Since our last post recommended the blue OCBD as the first building block for the Midwestern guy looking to upgrade his style, it seems appropriate to address perhaps the most well-known alleged rule relating to button-downs*: that they aren't properly worn with a suit.
The interesting thing about this rule is that, evidently, no one bothered to pass it along to Brooks Brothers, who are the generally-accepted foremost men's clothiers in the USA. The same can be said of J.Press, another of the upper-echelon American men's retailers.
It is true that the Europeans look with horror upon the button-down with a suit (and often even with a tie), but in America the button-down has regularly been worn with suits and ties, at least in the Ivy League tradition.
That being said, the idea that a button-down is inappropriate with a suit has gained significant traction in the USA. Thus, we would highly recommend against pairing a normal OCBD with a suit. At the least, go with the finer pinpoint oxford button-down. To play it safe, a straight or spread collar is always suit-appropriate (because they are more formal in the shirt hierarchy than a button-down), so why not invest in at least a couple of those to wear with your suit...remembering your collar stays, of course.
* We should clarify here that the term "button-down" is properly used to describe a shirt with collars that button at their tips. Some folks use the term when referring to any shirt that buttons in the front, but the proper term for that use is, logically, "button-front."
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