men, buttons aligned on the right allowed them to reach weapons or tools with their right hand while dressing or preparing for action, since swords and other arms were traditionally worn on the left hip. This seemingly minor design choice may have originated in practicality and later extended into general menswear.

While this explanation is less directly tied to gender norms, it underscores how gendered roles in society — warriors vs. ornamented figures — influenced clothing design.

There are additional theories offered by historians and cultural commentators, though they tend to be more speculative and less strongly supported. These include ideas that button orientation might have aided women with breastfeeding, or influenced by contemporary riding habits (like sidesaddle), or even as a way to distinguish garments in an era of evolving fashion norms.

However, fashion experts stress that there is no universally accepted historical documentation proving a single cause — the common servant explanation is traditional but not definitively documented.

Today, the difference in button placement often goes unnoticed, yet it remains a living relic of social history. What began as a practical accommodation — for right-handed dressers or helpers — became a standardized fashion code that reinforced ideas about gender, independence, and class. Even though most of the original functional reasons no longer apply, clothing continues to reflect these deep-rooted norms simply because tradition has been repeated and codified over generations.

In contemporary fashion, some designers challenge these conventions with gender-neutral clothing that ignores traditional button rules, highlighting how arbitrary the historical distinctions truly are. Nonetheless, mainstream fashion largely maintains the divide, reminding us that cultural habits change slowly, and everyday details like button placement carry hidden historical meaning.