Button Down Collars: Do You Ever Wear Them Unbuttoned?

[gorgekko]

Originally Posted by Jared

As a young Canadian, I've always had an emotional aversion to BD collars. I'd like to think it's because they're a piece of Americana creeping into the Commonwealth.

Anyway, the majority of casual shirts in Canada are BD collar, because they're being sold by American companies. I often see people wearing them with the buttons undone, because I assume most Canadians wish the buttons weren't there.

Eh? In my 36.5 years of living in Canukistan I've never once heard anyone wail about button down collars on either sartorial or nationalistic grounds.

At any rate, I keep them buttoned down.

 

[jonnyunpleasant]

Buttoned with ties, unbuttoned without.

 

[SoCal2NYC]

Originally Posted by sonlegoman

I disagree. I think men's style is superfluous enough. It's not that it takes another 5 seconds to get dressed and it becomes an obstacle, it's just that some details are just too much. Tie bars, collar bars, collar pins, collar buttons, tie chains, tie pins... really? Do you really need all that stuff? I rather stick to the minimal things such as shirt without collar buttons and tie (and handkerchief).

I don't own any shirts with buttondown collars and don't intend on ever owning any. If you want to look more casual, just ditch the tie for the day. But I don't even have casual fridays so I don't have a choice.

Just my opinion. And about the question of the post, I think if they're there, you should probably button them. And if you don't, the only people who would notice are probably women.

I don't think it means you have to go for a casual look. I all of my Thom Browne oxfords are button downs and I always wear them with a tie.

 

[grimslade]

OCBDs are at their best with the collar points buttoned but the neck _unbuttoned_. That is what they were born to do, as it were. Why anyone would sacrifice the wave that comes from buttoning those collar points is beyond me. But i'll stop now.

 

[Dragon]

Typical Italian affection.

Like working sleeve buttons on a jacket...If an unbuttoned DB collar meant that the shirt was expensive or custom made, then everyone would think it was an affection too, but since shirts are cheap it seems a lot people don`t care either way.

 

[sanrensho]

My ex-boss used to always wear his bd collars unbuttoned. He was a big, fat, sloppy idiot, cussing and farting as he waddled down the hall... believe me, it didn't help his image.

 

[Thomas]

I stopped buttoning the collars maybe 10 years ago. I stopped wearing ties every day around 10 years ago. Today, if I wear a tie, it's with a spread collar anyway, so any button-down shirts are worn casually.

 

[Drinkwaters]

Originally Posted by Dragon

Typical Italian affection.

Like working sleeve buttons on a jacket...If an unbuttoned DB collar meant that the shirt was expensive or custom made, then everyone would think it was an affection too, but since shirts are cheap it seems a lot people don`t care either way.

I believe you mean Gianni Agnelli's pension for doing this as weel as wearing his wrist watch over his sleeve cuff.

Gary

 

[warlok1965]

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

I don't think it means you have to go for a casual look. I all of my Thom Browne oxfords are button downs and I always wear them with a tie.

Don't the "Thom Browne Rules of Suit Etiquette" say something about leaving OCDBs unironed and the collar buttons undone?

 

[Threadbearer]

Originally Posted by GiantMoose

Like the title asks, do you ever unbutton your button down collars?
Unless you're willing to wear Post-It notes on your shoulders that read "I left these unbuttoned on purpose," it seems to me that most people are going to assume that you simply forgot to button them.

Perhaps a good rule of thumb might be to wear them unbuttoned only in situations casual enough that you would also consider leaving your fly unzipped.

 

[SoCal2NYC]

Originally Posted by warlok1965

Don't the "Thom Browne Rules of Suit Etiquette" say something about leaving OCDBs unironed and the collar buttons undone?

Yes, I do the 1st.

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by Threadbearer

Perhaps a good rule of thumb might be to wear them unbuttoned only in situations casual enough that you would also consider leaving your fly unzipped.

I imagine many guys would be perfectly willing to do the former if they believed it might lead to the latter.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Threadbearer

Unless you're willing to wear Post-It notes on your shoulders that read "I left these unbuttoned on purpose," it seems to me that most people are going to assume that you simply forgot to button them.

But that's kinda the point. A cavalier inattention to detail.

I used to be very uptight about this type of thing, but now I'm not. It's a good change, I think.

 

[EL72]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Here is an old picture. Really not that big of a deal, but I think it looks fine.

I think this just looks bad, sloppy... what's the point really? If you don't want your collar buttoned down, then wear a different shirt. Are you trying to save money on shirts by buying BDs and having them perform double duty? I doubt it. It's really no big deal but I just don't get it. Kinda like leaving sleeve or shirt cuffs unbuttoned imo.

 

[Manton]

Funny, I despise leaving a sleeve cuff undone, but leaving the collar undone has sort of grown on me.