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A Publication of Bavender Custom Clothiers

August 2007

 

·                   BUTTON DOWN COLLARS

·                   SILK FOR WARM WEATHER MEN'S WEAR

 

·         "A little touch of silk can make rough yarns invitingly tactile and straightforward twills slightly shinier and more visually appealing."

 

 


 

Are Meant to Remain Soft

John Brooks did not invent the button-down shirt. He made it a pillar of American style. At a polo match in England in 1896, Brooks, grandson of the founder of one of America's oldest brands, noticed that players had added buttons to their shirt collars to keep them from flapping in their faces while riding. He immediately adopted the technique. Combined with a soft, attached collar, it was the first example of bringing sportswear into the professional wardrobe of men like Andy Warhol. And it defined America's knack for a more casual, functional approach to dressing well.

The button-down collar is soft and meant to remain that way. It is without doubt the most comfortable collar but not considered particularly dressy. It has been long associated with natural shoulder suits. It is appropriately worn with tweed sports jackets and woolen suits. This collar style is generally not considered dressy enough to be worn for evening events.

The roll of the button-down collar is the most important thing. The roll is everything when it comes to button- down shirts-the roll being that parabolic curve described by the forward edges of the collar. The whole idea of the button-down, historically, has been that it was a soft, unlined collar with long points that would flap in the breeze if they were not tethered.

The full roll of the most genuine of button-down shirts is what creates that scrunched up look. It is that very look that makes this collar unflattering on some men and the shirt collar style too casual for most dressy suits and ties. The most coveted of button-down collar shapes is that of the Liberty Bell, with a gentle fullness at the mid section of the collar. Button-down shirts with short, straight collars and no roll are an anomaly-some would say they do not need buttons, but instead need collar stays.



 

For many of the same reasons that it's a staple of women's wear, silk continues to lend a little luster - and a lot of sensuality - to warm-weather men's wear. You'll find it blended into suit fabrics, or alongside linen and other natural fibers in sport jackets and trousers where it works magic. A little touch of silk can make rough yarns invitingly tactile and straightforward twills slightly shinier and more visually appealing.

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