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Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.
Of all The Hunt features we’ve done, I’m kind of surprised that we’ve never done one on the best button-downs for women — a crisp white blouse is a classic for the office.
Psst: we’ve also talked about how to keep white blouses white, how to fix gaping blouses, when to tuck your blouse (and how to keep them tucked), how high to button your shirt for interviews, and whether a blouse collar should lay INSIDE or OUTSIDE a blazer collar. We’ve also rounded up the best tops for under suit jackets, rounded up the best women’s suits in every budget and our guide on how to wear suits, the best petite suits, the best plus-size suits, and the best women’s suits in tall sizes — also check out our discussion on the best courtroom attire for women lawyers and the best outfits for interviews. We also feature a Suit of the Week.
Why Are You Calling Them Button-Down Shirts When They’re Button-Front Shirts?
Now, a few points: Yes, yes, most women’s collars do not button down, so these should all properly be called “button-front” shirts. But most of these stores call them button-downs, and that’s what they’re usually called, so I’m going to go with “button down.” A second point: a big decision (as far as blouses go) is whether you want one that is non-iron.
Personally, my iron is gathering dust because I always buy the non-iron ones, but some people are concerned about the chemicals in those materials. Fortunately, they pose no major risks; see this MEL article for details.
Finally, a few random tips: a) If you prefer silky button-fronts, check out our Hunt for that one, b) if you’re busty, check out our guide to specialty shops for busty blouses, c) check out our original top 10 ways to wear a button-down shirt, and, finally, d) as a laundry tip, I’ve had great success with putting my shirts in the dryer for no more than about 15 minutes and then hanging them up to air dry.
Oh, and I’m on Team White-Camisole-Beneath-White-Shirt, but many others are on Team Nude Camisole; you can check out our discussion here.
Readers — which are your favorite button-down shirts? Do you purchase non-iron shirts? And what are your best tips for laundering (and wearing) a button-down shirt?
Our Latest Favorite Button-Down Shirts for Women
Crisp Button-Fronts Shirts for Women
Silky Button-Down Shirts
Button-Down Shirts for Busty Women
Other Ways to Deal with Gaping Button-Down Shirts
Some of our favorite products if you’re trying to solve problems with gaping:
Some of the top products to help you fix a gaping blouse include:
The Best Button-Down Shirts for Women in 2025
Ann Taylor
Ann Taylor’s crisp (and affordable) “Perfect Shirt” offers a few fabric options: 100% linen, 100% cotton, and cotton blends with some stretch. It’s available in classic, tall, and petite size ranges, as well as solids and prints, most of which are stripes. So you have a lot of combinations to choose from!
This cotton/nylon/spandex version is machine washable (no mention whether it’s dryer-safe, however) and has a 4.5 rating from hundreds of reviews!
The blouse is $69.50 full price and available in classic sizes 00-18 and petite 00-16.
Boss
This Boss blouse‘s princess seams give it a pretty, feminine fit, and it also has a hidden side zip to help maintain the fitted silhouette. It looks perfect as styled under a suit on Nordstrom’s website.
The shirt is made from a cotton/polyester blend and is machine washable, line dry. Most reviews are 5-star, and one customer noted that it’s “the best of the best” and “you’re worth it.”
The Bashinah Cotton-Blend Blouse is available in size 0-18 and is $198 full price at Nordstrom.
Brooks Brothers
Another reliable source of button-downs is, of course, Brooks Brothers. They offer both classic-fit and fitted styles and have a whole section of their website solely for white shirts.
This machine-washable (line-dry) blouse is made from oxford Supima cotton plus 3% spandex for a bit of stretch and has vertical darts for a more feminine vibe. The non-iron finish is designed to keep it wrinkle free “from morning to night.”
Available in pale pink, pale blue, white, and black, the shirt comes in sizes 00-16 and is $118 full price.
Foxcroft
If you’re looking for a brand that has plus or petite button-fronts, make sure to check out Foxcroft. (They also have straight sizes.) The brand offers lots of solids and prints in several fabrics and also has a handy “silhouette shop” on their website that describes their blouse styles: tailored, tailored for layering, A-line, tunic, and cropped.
This plus-size style is available in four colors, including white, in 14W-24W, and is $88 full price at Bloomingdale’s. You can also find Foxcroft at Amazon, though sizes can be spotty.
Rochelle Behrens
Rochelle Behrens is a must-check-out brand if you’re looking for button-front blouses with “no gape” construction. Their seven basic styles include the Icon Shirt (pictured), the Signature Shirt, and the Boyfriend Shirt, and each has its own price range.
Made from a cotton blend with 5% stretch, this shirt is fitted and machine washable (not dryer-safe). The brand provides free 30-day exchanges.
This blouse comes in four office-friendly colors in sizes XXS-XXL and is $122 full price at The-Shirt.com.
J.Crew
J.Crew is another reliable place to look for crisp button-down shirts — they have a number of fits and fabrics; one of our current favorites is the top rated Classic Fit Garçon Shirt.
As they note, it’s a fit that sits somewhere between their slim and oversized styles. They also note that the cotton used for the shirt is fully traceable to farms that are certified to the standards of regenagri, “an agricultural program devoted to encouraging biodiversity, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and securing the health of the land and the people who live and work there.” Nice!
J.Crew’s shirts are generally available in sizes sizes 00-24, 00P-12P, and 2T-16T, most are just under $100.
Lands’ End
We’ve long recommended Lands’ End’s no-gape shirts, but as of May 2025, the sole women’s no-gape style (girls’ shirts are also available) is sold out in all colors. Keep an eye out for more stock, but in the meantime, check out the brand’s button-front shirts in their five options: no-iron (like the one pictured), poplin, cooling, oxford, and linen.
This 100% cotton, machine washable, no-iron blouse is available in 15 (!) solids and prints — a nice sign of a style’s longevity. Its back darts give the style a more fitted shape.
The shirt comes in four size ranges: regular (2-18), petite (2-18), tall (6-18), and plus (16W-26W), and it’s $84.95 full price.
Like this feature? Check out other recent installments!
Updated stock images via Deposit Photos / misfire.
