Button-down

Definition and Overview

Button-down is a collar style in which buttonholes are made at the collar points and fastened to buttons on the body side of the shirt. Because the collar points are fixed, the collar is less likely to lift with wind or movement when worn, and it helps keep the neckline shape.

It is mainly used for shirts and is widely adopted from casual to business casual. It is often combined with shirt fabrics such as oxford that have moderate thickness and surface texture.

Difference from Buttons and Structure

Button-down does not refer to the type, material, hole shape, or shank structure of the button itself. It refers to the "collar specification" in which the collar points are fastened with buttons. Therefore, it is distinguished from classifications such as two-hole buttons, four-hole buttons, and shank buttons.

Generally, a small holed button is sewn onto the collar point and fastened through the buttonhole at the collar point. The ease of fastening and unfastening, as well as how the collar point sits, changes depending on the balance between the thickness of the outer collar fabric, undercollar, and interlining, and the thickness and diameter of the button.

• Collar point side: buttonholes are made.
• Body side: buttons are attached to fasten the collar points.
• Collar style: it differs from regular collars and wide collars in that the collar points are fixed.

How to Check the Size

For button-down buttons, confirm the button diameter in millimeters or lignes. Lignes are a unit used for button size, and may be listed together with the diameter in purchase orders and specifications.

When selecting, check not only the diameter but also the thickness, hole diameter, number of holes, color, gloss, material, and wash durability. Especially for collar-point buttons, because they are small buttons, it is important to check the combination of buttonhole opening size and button diameter on the actual item.

Attachment Method and Handling Precautions

When attaching the button, set it in a position where the collar point is not pulled too tightly and is not easy to come undone. Align the position of the left and right collar points, the direction of the buttonhole, and how it looks when the collar is turned down, and check fastening and unfastening as well as the roll of the collar during prototyping.

Whether washing or dry cleaning is allowed depends not only on the shirt fabric but also on the button material and care label. In a washing machine, the collar-point buttons may hit other garments or the drum, so fastening them before washing or using a laundry net is effective.

When ironing, do not apply strong direct heat to the buttons; adjust the temperature according to the material, such as using a pressing cloth. Resin buttons may deform from heat, and shell or natural-material buttons may crack from impact or change color over time due to detergent or aging.

Differences from Similar Terms

A button-down collar is a collar style in which the collar points are fastened with buttons. In contrast, regular collars, wide collars, and short collars are mainly classified by the spread and length of the collar leaf. In a button-down, a function is added to fix the collar points separately from these styles.

Button attachment is the process of sewing buttons onto fabric, and a buttonhole is the opening through which a button passes. Button-down differs in that it refers to the finished specification in which the collar points are fixed using those parts and processes.

Frequently Asked Questions