Shirt-Buttoning Styles of the Weird and “Special” Why Forrest Gump, Adrian Monk, and Steve Urkel button the top button. By June Thomas Dec 03, 20094:56 PM Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk on Monk ...

Have you ever worn a button-up shirt meant for another gender, and wondered why your fingers struggled with the buttons? It’s because men’s and women’s shirts are buttoned on opposite sides.

Like many traditions, the answer probably lies in the history books. Although there isn't any particular point in time when a dressmaker declared men's shirt buttons must be sewn on the right and ...

Still, for whatever reason, men's and women's shirts continue to button on opposite sides. For now at least, we'll just continue to carry these little reminders of our sartorial past on our chests.

Button-downs are a very American look. They were introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1896, based on polo shirts and became a staple of casual dress at university sporting events.