When buttons were introduced in the 13th century, they were extremely expensive, and only upper-class women could afford to wear clothing with buttons. The positioning of buttons on the right for men and on the left for women reflected not only design functionality but also societal gender and class distinctions.
In the 13th century, common women fastened their clothes with fabric ties or wooden clasps, whereas middle and upper-class women frequently wore elaborate outfits fastened with expensive buttons made of gold, silver, pearls, gemstones, and ivory — a trend that laid the groundwork for the future distinction between haute couture and casual fashion.
At the time, wealthy women wore buttoned-up garments, but they did not dress themselves; their servants did. Because most individuals were right-handed, the buttons had to be on the left so that the person standing opposite could easily fasten them. The positioning of buttons on the left for women’s attire was a subtle indicator of the family’s affluence, which was typical of the upper class.
