Café Notes III: The Three Lives of the True OCBD

The OCBD is my first and last word in shirting.  Shirting is a great word, isn't it?  When the world is coming to an end (looks sooner than later, doesn’t it?)  or my house is burning down (this has actually happened), I want to be wearing a True OCBD. 

 

A True OCBD has criteria that must be met in fabric, form, and details.  The fabric must be true Oxford and anything else makes the shirt a button down Oxford-like shirt.  Brooks Brothers calls lots of shirts Oxford buttondowns that are not OCBD---and let's not even discuss what has happened the quality of their actual OCBDs.  That said, if the fabric is not Oxford, neither is the shirt.  Nothing wrong with them but not to be confused with the True OCBD.  It's fabric definition is crucial. (Not all buttondowns are OCBD anymore than Derbys are Oxfords.) 

First, a True Oxford cloth is too informal a fabric and look to be worn with a proper suit. You need broadcloth or comparable a with an unbuttoned down collar. Only Senator Dipshit wears a button-down collar with a suit.  Let this be as if Gospel. Of course if you like it, it's fine.  But a True OCBD is a rougher, looser weave (usually 20s verses 80+), too informal suits but perfect for tweeds or sport coats, with or without a tie.

 

True Oxford cloth is defined by the weave and the count, so get that right and don’t confuse with any (actually) “finer” fabrics.  The collars are not just button downs but need to be at least 3” long and provide proper rolls.  There really should be a pocket but it doesn’t have to be a J.Press flap and the back loop is not optional, it needs to be there.  Don't ignore the details with the barrel cuffs and buttons, and no cheating with shorter collars.

There are so many lookalikes, wannabes, and half-assed efforts---and lots of them are very nice shirts.  I’m not averse to any nice shirt and neither a purist so much as interested in proper definitional boundaries.  An OCBD should be an OCBD.  If you need more help with the definition let me know.  Some folks get this right---J.Press, Mercer, O’Connells.  But that Ralph Lauren thing with the Polo guy?  That’s not an OCBD even if it’s a maybe cool (if you like it) shirt.  Stay clear minded and the rest is easy.

Let it be said, there’s nothing wrong with any nice button down and those that imitate an OCBD but use more refined fabric.  Those aren’t better (or worse).  Rather, they’re just different (that’s cool) and not the True OCBD.

 

 

Now to wear.

The True OCBD has three phases in its life. In Phase One it is near new, no fraying, stains, or fades. It now deserves a hot iron and just a touch of starch. Just enough to keep the rolls stiff. Avoid fancy ties, best with knits.  Silk knits are slightly more formal than wool knits but a well-ironed OCBD handles both brilliantly.

 

An OCBD is a less formal shirt and it is decidedly American---so no Euro-looking jackets either. Save the Armani or Canali for another look. The OCBD & tie is only for an American style blazer or a tweed--- no suits unless you are a politician and none since Moynihan or Sen. Paul Simon (IL) have had a sartorial clue. (American business types wearing button downs look unsophisticated and thus American.)

 

If you need a more formal look and reject the tie, then iron your shirt, with just a tincture of starch and wear a proper American blazer or tweed. Phase One OCBDs are usually less than a year old and come from the likes of J.Press or Kamakura who know fabric, collar length, details.

 

In Phase Two the more worn OCBD is un-ironed and unstarched and yet still may be worn with a knit tie (nothing more formal). An OCBD likely has no more than a year in Phase One. Retire the "dress" OCBD when it's pre-dryer days are over. This is the Rumbled Prof look. Phase Two usually loses the tie and lets the rolls and the buttons do their job. (A true OCBD needs at least 3" of collar. A shorter collar is NOT an OCBD.) This un-ironed, open collar shirt is not biz casual---but properly featured with the right pants, boots, or shoes.  I love these with denim and boots: Amecaji on both ends where Ivy meets Workwear.

 

Last, Phase Three, your well loved OCBD gets washed and put in the dryer, it might be a bit tattered, and it is good for any situation that might just as well be a better t-shirt, a polo, or a casual wear shirt. I wear un-ironed, beat to shit OCBDs for anything including a stop at the bank, a grocery run, or digging ditches.

 

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