What did I "ask" exactly?
My original post was not intended to be an inquiry so much as a comment on the fact that it has been often said, on this forum and elsewhere, that it is essentially a faux pas--a misstep, an error in business-wear conventions, if you will--to wear a button-down collared shirt with a suit. Yet--again per my original post in this thread--as demonstrated by the clothing choices of two prominent government officials (or former official, in one case, I suppose), who were at the time of my first post, often in the news, including on TV, this is not so.
I do not disagree that the subject has no small number of nuances, and I find those nuances interesting and clearly worthy of discussion.
I care a lot about what people think--particularly, as Doc4 says, what folks on this forum think--and I also care what folks here on B&B "are told." I think it is a legitimate and valuable purpose of this Haberdashery subforum to help B&B members to make informed choices in how to dress. It is not always an easy task to figure out what one should wear. I am guessing that many B&B members come to this subforum seeking that advice or at least a broadening of their knowledge of the area to help them make these choices.
Among other things, as Miss Manners is fond of saying in various contexts "clothing serves as a symbolic way of conveying information." I think most of us, at least those of us thoughtful enough to be B&B members, want to be careful as to what we are saying symbolically. I think it was John Malloy of Dress for Success who said that if someone dresses inappropriately, they will not be thought of as intentionally doing so--even if in fact they “know the rule" and are intentionally violating it—but will be thought of as not knowing any better. I think most folks, at least participants in B&B, strive to appear to "know what they are doing." I do not think that those wishing to convey a nonchalant/causal impression, much less those wanting to be a little provocative, would be happy to find out the impression they are actually conveying is something else entirely. (Still, I think there is something to be said for the concept that one can violate “rules” so long as one is doing so intentionally. I am not advocating zealous conformity!)
Thus, I think blanket statements that button down collar should not be worn with a suit deserve to be discussed and, to my mind, rebutted. At the same time I recognize that there are some who would defend that blanket statement on various grounds, such as personal opinions that button down collar shirts do not look at good as other collar types with a suit or are too casual. Or, frankly more interesting to me, that some may think one is putting on the airs of a “prestigious upbringing,” perhaps more prestigious than one actually has, and among those who might resent such an upbringing (which kind of cuts against the too casual contention to me, but so be it).
For that matter, ironically perhaps, I think the fact that lots of folks seem to think a button down collar shirt with a suit is improper, is a reason to think about whether or not to wear one. And, I certainly think that it is something to take into account that someone you are meeting with might take offense at your attire because he thinks you are putting on airs. And it appears that geographic matters may still be a factor to be aware of. So perhaps you need to be cautious Chan Eli Whiskers!
But I also think that it is uninformed to see a photo of a top CEO or government official wearing a button down collar shirt with a suit--or Frank Sinatra--and to think “that person does not know or care how to dress, how foolish of him.”
That is my opinion and I am sticking with it! YMMV.
A scholar and a gentleman! Well said.
