This article is one of those articles on how to look prim and proper in hot and humid weather. Usually here in Malaysia it is too hot to wear any sort of jacket outdoors for longer than a few minutes. It is usually sans tie and jacket if one spends most of his time outdoors here. Of course, a nice unlined, unconstructed hopsack linen jacket and a very thin dress shirt could also do wonders. But let's have options for the average man here in the tropics. What would be the best shirt that would look good without a tie or a jacket?
One of the nicest ready to wear (RTW) button down collared shirts that one can find are those made by Brooks Brothers. Button-down collars have points fastened down by buttons on the front of the shirt. These shirts were first introduced by the American clothing company Brooks Brothers in 1896 and were patterned after the shirts of polo players (who used to wear proper button down shirts instead of the polo shirts we see today). They were used exclusively on sports shirts until the 1950s in America. It is still considered a more casual shirt style because of its collar - different from the usual spread or pointed collars, which are considered as formal. Some do say that traditionalist would not wear a button down collared shirt with a suit as it is a shirt specifically for a sport (polo) and not one to wear with a suit.
What I like about the Brooks Brothers Oxford Cloth Button Down (OCBD) shirt is that it, in my opinion, will make anyone who wants to wear a shirt sans tie (and jacket) look a bit more interesting than one who wears a normal spread collar or a most other RTW button down shirts on sale out there today. The reason is the collar roll that the shirt has.
Collar roll in this case is the way how the classic Brooks Brothers 3-3/8inch collar with buttons curves or arches in a certain way. It is the length of the collar points as well as where the collar is buttoned makes this unmistakably nice collar roll. Most RTW button-down shirts on sale here today have shorter collar points and sometimes a less correct button location. This results in the collar having no arch or roll in it. It does stand up but does not stand out like how the OCBD does.
The white Brooks Brothers OCBD I am wearing shows off the collar roll effect. Compare this to the Ralph Lauren Blue Label shirt I am wearing. You can see that the shorter collar points just make the collar stand straight up without any of that nice curvature that you get in the Brooks Brothers shirt you see herein. The Ralph Lauren has an unfused collar whilst the Brooks Brothers has some fusing (but not until it is stiff as some dress shirts). What you still get to see is how the collar sits and how one rolls where the other just stands up straight with very little curve, roll or arch in it.
Now the best thing about Brooks Brothers shirts is that they are actually Made In Malaysia. Even on the offcial website you can see the labeling stating as such. So the good thing about this is that you can actually find some stock overruns being sold here and there. Minus the label of course. But if you want with the labels intact, the shirts do go on sale at the Brooks Brothers store from time to time, making it affordable to buy (and definitely cheaper than tailoring here in Malaysia when that happens). Try getting the regular or slim fit instead of the traditional fit. That, is too loose a fit for this day and age.
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