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.
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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.
Probably the easiest way to style a button-down is to leave it unbuttoned and tie it into a crop top. You can pair it with a silk slip skirt, high-waisted jeans, or over your favorite dress.
To button or not to button.
Leaving your collar buttons undone — with the collar flapping around and the buttons just sitting there, sad and unused — will make your outfit look undone, or as if you hurried out of the house before you could finish dressing.
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.
Due to their origin in sports, button-down collars are less formal than point collars. They tend to be softer and have more of a roll than point collars, which are straight and often stiffened via the insertion of collar stays.
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.
A classic business casual combo, the quarter zip sweater layers perfectly over a button down shirt. Wear this with jeans, chinos, dress pants or in this case, slim fit corduroys.
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.
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.
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.
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 basic answer is a button up shirt is any shirt that has buttons running up the front; a button down shirt is the same but has additional buttons on the collar.
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.
Button down shirts are a wardrobe workhorse in both women’s and men’s clothing, and yes, they can absolutely be casual, either by styling or by design!
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.
Wear the shirt under a well-fitting sweater or over a full-sleeved shirt with cuffs rolled up. Such shirts go well with V-neck sweaters. Another complete look is to wear men’s button-down shirts under a blazer and tuck them into the jeans. Use matching accessories like a leather belt and branded shoes.
Read on for seven ways to layer up a shirt and tie without a single suit jacket or blazer in sight.
- Denim Jacket.
- Bomber Jacket.
- Rain Coat.
- Harrington Jacket.
- Field Jacket.
- Leather Biker.
- Wool Blouson.
How do you style a collared shirt?
10 Stylish Ways to Wear a Collared Shirt
- Opt for Oversized. If you’re used to button-down shirts with a slim fit, then you might want to grab one in a size (or two) larger.
- Go garçon.
- Try it with slim shorts.
- Play with prints, please.
- Dare to don a low V.
- Lounge in pique polos.
- Layer, layer, layer!
- Denim can do no wrong.
We will cover more specifics, but as a general rule of thumb for formal environments, if it’s extremely hot outside you can skip the undershirt, but otherwise wear it. Just make sure you don’t show it. Showing an undershirt is akin to showing your underwear.