While button-down collars are occasionally dressed up with suit and tie looks, it still remains a more casual option than spread or point collar shirts. The cutaway collar has seen a big resurgence in menswear over the last few years and is generally a bold dress shirt collar style.
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Whether you wear a tie or not, you should always button the collar of a button-down shirt. This is the one and only “rule” for wearing button-down shirts. Leaving the collar unbuttoned will not turn it into a makeshift point collar for more formal occasions.
Formality of Button Down Collars – Casual Or Formal? The button down collar is casual by nature. If they are paired with a tie, it’s usually worn with a casual suit or blazer/odd trouser combo. It’s rare to see button down collars worn with formal suits, and also a little odd of style.
A button down shirt, whether it be oxford cloth or not, paired with a suit is a fine combination. It is traditional and it is American.
Here’s the short answer: yes, you can wear a tie with a button-down collar. The longer answer, as it always does, has a bit more complication. The button-down collar is a particularly American style. The oxford-cloth button-down is so beloved that in menswear circles it’s become known simply as the OCBD.
At the time, polo players were required to wear traditional collared shirts, but riding around on giant stallions during games would cause these collars to flap up, creating a visual distraction. To remedy this, players had buttons sewn onto their collars, fastening them down for matches.
Button-down collar shirts truly shine when they’re dressed down relative to a suit. You can certainly throw one on with a pair of jeans and call it a day, but a button-down collar shirt works quite well with a sport coat and odd trouser combo too. They even pair nicely with a classic navy blazer.
It primarily comes down to a matter of formality, a button-down collar is inherently more informal and when paired with a suit and tie it offers a clashing level of formality. A standard collar dress shirt will look sharp and professional and it’s the best way to complement that suit and tie of yours.
What dress shirt collar is in style?
The cutaway collar has seen a big resurgence in menswear over the last few years and is generally a bold dress shirt collar style. The distance between the collar points on a cutaway collar are generally between 6.5″-8.5″, the largest spread you’ll find on a shirt collar.
What collar looks best without a tie?
No tie needed, but if you do sport one, try a half Windsor with a collar bar. This is the most common collar on a shirt you’d wear without a tie—like a flannel, chambray, or oxford. Casual fabrics give it a workwear vibe.
The button-down collar is a variant on the point-collar dress shirt and is stylistically appealing for those who want to dress down but. But, in today’s casual world, a button-down with a tie and a sport coat is still quite well dressed.
Button-down shirts are a perfect pairing with casual suits. You can wear button-downs in a business casual setting or a social event that isn’t formal. The button-down shirt is also a great fit with separates, such as trousers and a blazer, to give that smart-casual look.
No doubt you can wear your bow ties with any type of collared dress shirt. In our opinion however a semi-spread or spread collar shirt should be your go to when pairing as the collar tips will be hidden behind your neckwear.
Unbuttoning your shirt is a perfect way to make it look more casual. This change can also mean that you can be formal and casual in the same outfit. Especially if you plan accordingly – and pick up a suit that goes with this style.
Which shirt is best for wedding?
The Perfect Wedding Dress Shirt
- “Which white dress shirt should I wear?” is the most frequently asked question we get when it comes to wedding attire.
- A white dress shirt is usually a safe bet if the bride is wearing a white or ivory dress.
Tab Collar
This collar’s unique feature is a horizontal button tab connecting the two collar points (and fastening behind the tie), which pops the tie knot into relief and pulls the collar flaps down, more closely wrapping around the tie.
Known at first as “polo collar shirts” the button down shirt started off being worn as a standard dress shirt around the turn of the century.
Is it appropriate to wear a suit without a tie?
It depends on the occasion, however the answer is generally no. Not wearing a tie with a suit, would be like not wearing socks with your shoes or not wearing cuff links with your cuffs! The suit is designed for the tie and would be lost without it.
1896
Button-down collars, or “sport collars” have points fastened down by buttons on the front of the shirt. Introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1896, they were patterned after the shirts of polo players and were used exclusively on sports shirts until the 1950s in America.
What mens collars are in style?
The rest is up to you.
- Straight Collar. Also known as the point collar, the straight collar is flexible enough to wear to work with a tie, then go tie-less for dinner after.
- Windsor Spread Collar.
- Buttondown Collar.
- Tab Collar.
- Cutaway Spread Collar.
- Club Collar.
- Eyelet Collar.
- English Spread Collar.
What collar is best for a suit?
Generally, a Spread collar is your best bet with a suit. If you’re attending an evening occasion or are a bit more of an eccentric guy, a Club or Pinned Collar also work with suits. A Tab collar is a fine option for those of us who want our ties to have some arc but wish to forgo the collar bar.