I’m not a fashionable man, but I do know that at informal occasions, button-down shirts should be worn with the top two buttons unfastened. I admit that I did not know about or follow this rule until fairly recently in life, but it’s been drilled into me by enough people at this point that I’m pretty confident it’s generally accepted as fashion fact.
But! I don’t tend to starch or iron my casual button-downs, and so my two-button “deep V” tends to quickly unravel into a “droopy U,” or a “lopsided L,” and it happens even more often around this time of year, when sweat gets involved and weighs down the fabric on my collar.
That’s why I got so excited when I heard about Johnnie-O’s Tweener Button shirts, which incorporate a small, hidden button between the second and third buttons (including the useless one at the very top). The added support gets you that two-button look, but with structural integrity to keep your collar away from the sloppy zone. As my coworker Tercius put it, “OH, so you don’t look like you’re in a nightclub at work!”
Best of all, it’s completely invisible to the casual observer, so people will think that you’re just that put-together, and not that you’re cheating by using an extra button. It’s so simple, but so genius, I’m mad I didn’t think of it myself.
Johnnie-O says the Tweener Button is patented, which is a real shame for everyone except for Johnnie-O’s owners, because now I want it on every shirt I buy from every brand. That said, it’s included on all of the brand’s men’s sport shirts, which start at around $60, and are quite comfortable and good looking, not for nothing.