The history of button down shirts dates back to 1869, in England. So the phrase ‘button down’ actually refers to fastening the collar down. They have buttons all the way up the shirt like a button up shirt, but also have two buttons on the collar, to fasten it down to the shirt. What Is A Button Down Shirt?īutton down shirts aren’t really that much more complicated. These are the most common type of shirt and what you will most regularly find in your wardrobe – pretty simple. Simple! Now let’s get into more detail…īutton up shirts are effectively all shirts that have buttons all the way up the shirt, including a top button. The basic answer is a button up shirt is any shirt that has buttons running up the front a button down shirt is the same but has additional buttons on the collar.

Well basically: all button-down shirts are button up shirts, but not all button up shirts are button down shirts. So, what is the difference between a button up and a button-down shirt?

For most men, a shirt is simply a shirt, and as long as it has buttons that’s all that matters. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve ever known the difference. You’ve probably heard of people talking about button up and button down shirts before. The collar is the biggest difference between button up vs. What’s the difference and which one should you wear?

White and red button up shirt