Button Up vs. A button up shirt refers to any shirt that buttons all the way up the front. A button down shirt means any button up shirt with a collar that can be buttoned down.
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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. Simple!
A button up shirt is a shirt that you can wear at formal events with a tie, or loosely if you’re aiming for a smart casual style. They’re commonly worn because you can wear them for any type of event, and dress it up or down as you like.
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!
At its core, the answer’s simple. “Undoing your top button makes you look (and feel) more relaxed. It works perfectly for outfits with casual shirts. But in a formal outfit, like a suit and tie, you’d of course always do the top button up,” says Thread senior stylist Alice Watt.
transitive verb. 1 : to close tightly and securely a tank buttoned up and ready for action. 2 : to carry to completion button up an order or assignment. 3 : to bring to complete and final decision or irrevocable settlement.
The button-down shirts are an example. This type of shirt, which features a button on the collar, in fact dates back to the late 19th century, and was created with a precise aim: to make playing easier for polo players. During polo matches, the players would be bothered by the continued flapping of their shirt collars.
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.
A button down shirt is usually seen as more casual, while a button up shirt is more formal. These rules can be broken, and more often than not a button up shirt can be worn as part of a smart casual outfit.
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.
The collarless shirt is also referred to as the grandad collar shirt, and it comes in a few different variations, the most notable of which are band and mandarin.
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.
What your shirt collar says about you?
Generous collars work best with an unbuttoned look. A tall structured collar suggests off-duty finance guy, while a button-down collar with a generous roll to it has a younger, more casual feel.
The tradition dates back to King Edward VII from the early 1900s. He unbuttoned the bottom of his waistcoat because he was too fat. He unbuttoned the bottom of his jacket to pay homage to the riding jacket that suits replaced.
Never button the top button.
According to British GQ, the buttoning the top button debate has been running rampant in the fashion world for the last few years. It used to be a definite no-no, especially in the days of suit-and-tie rigidity, but it has emerged as a serious trend.
also buttoned-up. adjective. If you say that someone is buttoned up, you mean that they do not usually talk about their thoughts and feelings. [informal]
What is another word for buttoned up?
| shut up | stopped talking |
|---|---|
| hushed | zipped one’s lip |
| kept silent | fell silent |
| stayed quiet | fallen silent |
| buttoned your lip | buttoned it |
carefully planned, operated, supervised
carefully planned, operated, supervised, etc.: one of the most buttoned-up companies in the business. conservative, as in professional style or manner: Employers are looking for buttoned-up types.
He brought out the first button down manufactured shirt in 1896 — it was a whole new concept in comfort and convenience, with its soft construction and washability. Before this, very stiff starched detachable collars and cuffs were the norm for men, the two being washed separately.
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.
At the end of the World War 1 the shirt went through a major transformation. It was only at that time the modern shirt with buttons all along the front became popular, even if the first buttoned shirt was registered by Brown, Davies & Co as early as 1871.