Should I unbutton the top button?
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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.
This rule applies to button up shirting, and in its entirety really reads, “Never button the top button unless you’re wearing a tie.” The idea is that if you’re not wearing a tie, there’s no reason to close the top button—a move that may be associated with nerdy guys or the conservative clergy.
When should I unbutton my collar buttons?
Unbutton Once: The only time those collar buttons should be undone is when you’re putting on your tie. During laundering, typical wear, or hanging in the closet, keep them snapped in and locked down.
Why do we only button the top button?
Legend goes that Britain’s Edward VII ― a king with several famous appetites ― grew too large for his suit and had to stop using the second button as a result. Not wanting to embarrass him, others followed. The tradition stuck. On a two-button jacket, you should always use to the top button and never use the second.
But in the interests of giving a definitive answer to a direct question, the answer is: two. Undoing just the top button on a dress shirt when going tieless often looks uptight, not terribly relaxed. This is particularly the case if you can see any strain on the fabric around the second button. It wants to be undone.
You can leave the top shirt button undone and knot the tie just below it. This works well with a button-down collar (buttoned or not). If your neck is longer, try leaving your collar up, not folded down. Keep the tie loosely knotted, top collar band and shirt buttons open.
Why do you only button the top?
Is it OK to leave a button-down collar unbuttoned?
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.
When wearing a suit, always leave the bottom button open for the waistcoat and jacket. 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.