When it comes to shirts, particularly those of the plain white button-down nature, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there's little room for innovation. A timeless staple, they're as simple as they are effective which is largely their appeal. You can't, after all, go far wrong with a classic white shirt. Surely?
Unfortunately, those of us with boobs - almost regardless of size although undoubtedly even more so for those with a larger chest - know otherwise.
Despite their ‘effortlessly chic’ reputation, there's something that often happens with even the best button-down shirts that renders them frustratingly, well, un-chic. We are, of course, referring to the gape.
The gaping between buttons has been an issue many of us have faced since our early shirting days at school. Many of us tried to combat the problem with the help of a safety pin (or three), a modest vest layered beneath or a larger size, but there's been surprisingly little in the way of innovation in this space from the manufacturer. Or so Twitter users thought, before they spotted a Tweet going viral recently.
“I don’t know who needs to know this (I’m guessing everyone with boobs),” wrote British author Bryony Pearce, “but Marks and Spencer is doing shirts with added secret buttons in the chest area to prevent gaping and they just WON CLOTHES! It’s genius.”
Posting an image of a shirt which showed visible, standard buttons on the outside of the shirt as well as alternate buttons concealed on the inside of the shirt, the Tweet quickly went viral and clocked up almost twenty thousand likes.
Reacting to the Tweet, many users expressed their sheer relief at discovering the seemingly simple solution to a frustration so many of us have felt for years.
“My huge boobs have been powering their way out of button up garments for many years. Need to try one of these shirts”, said one, while another admitted: “I must look out for them as I haven't worn full button shirts for over 20 years for this reason”.
Many others welcomed the opportunity to put down the safety pins, with one writing: “I’m so fed up of using safety pins between buttons”, and another: “Loving this blouse I’ve had a life time of having to carefully add in tiny bronze safety pins between a couple of the button plackets to prevent the gaps”.
Wearing your shirt with a 'French tuck' is so major right nowGallery10 PhotosSome have even taken to DIY-ing a solution over recent years. “I have been sewing mine shirts up and pulling them over my head like a T-shirt to avoid any gaping or accidentally buttons opening while teaching a bunch of teenagers!” revealed one Twitter user, while another said: “Some of my shirts have got secret poppers (sewn on by me!) in between the buttons. Annoying to have to do it, but so worth it”.
However, despite the Tweet having gone viral only very recently, loyal anti-gaping aficionados (who we can only imagine were savvily gatekeeping this golden discovery to ensure that they didn't sell out) confirmed that the shirts are not new, and have in fact been around for quite some time. “M&S have been doing these shirts for years. I bought my first one in 2017 and fell in love instantly”, explained one user.
Whether you've been wearing these shirts for years or have just discovered them, we advise you to run - not walk - to your closest M&S, as these shirts are already starting to sell out.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
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