Button Up or Button Down?!

the classics in fun new ways, an announcement, & some links

(Click on the title above to read in the app on on togs.substack.com—it’s way better)

Hello readers!

Some exciting news: Hadley and I are both going to Copenhagen Fashion Week this year! So, I’m curious—what do you, our lovely readers, want to know while we’re there?! Send us a message or drop us a comment.

Also…what do I wear?!

And while you’re writing us, let us know what kind of TOGS letters you like most! Do you love an interview? A gear roundup? A letter with a lot of links/discount codes? Niche deep dives or letters where we wax poetic about the state of functional fashion? We really do want to hear from you.

But now. First things first. Do you refer to your shirt as a button down or a button up?

Did you know they are actually different things?

Button up shirts have no collar buttons, whereas button down shirts have buttons on the collar that, well, button them down. How ‘bout that! And they’re all categorized as button front shirts. Whether you use this new found information or just keep calling your shirts what you darn well please, I wanted to dedicate this week’s letter to the mighty (and often under appreciated) button front shirt.

If you’ve ever worked in the service industry, or perhaps participated in a middle school band, there’s a chance that a button front shirt has left a bad taste in your mouth.

Maybe it can feel too preppy, or stuffy, or overly formal. Literally just too buttoned up.

But I think we should be rethinking and reimagining these classic shirts and wearing them more casually and freely!

I documented some of my favorite button ups styled in less obvious ways, here in the mountains where casual attire is the norm.

Layering-

Layering multiple button front shirts together can be really fun and playful. Also a great opportunity to experiment with patterns—