I was a little upset when I recently read an article about men’s dress shirts in Town and Country magazine. The editor had interviewed Mr. Lou Amendola, who is currently the chief merchandise officer of Brooks Brothers and a “powerful presence in men’s fashion.” Amendola expressed a particular philosophy that I strongly disagree with. He stated “It is absolutely proper to have on a button down collar shirt with a suit, and I would encourage it.” But my belief is that the button down collar and its acceptability to be worn with a suit is pure Brooks Brothers dictum. This is based on the fact that it helped them to sell a lot of shirts and suits in the 1950’s, and today. I admit that I may be truly indoctrinated with the Sofio’s philosophy, but a brief history of the shirt itself might explain why I am going to stick to my guns on this one.

I can’t say I blame Mr. Amendola for making his claim. After all, Brooks Brothers is credited for introducing the button down collar to the mass market in the late 19th century. These shirts were originally patterned after the shirts of polo players who had to button down their collars to keep them from flying into their faces while riding on horseback. The collar style eventually became synonymous with the Brooks Brothers label, and it remains that way today.

It was in the 1950’s that the button down collar shirt went from strictly sportswear to becoming acceptable to wear with a suit. Not coincidentally, this change occurred at the same time that Brooks Brothers began mass producing its one-size-fits-all sack suit. This catered well to the growing American blue collar workforce; the boys who were coming home from war. Brooks Brothers was able to dictate men’s fashion based on the volume they sold and decidedly changed collar etiquette in order to continue selling their signature shirt styles alongside their suits. Even today, Brooks Brothers continues to influence the market based on the numbers they sell. Mr. Amendola boasts “If we’re showing blue shirts, then it’s okay to wear blue shirts.”

So now we know why Brooks Brothers decided to “show” button down collars with suits. But besides the bottom line for Brook Brothers, why would they do such a thing?

This brings me to the style and use of shirts themselves. My first argument is this: In as much as you will not be riding a horse to work, there is absolutely no need to interrupt the crisp clean lines of a suit with the relaxed, soft look of a sports collar. However, this argument goes beyond the concept of line.

My belief is that a person should first select the degree of formality that they desire to express in their outfit, and then wear the entire outfit to the same degree of formality. For example, a very formal look would dictate that you wear a dark, lustrous garment, a crisp, bright cotton shirt and the shiniest shoes you can find. In terms of continuity of formality, virtually no other combination is acceptable. On the other side of things you have a very informal look. This might call for a sport coat or blazer, a button down collar shirt, and perhaps a box toe shoe. That is to say that a button down collar does have its place in every casual wardrobe. The point is that these items are all considered sportswear, and for that reason they all lend themselves to a distinctly soft and casual look.

When it comes to the business suit, Brooks Brothers, and Lou especially, need to understand that the suit upholds a certain level of distinguished formality. And wearing a suit, a formal garment, with an informal shirt makes a person look like they don’t know why they are wearing a suit to begin with. The look of a button down collar shirt worn with a suit is something that did not evolve from good taste or common sense. In my opinion strictly speaking, it’s something we owe to the Brooks Brothers bottom line.