Primer on Button Shirts

What is the proper way to wear a button shirt, what should you dress shirt with, and which colors or patterns of shirts are acceptable and in what situations.

The dress shirt comes in many varieties, some have their collar buttoned down to the shirt, others do not, and there are also different collars to the shirt as well as different materials of which the shirt is made. We’ll attempt to simplify things a bit and demystify the shirt, which often befuddles and discombobulates the man who wants to look nice, yet often over analyzes the dress shirt and makes a mess of things.

The dress shirt is a regular constructed cotton shirt that is typically comprised of up to 12 separate components, few of which actually matter when it comes to style. The collar, the yoke, and the placket are what’s in the details, that will separate your shirt from the rest. A button down shirt is typically a kind of shirt in which the tie is optional, though this type of shirt was designed in the way a tie can be held in place and create a clean look, depending on the pattern of the shirt itself. Usually white, blue, yellow and pink shirts are reserved for more formal wear, the latter two suggesting that the shirt will be worn underneath a grey suit, and the former suggesting that the shirt will be worn underneath a navy or black suit. If an individual is looking to wear a suit any color other than those three, implementing a shirt that isn’t any of those four colors is a nice way to make a statement, but aren’t anything that we would suggest for more formal occasions.

The spread and complexity of the collar suggests just how formal of an occasion or environment that you are wearing the shirt in; a spread collar, which is rounded off at the ends instead of pointed, conveys a completely different message than a pointed, more eclectic collar, particularly when the collar of the shirt is white and the rest of the shirt is a different color. You could pull this type of shirt off with a nice pair of jeans.

While the collar and placket typically signifies the style of the shirt, buttoned down for more casual use, and spread for more formal attire, the yoke is a signifier of the shirts quality. Some dress shirts do not come with a yoke at all, and you’ll find that shirts of a higher quality will come with more intricate yokes, regardless of their style. Typically these will be what are known as split-yoke; which means that the shirt features a yoke that is split into two sections. If you are looking for the yoke, turn the shirt over and look at the back of it. If the back has this huge panel that comprises 1/4 of the shirt, that isn’t split whatsoever, it is strictly for casual use only, and most likely will run directly across at the bottom of the shirt from left to right. This means that you shouldn’t tuck it in your pants, and it wasn’t designed for serious use. If the back has a smaller panel that is around 1/10 the length of the shirt it is OK, and you can probably wear it a bit closer onto you but then again, it probably will not have the length that you are looking for to tuck it in. Unless you are comfortable with this type of fit you may want to avoid purchasing this type of shirt. The shirt with the split-yoke is the one that you can wear comfortably underneath a suit or casually underneath a sweater without concern for how it will sit on you.

Final element of quality and/or design of a shirt is the placket. A simple placket folds back under the shirt, isn’t sewn into place, and is a real pain to iron; these shirts, though typically a statement of minimalism and par for the course with shirts from Calvin Klein or Armani, aren’t necessarily cheaply constructed, though you should know when you see this design element that the shirt will almost always be made of lightweight material that isn’t designed to withstand the rigorous wear that you are used to putting shirts through. Shirts that feature this type of placket, you’ll iron, and they’ll wrinkle again, and you’ll iron again, and so on and so forth. Sometimes the placket will at least be sewn, but in any event, it isn’t made the long haul. These are typically lighter weight shirts designed for summer use, and are often featured in bright colors and pastels.

To summarize what we’ve mentioned about shirts:

• Stick with traditional colors for business and formal occasions. White, blue, pink and yellow; white and blue for navy or black suits, and pink and yellow for grey suits. The actual suit jacket or sports coat is optional if you’re looking for more of a casual, yet well kept look. Other colors almost always suggest that you’re looking to do something a bit different and show your more fashionable, artistic side.

• If you are going for a collar that is a bit different from the norm you had better have the confidence to pull it off. There is nothing wrong with wearing an intricate shirt with a nice dark, solid pair of jeans, that says denim, in the details, but doesn’t because the cotton is faded and worn out.

• The more laid back and simple the placket, the more casual the shirt truly is. These types of shirts typically look best when they’re not even tucked in and are lighter in weight. You could wear them with a serious pair of trousers, but leave the grey flannel at home and give them the proper compliment with cotton trousers or jeans.

• Is the shirt longer in the front and the back and higher on the sides, in other words is this shirt actually contoured in order to make it easier to tuck in. If so, then wear it as it was designed; those shirts rarely, if ever, look well untucked, and there are plenty of shirts out there that actually look better and will go a lot farther in assisting you in creating the look you’re after.

Have fun experimenting with different variations and incarnations on dress shirts, whether they are button down, spread collar, or typical casual sportswear. Find out what works best for you, and you’ll soon realize that wearing shirts with buttons need not be as uncomfortable or stuffy as you once thought and can actually be quite fun once you find your own niche.

- Chris Kendalls