In support of the beleaguered button-down
September 9th, 2008Button-down woven shirts weren’t popular in the comments on the knits vs. wovens post a few days ago. Lack of comfort, tricky fit, severe look and overly formal appearance were the complaints. But I’m sticking up for the item today because there are many ways you can make the right one work in your wardrobe.
YLF forum member Julia was the inspiration for today’s post. She gave an old yellow striped button-down shirt new life by layering it with fun items and combining key accessories. The lesson is that we shouldn’t think of a button-down shirt as a wow-top that stands alone (unless it’s an Anne Fontaine). Instead, think of it as a vehicle that enables other items to shine.
Button–downs are great when layered under waistcoats and knitwear, belted in at the waist or peeping out from under tailored jackets. I like to tuck them into pencil skirts, pop the collar and scrunch up the sleeves. I also like to wear them un-tucked over skinny jeans with heels and a statement necklace. I’ve just purchased a grey and white baby pinstripe button-down shirt with exaggerated white French cuffs and collar. I can’t wait to belt it under my biker jacket with pearls.
Go beyond the conventional, strict, masculine button-down shirt. The right shirt can look soft, pretty and delicate if the cut, colour and fabrication is just so. My wardrobe wouldn’t function without fabulous black, white and cream button-downs. They aren’t a wardrobe must, but they can add style and spunk to your look if you’re creative with your outfits. They are also a great way to bridge the gap between different items. I encourage you to give them a second chance
J. Crew usually does a wonderful job of integrating an assortment of basic button-downs into their collection.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:34 am
I know a lot of thick-waisted women avoid them because they feel uncomfortable tucking them in (myself included). I like to layer mine with cardigans and bold jewelry or I sometimes have them shortened so I can wear them layered with camisoles like a jacket. Also, I don’t buy them unless they have princess seams or darts because they tend to be cut more ample in the bust area. The straight button-downs that button all the way up rarely fit me correctly. My favorite little trick is to pop up the collar in the back only. It is subtle and helps keep the neckline open so it doesn’t look like I’m being eaten by my shirt.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Another great post Angie! Thank you for all the great ideas, I have been using some of them, but some are new. For example, the one about tucking the shirt into pencil skirt, I think I shall adapt it for my high-waisted jeans.
Can you recommend a brand that makes slightly longer shirts? I do not mean tunic lengths, just ones that would hit right around the base of the zipper. I really like to layer things over shirts and like the look the best when shirt hem peaks underneath. However, due to my long waist, they are usually an inch or two too short. I have tried Tall sizes ( BR), but they tend to start from bigger sizes, and they are so big for me, especially in the shoulder that no amount of tailoring would help. Thanks!
Btw, I saw your new striped shirt in your yesterday’s photos. Very pretty!
September 9th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I love button downs! I think they’re starting to take the place of (pre-YLF) t-shirts in my wardrobe as the, “I don’t know what to wear….I’ll wear this” go-to item. I like them because they are versatile (dress them up, dress them down). I even rather like the idea of a slightly oversized, blousy man’s white dress shirt worn with skinnies and a waist belt for casual weekends.
Thanks for the post, Angie!
September 9th, 2008 at 8:54 am
That’s the spirit ladies!
Tanya, try Club Monaco. I have a similar size challenge to you. You also lose length in the sleeves and top itself as you go down a size. It’s frustrating. BR and AT shirts won’t work and JCrew is a hit or miss for your body type. If you’re after something fabulous – Ann Fontaine is the way to go.
Yes Ana! That’s my point entirely. I love to wear an understated button down with a hectic skirt or pair of pants. It’s often the best option in my opinion.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Wow, it’s nice to see my name mentioned here! Thanks Angie for the mentioning.
I wish I could shop in Ann Fontaine or Club Monaco but they are way too big for me. *sigh*
September 9th, 2008 at 9:26 am
So I can hide the fact they don’t button over my bust with a cami, hide the bulge between my shoulder blades with a jacket, hide the too long sleeves by pushing them up and hide the ill fitting waist by tucking in . . . . could work . . . I’m not opposed to button downs in principle, but boy I wish I could just find one that, gasp, FITS!!!
Maybe what I need is a “dickey.” Remember those from the 70s? (It’s just the collar and top of the shirt to use for faux layering. )
LOL!!!
Shari
September 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I am a fan and have quite a few, though I use them with work suits most often. Among my favorites are some higher end ones: a great swirl print gauzy one from Paul Smith, a fuschia tone-on-tone herringbone patterned one from Thomas Pink. The Brits have it going on in this arena!
But, I also have some more basic ones that work into my casual wardrobe. I agree with Meredeth that darts are key. I also avoid any breast pockets as it makes layering tricky. For a simple white one, I took the suggestion of Oprah and got a no-iron Brooks Bros one. It works quite well and I wear it pretty often since I can be lazy
Thanks to the suggestions of this forum, I am wearing one today with sleeves scrunched under a short sleeve sweater (an old piece of a twinset), with a belt and pair of trousers. I look and feel fab.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am
When I saw “button-down” in the post title I assumed you meant button-down COLLARS, as in menswear. I’m unfamiliar with “button-down” to refer to “button-front.” Is this a UK/USA distinction, like “polo neck” for “turtleneck”?
Anyway, I own three button-FRONT shirts (whose collars lack buttons). One is a fabulous white Robert Rodriguez with with witty double collar, cuffs, and front. I scored it for $45, marked down from $235.
But mostly my style is too unfettered for button-front shirts, which feel undesirably prim and preppy, except, of course, for Anne Fontaine. When I can find an AF shirt for $45, you bet I’ll buy it.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Interesting Julia that you CAN shop at AT and the Loft. Club Monaco and AF sizing is much smaller in my experience. How is it that their items are too big for you? Are they too long perhaps? I know you’re petite!
(Thank you for inspiring the post).
September 9th, 2008 at 9:35 am
This is a kind of a dilemma for me. I love button-downs because they’re more crisp overall. But I have a rectangular body type and I can’t find a shirt that doesn’t make me look wider than I am. If the waist is fitted, the shoulders are too narrow and looks unbalanced. If the shoulders are fitted, the waist is too roomy. Am I looking in the wrong stores, or should my body type avoid button downs?
September 9th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I have been wearing my button downs a lot since I bought them a few weeks ago. They are among the small collection of tops in my wardrobe (grand total of 6) that are long enough to wear with jeans/trousers. I usually wear them untucked, or sometimes layered over a cami with some or all of the buttons undone. Because I have wide shoulders I don’t find many button downs that fit properly, but since Tanya has mentioned that the Tall sizes at BR have wider shoulders I’m planning to drop by BR and check out how their shirts fit.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Thank you so much for the ideas on how to wear these shirts, Angie! I had no clue on all the ways I could incorporate them into my wardrobe. I have always loved this look, and didn’t know how to pull it off.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I like the idea of button down shirts but they gape at the chest for me
any ideas on how I can fix that? I love the look of tucking in a crisp shirt into a high-waisted skirt or jeans, popping the collar and scrunching up the sleeves. Need to try it, thanks Angie for another great post!
September 9th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I too have the problem of gaping at the bust. I’ve looked into tailoring, but need about a size 14 or 16 in the bust and would have to have shoulders tailored to about an 8. It’s too expensive and frustrating. Does anyone make a good button-up shirt for petite, busty women?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:02 am
You know, I always recommend button-downs as an important basic, but shun them myself. I should practice what I preach! Thanks for giving some great tips on how to spice up this classic piece.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I actually seem to have the opposite problem of most other people here - too many button-downs! I’m not quite sure what my proportional issue is, but it’s much easier for me to find button-downs that fit than any other type of dressy, non-knit top. So I have one blouse, a handful of sweaters in rotation, and like eight button-downs - a few in basic colors, a few in stripes, and one very nice one in rich paisley tones that can actually stand on its own as a statement piece.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Like NancyF, I thought a ‘button down’ was a shirt with a button down collar. I’m much more open to the idea now that I know different. Those button down collars don’t appeal to me.
What do you think of the Foxcroft brand shirts that Nordstrom’s always has in abundance?
September 9th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I agree with you Angie, but always feel I need to put a tank or cami underneath b/c of the chest problem. Sometimes I do like the faux button ups under sweaters that you see in stores so that you don’t have the problem of it riding up!
Christina
September 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I don’t need any convincing at all. I love button-down shirts, the crisp look of a beautiful white one and the fun you can have with patterned ones or different colours.
I only have two at the moment: a white one (not crazy about it, it’s a bit boxy and I like button-downs to be more fitted) and a bright blue one (I would never have considered this colour, because I always thought it was too harsh for my complexion, but it’s actually very flattering).
I hope to get a few more soon, I’m looking for shirts now that have beautiful details, like a lovely stripe, a special collar or cuffs… something that makes them extraordinary.
(the Anne Fontaine store beckons!!-)
September 9th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I love the look of button-downs! I wish I could rock them out with a fabulous pencil skirt, but sadly that style doesn’t really work for me. I have considered wearing one with a full skirt - now I just have to find one!
NancyF, thank you for pointing out the actual word for this type of shirt. You learn something new everyday!
It makes sense that the term “button-down” refers to the button-down collar on many menswear shirts. However, I believe colloquialism has transformed the word into a more generic term for this type of woven shirt. By the looks of your website, you seem very well-versed in the English language, so I’m surprised you’ve never heard this use of this before.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I like button-downs if they’re layered in an interesting way or if there is something a little different about them (for example, I have a multi-coloured pinstripe button-down that gets compliments). I also like when shirts are wrap-style or Mandarin collar, rather than the typical button-down style. The one part of the look that I can’t seem to get past is when they’re full-sleeve and buttoned at the wrist, so I prefer shirts that are short-sleeved or 3/4 length. It’s not that I don’t like how it looks on others, but I hate how it looks on me- I feel kind of dowdy, for lack of a better word. Today I picked up a short-sleeved white cotton shirt with an obi belt that I’m excited to work into outfits.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Angie I did mean they were too long for me. I have never been to an AF store but I don’t remember seeing any petite size on their website. I’ve been to CM before but their size XS was too tight on me and size S was too long.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
@Shell: I too learn something new every day! But I’ve worked with many fashion and retail clients throughout my career and have never heard “button down” to mean “button front.” All my U.S. sources concur that “button-down” (adjective) means “having the ends of the collar fastened down by buttons.” For example: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/button-down That’s why I thought Angie might be using a Britishism.
At one time (1950s-1960s), “buttoned down” was a synonym for conservative or closed-minded. The term was borrowed from the button-down collars on conservatively styled shirts.
A shirt or blouse, by default, has buttons down the front. It’s sometimes called a button-placket style. Exceptions are defined as “pullover style” or sometimes classified as “tops” rather than shirts or blouses.
I’ve searched U.K. and U.S. references and not found a single reference to a “button-down” shirt being a “button-front [or button-placket] shirt.” Perhaps this is, as you say, an informal melding of the two concepts. Or perhaps button-down collars are so rare these days that many people have forgotten the original meaning.
Sorry to get all schoolteachery. Language is my business! (Fashion’s just a hobby.)
September 9th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I often refer/hear them refered to as button-up shirts, maybe it’s a west coast thing. I did not weigh in on the knit vs. woven debate, but I love button-up shirts. Luckily I am tall, high-waisted, and small busted. I feel that a lot of times button-ups help me to look more proportional and I am with Mai in that the button-up is my go to look, particularly in the mild winter with jeans.
September 9th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I gave up on button-down shirts long ago due to my 36DD chest. A shirt that does not gape around my chest would be entirely too wide and droopy on the shoulders, so even taking in at the waist wouldn’t help.
I do like the “crisp” look so even though I mostly rely on knit tops, I have some nice crisp woven wrap-style shirts that Ann Taylor (and a bunch of other places) have been doing. Also I look for crisp shirts that do not button down the front, but rather button/zip on the side. Those sometimes fit better.
September 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I can always count on your attention to linguistics NancyF! Thank you.
I have always referred to this item as a “button-down shirt”. Not a blouse, or button-front. Sometimes I use the word “shirt” instead, which really confuses the issue in America, because T’s can be shirts too. In British English, a shirt is a button-down (or button-front as you know it). Or at least this has been my perception. I used to describe this item as a “button-down shirt” when I was a fashion buyer and wrote contract orders with manufacturers in this way. I suspect that the word has evolved and melded as you and Shell suggest. Interesting.
There is an age and a body type for FITTED Foxcroft button-down shirts San. They come in boxy styles as well and those aren’t so fab.
Ladies who are battling with gaping button-down shirts, do not lose hope. There are button-downs that will work for bustier gals. Read the suggestions on how to overcome this problem in the comments section of this blog post. Nicole is a busty gal who looks fabulous in button-downs. It CAN be done:
http://www.youlookfab.com/2008.....nd-wovens/
Paul Smith and Pink are known for their button-down shirts, Jillian. Great stuff!
Sal, I do not make button-downs a wardrobe must, contrary to other stylists (I hold the same opinion with black pants). Quite a few of my clients refuse to wear button-downs and I hear them. I personally find them a very easy and flop-proof option and therefore wanted to share a different perspective.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I forgot to mention that keeping button-downs un-buttoned over a camisole is not a fab look. This appears dowdy on some and unpolished or masculine on others. Is that what you meant by wearing a shirt like a jacket Meredeth? Perhaps I’ve misunderstood.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I love button downs as well! They give a fun, flirty and feminine look without going to a lot of trouble! Naturally, I add jewelry to dress them up or down. During my last pregnancy, I bought a white one, pink one and yellow one from Gap maternity and lived in them. I matched them with lots of different bottoms and jewelry and friends and family said I always looked so nice and put together. That made me feel so good as I didn’t feel so good during those 9 mths.
If you are not a fan of the button downs, think again, keep looking for the right fit for you and be daring using accessories. They really make an outfit.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Ah. No, I keep the very fitted (important detail) shirt buttoned up to the mid-bust line, with a hint of a camisole peeking out the top. Otherwise I often get the dreaded gap or I my bust pushes up the collar so it looks like I am all bust. I admit to wearing a men’s shirt over a camisole for a few months after my daughter was born seven years ago, and indeed, it was dowdy.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I’m late to post, but love this look. I hope this means wearing a button-down shirt untucked with a cami is still an acceptable fashion look this fall. It was almost my uniform last fall-winter-spring.
Adela, I have broad shoulders for my frame and have good luck with the button-down shirts with lycra and some waist darts to get the fit. The fitted Foxcroft at Nordstroms work but in a smaller size than I’d usually wear.
Thank you for this post and for ideas of fresh ways to wear these shirts. My eye still needs to adjust to the tucked in style with a high waisted skirt or pants.
My waist is naturally high, so that I’m always trying to visually lower it. I’ve never felt right in this look. Will this work for high waisted rectangles?
September 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I have good new for all the busty gals ( like myself ) who have issues with gaping at the “button-down” shirts ( I thought that meant the collar type as others did until I read through the blog. I have always called these shirts “mens-style shirts”. Go figure.)
Anyway, here is the good news: there are two companies ( and probably more I don’t know about) that have BUTTON-DOWN SHIRTS IN BRA SIZES! That’s right, you order by your bra size!!! No gaping!!! The shirts look beautiful on line, and for what you get, not a bad price. Not as pricy as the stunning Ann Fontaine line.
Go to www.rebeccaanddrew.com which is an American website
and www.bravissimo.com which is a UK website ( click on the little American flag at the top so that the currency conversion will be done for you)
Both are excellent.
Have fun!
September 10th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Thanks for clearing that up Meredeth. Nice look!
Joy, your “uniform” is great as long as the shirt is buttoned and tailored. I do see tucked button-downs working for rectangles. Patience from the forum does this very successfully.
Bravo Jeune! This is brilliant info. Thanks for sharing.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Hm, I’ll have to reconcider button-downs. When I did my closet overhaul, I got rid of most of mine because only one fit me well. The otheres were huge, boxy, and beyond the help of tayloring. At least you’ve given me some ideas for my white button-down and any others that I find in the future.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I love them! It’s difficult to find a good fit, which I feel makes or breaks a button-down. I love crisp white ones that look like men’s dress shirts, yet it’s hard to find one tailored right for my body type (defined here as hourglass with a slightly bigger top). I also like ones with a Victorian Gothic look - or are those called ‘blouses’?
I wear them in exactly the way you do - with sleeves rolled up and collar flicked up as well, or with pearls or any other large jewelry piece - and I also wear the crisp white ones with a men’s tie. I liked striped ones.
I used to go to work wearing pretty much different versions of the same outfit: high heels, black trousers or pencil skirt, black jacket, white shirt, tie.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:31 am
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