The 8 Very Best White Button-down Shirts for Women

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Sizes:XS–3X with tall and petite options for sizes XS–XL|Fabric:100 percent cotton (in a pinpoint weave) that’s been specially treated to be wrinkle-resistant |Design details:Narrower placket, pearlized buttons, bust darts (plus sizes only) |Price:$

For years, AYR’s The Deep End was our best-overall button-down recommendation. Initially $125 in 2022 — the year thisBest in Classguide was first published — it’s $165 today. I wondered if I could find a comparable button-down for less than that, or better yet, under $100. I did:L.L.Bean’s Wrinkle-Free Pinpoint Oxford shirt. (You can read more about how I found ithere.)

It’s made of apinpoint fabric, which has a weight that’s traditionally between a broadcloth and oxford cloth. As a shirting material, it lends the shirt an air of formality. Not only does the white remind me of the stiff peaks of a meringue, it’s, to borrow from our writerErin Schwartz, “so crisp you could crack an egg on it.” It justfeelsso good. Branded as “wrinkle-free,” L.L.Bean treated the cotton to resist wrinkles — and I think “wrinkle-resistant” is right. Not only is the shirt machine-washable, it comes out of the dryer relatively uncreased. And any wrinkles are easilysteamedaway.

Beyond that, it’s available in sizes XS–3X. It’s more fitted than oversize — a unicorn of a silhouette when it comes to women’s button-downs these days. “In an ideal world, my perfect button-down is crisp white with a slightly exaggerated pointed collar and big cuffs,” said our contributor Mya Gelber on herbutton-down huntin 2024. This was a winner — after she tried on around 25 others. Gelber called the shirt “perfectly constructed,” from the single box pleat in the back down to the length (right at the hip). All the more impressive considering the cost of the shirt: $79.95. I think it’ll hold on to the Best in Class blue ribbon for a long time.

Sizes:XS–XL |Fabric:100 percent oxford cotton |Design details:Locker loop on the back, pocket on the chest, curved hemline |Price:$$$

Just because AYR’s the Deep End isn’t thebest-overall button-down anymore doesn’t mean it’s not a great button-down. If you make the splurge, you’re getting something resembling a vintage Ralph Lauren shirt. (Or what Ina Garten cooks in as theBarefoot Contessa.) I personally sized down, and that meant my waist wasn’t swallowed up by the fabric. But those who prefer a real oversize fit should go with their usual size. Our senior writerLauren Ro— who I helped convince to get the shirt in bothwhite and blue— agrees that “the shirt’s proportions are just so good,” with the “big patch pocket, slightly dropped shoulders, and size of the collar — not too big or too small.” (Ro compares it toAnnette Bening’s inThe American President“though it’s not actually that huge.”) The oxford cotton, milled in Italy, has a pleasing weightiness. It doesn’t feel thin in the slightest. And while the care instructions say to “machine wash cold, do not bleach, tumble dry low, cool iron if needed” — it can handle a regular drying cycle without coming outtoowrinkled. Ro “would maybe do a pass with an iron or steamer if I were dressing them up, but for a weekday outfit, they look fine.”

Sizes:XXS–XXL |Fabric:100 percent cotton |Design details:Point collar, dropped shoulders, double pockets in the front |Price:$

Initially, in theverybeginnings of making this guide,Everlanewas the brand recommended to me the most. “For the price, you can’t do much better” (to paraphrase) was the general sentiment I heard. Unlike a true oversize shirt, this one is, as the name suggests, boxy, which is its main appeal: It’s relaxed and casual, but you don’t feel as if the button-down’s wearing you. Plus, there are little details that make the shirt special: the dropped shoulder seams, double pockets in the front, and the tulip-petal-shaped cuts on the side. It also looks as nice buttoned up completely as it does unbuttoned low (usually, button-downsonlylook good one way or the other).

Sizes:XS–4X with tall and petite options for sizes XS–XXL|Fabric:100 percent oxford cotton |Design details:Spread collar, buttoned cuffs, pocket on the chest, curved hemline |Price:$

While Old Navy’s Oversized Button-Down Boyfriend shirt is technically “100 percent oxford cotton,” it’s definitely lighter than Gap’s Organic Cotton Oxford Big shirt. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing — if you’re wearing it when the temperature’s between 61 and 73 degrees. (I have compared it to a slice of angel-food cake, and a sprig of baby’s breath before.) It’s very breathable — in a way that makes me think I wouldn’t ever break a sweat in it. And you don’t have to feelsoprecious about it — at $39.99, it’s frequently marked down for even less. “This is a great inexpensive option if you’re looking for something to throw over a swimsuit or for a stroll to the farmers’ market,” says Gelber.

Sizes:XXS–3X with petite options for sizes XXS–L|Fabric:100 percent oxford cotton |Design details:Buttoned cuffs, pocket on the chest, shirttail hemline |Price:$$

I’d be remiss not to mentionJ.Crewhere. I’ve been buying J.Crew button-downs for nearly a decade. I feel well-dressed in the shirts, which are well-made and well-tailored — even as someone who’s bustier, curvier, and shorter, I find that J.Crew just gets the fit right.

Under the creative direction of Olympia Gayot, one of the brand’s most-popular button-downs (evidenced by over 800 reviews — a lot for a single J.Crew product) is the Étienne. J.Crew describes the Étienne as having its “roomiest proportions to date” and it comes in an extended length this season. A winner of Cook’s hunt for anoversize white button-up, she boughtthreeÉtiennes (in “lightweight oxford”). “Ultimately I ended up preferring the Étienne’s very oversize fit to nearly everything else I tried on,” she explains. Because of its “extra volume” it can look slightly less formal. But it’s the material that really sold her. “Though [it] wasn’t that heavyweight oxford cotton I had my mind set on, the cotton is still substantial enough to hold its shape and not look too drapey and flimsy.”

Sizes:2–14|Fabric:100 percent cotton |Design details:Longline cut, rivershell buttons, exaggerated cuffs |Price:$$

Of the 16 button-downsOset Babür-Winter, founder of Prix Fixe, has, several are fromWith Nothing Underneath. (It was founded by a formerVoguestylist andTatlereditor.) Babür-Winter appreciates that the brand takes inspiration from British suiting. This version of its Boyfriend shirt is designed with an exaggerated cuff (which is twice the length of the cuffs on its regularBoyfriend). It’s a nice detail to have under a layer, but it doesn’t get in the way by itself. “I roll the cuffs up on mine constantly,” says Babür-Winter. “I’ll monogram cuffs often, so it’s fine to have a bigger canvas.” Babür-Winter has one in cotton poplin andTencellyocell (which is available in stripes); the former is “definitely crisper and firmer than the drape of the Tencel, though it doesn’t get starchy” while the latter “has a silky feel without the pain of maintainingsilk.” Neither feels “stiff or cardboard-like” after hang drying, either. “I think the ease of wash-wear-repeat makes it hard to beat,” she says. (No need for dry cleaning or ironing required, she adds.)

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