You Need This: the White Button-Down That Never Comes Untucked

That Meghan Markle wore a white button-down shirt for her first public outing with Prince Harry last summer didn't feel surprising to me: The style has pretty much been synonymous with fashion buzzwords like timeless, effortless, and classic for decades—think Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn with their polished blouses and cigarette trousers, countless other street-style icons tucking them into their perfectly fit denim in the years since. And yet, for a clothing item so ubiquitous, I've found it pretty difficult to find one that fits.

I have a small waist and much larger hips, which means the casually tucked-in look is pretty much a no-go, thanks to the perpetual gape at the back of my pants. No matter the belt I wear or the fit of my jeans, my button-downs always manage to come untucked—and if I want them to (maybe) stay put, I’m forced to hold my arms in a rigid, Frankenstein-ish stance. Yes, it's as awkward as it sounds.

But that's only the first of many other fit concerns that come with shopping for button-downs. You have to think about the fabric (is it too transparent, or too stretchy, or too stiff?), the cut (is it too tailored, or too baggy, or too long?), and even the distance between the buttons. The quest for that perfect blouse can send even the most laid-back shopper into despair.

I went through countless cycles of trying, buying, and returning button-downs that looked crisp on the hanger and a wrinkled mess when I wore them, before finally landing on the wonder top that would change it all. Oh, and did I mention it's technically not even a blouse?

I picked up J.Crew’s Stretch Perfect Bodysuit after reading a review written by Carly Heitlinger, a fashion blogger I’ve religiously followed since my teens.

I've bought plenty of products at her suggestion—Breton stripe tops, gingham maxidresses, even a beret—but the idea that a bodysuit was the perfect button-down alternative gave me pause, even with Carly's stamp of approval. After all, we have pretty different body types, and items that stay put on people with smaller hips usually fail to do it for me. But Carly said it worked, so it was worth a shot, in my book.

So a few weeks later I went to J.Crew to procure my own Stretch Perfect Bodysuit. And reader, I can confirm: This one-piece is the classic white button-down everyone wants, but engineered to be a million times better.

It checks off all the boxes of a dream button-down—nonsheer fabric, sleeves that easily fold—as well as key bodysuit features, like a stretchy bottom with minimal panty line action. More important, for me, it solved the problem I had encountered with every single other button-down I'd tried in the past: This faux-shirt genuinely never comes untucked, because, duh, it’s a bodysuit.

I didn’t appreciate the wonders of a full range of motion while wearing a button-down until waving at a colleague at work or reaching across my desk to answer the phone, and my shirt wasn't immediately untucked. I could do probably cartwheels down my hallway while wearing this bodysuit if I had the athletic ability, and still look as though I was shooting for J.Crew’s next catalog.

Plus, the fact that it's a bodysuit is so discreet it feels like a fun wardrobing secret—no one who’s seen me wearing it has been able to guess its true nature. I’ve worn it everywhere from the office (with jeans) to church on Sunday (with plaid trousers), and it’s been a magnet for compliments in every scenario. But the most satisfying reaction of all? The surprise when I share that actually, my perfect white button-down is a bodysuit.

J. Crew Perfect Stretch Bodysuit, $78, J.Crew

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