Tags on the left

How many times have I pulled a shirt on over my head? Thousands, to be sure. Left arm, then right arm, over the head and pull down.

And how often does my shirt end up backwards? One-in-five? One-in-ten? It’s an utterly awful, infuriating sensation I get after realizing I put my shirt on backwards. I was so certain it was going on the right way, how on earth did it end up backwards? On better days I quietly correct the situation. On worse days I sharply mutter an expletive or two.

Perhaps it was that awful feeling that made me pay more attention, but I finally noticed something. There is more often than not a tag sewn into the inside seam of my shirt, and always on the left-hand side. On my shirt that doesn’t have side seams (aka a tubular shirt) that tag is sewn into the seam of the shoulder, again on the left-hand side.

Now an otherwise overlooked detail has become a functional, distinguishing feature, and knowing the tag is on the left helps me navigate the dark interiors of my navy blue garments.