Be Careful With Those Button Down Shirts

a woman in a dressLast week, I went to West Palm Beach and Charlotte. It was a great trip, as far as work trips go. My meetings were very successful, I got to stay on the beach, my flights were reasonably on time. I also managed to get a swim and walk/jog in for triathlon training. So overall, an excellent work trip.

The only real mishap happened near the end of travel. Thursday was the last day of meetings, then I was heading home. My shirt for the day was a relatively new print blouse from Banana Republic (similar to the one in the picture, but more fitted), and I was excited to wear it as I’ve been trying to move more toward prints and away from solids. As I got dressed, I realized that the small buttons on the shirt I had chosen were functional, rather than purely decorative as I had assumed before. They only came down to the middle of my chest, but I don’t usually wear button downs because I am busty and always afraid of gaping. And of course, as we were walking into the office, I looked down and realized that two of the buttons had actually come unbuttoned. Yikes! I casually turned around and fixed them, but it set the tone for the day. I was hyper-aware during all of my meetings, and my presentation was especially nerve wracking. Nothing bad happened, until I was actually at the airport. I made it through security (which for some reason took forever), and stepped into the first ladies’ room I saw so I could change. After getting into the stall, I look down and realize those same damn buttons had come undone again. So everyone at CLT last Thursday, you’re welcome for the show. Oy.

The moral of the story is…… well, I’m not totally sure. I love, love this shirt, and I don’t want to have to stop wearing it. I also don’t want to flash cleavage at work. Because it will slip over my head without unbuttoning it, I think I will safety pin all of those little spaces closed. I guess the moral of the story is to  move around in your clothes before leaving the safety of your hotel room, and make sure that everything stays covered!!

Comments

  1. I have a very similar blouse, and I just sewed it together, placket to placket. Be sure to double-check that it fits over your head before you sew, though. 🙂

  2. Sew the opening closed and then they really will be decorative buttons – just make sure they’re really not required to open.

  3. i have a shirt that the buttons don’t like to stay put, and i’ll wear a light camisole underneath so that in case it DOES pop open, i’m not flashing the office.

  4. I have this problem. I’m naturally well endowed. take your blues to a good tailor/seamstress and have it sewed together. Maybe not the first button if you need it to slip on the shirt.

    I’ve done this on several shirts and dresses. Good luck and happy travels.

  5. Another option (if you still want to unbutton the shirt) is to sew small snaps in between to prevent gapping. In a pinch, I also use thick double-sided fabric tape.

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