Wardrobe staples: the men's button-down shirt.

Timeless, versatile & classic--why everyone needs at least one great button-down shirt.

Aug 25, 2023

Above from left: Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”; (1961), Charlie Sheen in “Wall Street”, 1987; Nicole Kidman in “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), Harold Perrineau in “Romeo + Juliet” (1996)

Men’s button-downs—do you call them button-downs or button-ups btw?—have a history of being repurposed by everyone else. Think of those unrealistic just-woke-up movie scenes where the female counterpart of a one night stand borrows the male’s button-down the morning after and it’s, conveniently, just oversized and fitted enough to be sexy on its own. While this portrayal may be the least common in actuality, there’s been a resurgence (I think classic button-downs have always been “fashion”, but they’re more on the radar recently) of this quintessential borrowed-from-the-boys item. Vogue did a feature on this very phenomenon last week, specifically how to style button-downs (hate when they beat me to the punch, but I was planning this post before them, I swear)…

I could go on and on about the various features and quality-signifiers to look for when shopping for a classic button-down, similar to my thoughts on jeans…but for today, I’m qualifying men’s button-downs as cotton shirts with classic convertible collars, long sleeves, and no fitting devices through the body (no darts or seams). Like jeans, we’ll definitely come back to shirting because of the world of design possibilities and fabrications.

Anyhow, I know summer ain’t over yet—but as temperature shifts are over 30 degrees throughout the days here in Oregon (that’s right, I’m still here living with family until mid-September; then it’s back to NYC)—I’m wearing the button-downs I’ve brought with me as layers.

Above: I’m wearing old J. Crew shirt w/ Margiela chinos

I commandeered my, now nearly retro, J. Crew shirt from my husband, Ryan, as he’s packed on the muscle of late and his fit preferences have changed lol. It’s a starchy oxford cloth style called the “Ludlow” and it’s their SLIM fit version. The neck is a 14 1/2” measurement which is a pretty typical size and fits high up on the neck, making the option for a necktie easy. Also, it’s made in Morocco?? Oxford cloth makes for a great subdued yet sharp look because its tightly woven structure make the fabric ultra-matte. All the interior seams are beautifully clean-finished flat-felled. This is most likely because J. Crew has CRAZY high minimums so they can afford to buy hundreds of one item and get a lower price per unit, and the cost of labor is lower overseas.

I don’t know a ton about Moroccan manufacturing besides that their garment manufacturing is quality and with low environmental impact. There seems to be a common theme occuring, though, because the gingham button-down I’m wearing below is also made in Morocco. It’s a thrifted ($8 at Goodwill in Brooklyn) Thomas Pink shirt which, my friend informed me, is a go-to brand for Wall Street bankers hahah. Like unto most things in life, making concessions in order to have some good elements can also be true when selecting button-downs.

Above: I’m wearing Thomas Pink gingham twill thrifted shirt w/ Helmut Lang pleated wrap skirt

I’m referring to Thomas Pink’s use of high-quality fabric versus their interior seams—at least on this shirt—that look messy. Their fabric is woven in Italy, and this shirt in particular is a cotton gingham twill that I believe is mercerized (a textile-finishing process where yarns are treated to improve strength, increase luster and dye uptake). While I love the drapey, tightly-woven fabric, it seems some garment construction costs were cut, probably in order to accommodate the use of expensive fabric. This shirt has entirely overlocked seams inside :( and, if you’ve been keeping up with CRACD, by now you probably know this is a cheap and unappealing seam finish.

The last thing I’ll say in defense of this particular Thomas Pink shirt and something for you to note when searching for any patterned shirting, is that it is actually yarn-dyed. Yarn-dyed means exactly what it sounds like: the yarns were dyed prior to weaving. There’s nothing I can’t stand more than a printed gingham, stripe or plaid that’s masquerading as a yarn-dye. All you have to do to quickly identify a printed imitation yarn-dye is look at the back of the fabric: is it the same as the front or only colored on the outside? If the backside of the fabric on a stripe/plaid/check/gingham is the same as the front side, you’re in the clear and you’ve got yourself an actual woven yarn-dye.

Note that not every seam or fabric can always be flat-felled/clean finished; it’s based on the seam’s location in the garment and other factors like fabric weight. For instance, a heavy canvas pant may use an overlocked finish along the interior fly edge—anything else would be too bulky or impossible to achieve. Or the inseam on a pant may be overlocked and the seam allowances pressed open, NOT the seam allowances overlocked together (remember jeans discussion)?

But since we’re talking about lightweight cotton button-downs, I’m always going to gravitate to all clean-finished interior seams because it’s not only possible, but it looks beautiful and contributes to the garment lasting. There are always so many moving parts as a brand when making decisions for where to spend your budget on producing a garment that, sadly, it’s often a battle between fabric quality and garment construction quality.

Above: I’m wearing ANOTHER ASPECT linen shirt w/ Joseph secondhand skirt via The Real Real (just scored for $12) + Villeine chainmail bra

But let’s conclude the men’s shirts that I/Ryan packed with us, while we’re still living from suitcases, on a high note of both beautiful construction AND beautiful fabric. The last seafoam-colored shirt I’m wearing is a cotton/linen blend (OK don’t get overwhelmed but technically linen is a WEAVE, not a fiber; FLAX is the fiber, but that’s beside the point) that’s made in Portugal from the brand ANOTHER ASPECT. I like this shirt with more dressed-up styling, in opposition to the casual nature of this piece: i.e. the shirt has a straight hem (not shirttail which is a more “dressy” design feature), linen slubby weave, and patch front pocket. I’d also love this outfit with a ballet pump or pointed heel mule—waaah I miss my full shoe collection SO MUCH!

Of course there are manifold ways to style men’s button-downs but this time around, I’ve kept it simple with shirts styled like jackets, untucked, and randomly all with heels. But even since starting CRACD, I’ve worn my button-downs a lot (see collage below from previous weeks posts)!

Above: Martine Rose all denim look via the brand’s Instagram (gonna need to try this styling); Dua Lipa via her Instagram

Above (and linked below) are some great shirt options that are making me wish I had a striped button-down myself…seems essential in addition to a crisp white version.

Happy button-downs shopping! See you next week. xo Hannah