The Case For/Against the OCBD - Topic of the day 1/15/25
One of the most commonly referenced items of clothing online (especially on reddit), the oxford cloth button down shirt has its fans and haters alike. Are you pro- or anti-OCBD? If you're a fan, what is their appeal to you? If not, what issues do you have with them, and what alternative (if any) would you consider?
91 Replies
They're extremely wrinkly/crinkly, which I don't like, but it's exactly why so many people like them.
Gives it a nice lived in look
the alternative is cambridge cloth button down but they're not as good for rowing in.
I honestly used to really hate these (and shirts in general), but I've come around. super useful even for less 'dressy' looks
their range of formality is really wide
you can basically wear them with any outfit that you'd wear a tshirt but you can also wear them with a suit and tie
I like how thick they are and how they are 3D
I basically live in OCBDs and I’d like to echo what art said. They’re pretty much the Swiss Army knife of “classic” shirting these days.
I always keep thinking about getting one or two for more formal fits with sport coats, but I yet have to find ones that I like. Getting ones with a good collar feels hard.
OCBDs rock for a certain style. They do range accross formality very well, except I think they work worse in a lot of streetwear fits. I find myself reaching for a true dress shirt a lot for my least formal fits funnily enough. That said I think OCBDs are the best shirt to evoke formality if that makes sense. If I want it to look like a non-blazer over a shirt (with or without tie) I'll reach for an OCBD.
At this point im questioning whether this really is a case of me not finding the right one or ocbds just not working with my style
I have one in a chambray which I guess would be a CCBD, had an OCBD and didn't like it. The chambray has a nice casualness to it which I do like
Brycelands calls for you
just need to pawn my liver to afford it
I think their range of formality is their strength and weakness. They work well for a lot of things, but that makes them a bit tougher to use as a subversive piece.
If they work for your style they're an awesome shirt and I think a really great option if you're just looking to switch up your office or date night outfit.
If you're not doing the mfad house-style ivy type stuff it's a much tougher shirt to work with and probably just isn't what you want.
I'm a huge fan. Comfy shirt to just throw on in the morning to wfh with a cardigan. I don't find them crinkly after a few washes. I like them with a bit more of the traditional boxier fit rather than the really slim fit that was popular back in the early days of MFA.
some day im just going to throw the whole thing out and only wear a white ocbd and some faded black jeans
I think theyre ideal as long as the collar is good
I like that they wear in and are heartier fabric-wise
Once an OCBD gets worn in and soft, it’s great. One of the best feeling fabrics to wear on your torso
pro, but I wish there were some more interesting patterns available. For example, a jacquard paisley OCBD rather than the standard blue stripe.
but one big advantage for me is that because they are widely available from different brands, at different price points, and often in collar/sleeve sizes, there's a high chance of being able to find one that fits you well.
I love my old brooks brothers shirts but usually for me I’m reaching for a dressier poplin
Sometimes their versatility can make them a bit milquetoast. Less character (often, not always) than a chambray or denim shirt but not as elegant as a dressier/slinkier shirt
Which is probably why I don’t have a ton. But I agree with everyone else that there’s probably no more versatile garment
But damn if I’m not a red blooded American because an OCBD button down collar n a knit tie n a suit hits
☝️Love when I start typing and then I see someone start posting what I was gonna say except way more succinctly
Now that I think about it, I usually dress them up. I should try dressing them down more.
I don’t really care much about “rules” with formality, but other than a tweed suit, I don’t like like an OCBD with a suit
Jacket and trousers, definitely but it looks wrong to me with a complete suit
Yeah a v casual suit for sure
Agree, but I never heard this as a rule. It just seems like the textures would naturally not go so well together
Cord or tweed
Cord would work too
I wouldn’t do it with something sleeker
Cord would fuck
Kind of to my point about them being a middle ground
Yeah nice deep green or black cord suit, subtle stripe ocbd, knit tie, good derbies
I’m very happy with dressing middle ground right now, so I’m all in
Is like platonic ideal outfit
OCBD is historically not formal enough for a complete suit, but I am a strong advocate of wearing a suit with no tie or a very casual shirt ie a polo or denim shirt
So it’s more the texture for me as well
Yeah it’s interesting that a sleeker suit denim shirt works better
It feels more intentional
Whereas with an OCBD it looks like a half measure like oh this is the collared shirt I had around
Ya it totally looks less like a choice and more like a lack of options
Right right right. Oh I wear mine with a knit tie and linen jacket and jeans sometimes
That works imo
It makes me feel like a rom com lead :blushiedog:
Everyone should romanticize their own life
OCBD very Cute Nice Boy coded when worn casually imo
OCBD + shirt jacket/cotton blazer or sweater has been my go to for weeks
JGL effect
I’ve been quite into fashion since I was about 15 and I literally only heard them be called ‘OCBD’s when I started reading mfa on Reddit in my early 30s
I never heard them called that before joining this server
I guess the term here would be a button down
Yeah I guess I’ve heard ‘Oxford shirt’ before
they are great imo as a functional item - thick enough to retain heat, good for traveling, easy to care for
the rigid structure lends itself to some interesting plays with silhouette or volume eg https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1264993977812389949/1265088572529184842
but the collar's gotta hit (including collar roll) otherwise you may as well find something wlse
they're my favorite. probably 80% of my button ups are OCBDs. the rest are western shirts, and probably like 3 long point collared shirts
I love an oxford shirt but all of mine are too slim now. I want some big shirt energy and a nice collar roll. I have a saved search on eBay and I'm just waiting for the right one to pop up.
They are a great jack-of-all-trades garment so for someone just starting to build up their wardrobe they are a good investment. Wear it to work, wear it on a date, wear it to the beach. Wear it over a t-shirt and shorts, wear it with a suit, etc.
🤓 alert but isn’t jacquard a type of fabric weave so you can’t have a jacquard oxford since oxford is a basket weave already?
I'm sure you are technically correct. What I want is something like you see with blue or pink OCBDs where there are both white and colored threads. I want the colored threads to make a pattern that's more interesting than stripes.
maybe that's not technically possible?
I seem to remember a big debate on Reddit about ironing/not-ironing button down shirts before. Me? I always iron because I have OC(B)D
not with oxford cloth, I'm sure you could make a shirt out of other fabrics with a button collar.
Ngl I automatically avoid ocbds bc I feel like it's so far from my style both practically and aspirationally
But I do really like the ivy fusion stuff and would at least want to dabble in something as simple as wearing a collar under sweaters lmao
I used to wear a lot of OCBDs when I first started getting into mens fashion, and was definitely steered that direction by /r/MFA. As I developed a more individual sense of style I've grown to kind of hate them. They're just so one-note, I feel like there aren't actually very many ways to style an OCBD other than the cookie cutter #menswear Ivy prep aesthetic. I've seen plenty of people look nice in an OCBD, but I can't say I've ever seen someone look really cool in one.
Yeah, you make a good point. I think this relates to what I was saying about wanting more interesting patterns, which is apparently not possible.
Your opinion is your opinion but I think this one is wrong
there are plenty of cool ways to wear an ocbd lmao
like yeah non of them are really pushing the cutting edge of Capital F Fashion
but that doesn't mean they aren't cool
stand by while I dig through my inspo folders for examples!
I mean I don't want to yuck anyone else's yum, I know OCBDs are a staple for a lot of wardrobes and it's a perfectly serviceable article of clothing. I just feel that in most cases, I'd rather swap the OCBD for something else like a bowling shirt to dress down or some variation on a dress shirt to dress up
I think to your point these are all instances where anything but an ocbd would hinder the look
except tunnocks maybe
Coming with receipts, I like it lol. I'll concede #1 especially is a sick fit, I guess I can see an argument for an OCBD when you're riffing on the prep aesthetic
I do think that OCBDs work best with Ivy adjacent fits though and are less versatile than what many people make us think
Like all of these that were sent have a tie and lean ivy due to maybe the choice of tie
Like all shirt styles they are good in some situations and work less in other situations
yeah I'm mainly arguing against the idea that you can't look cool in an ocbd lol
Yeah you can definitely look cool in an OCBD and some cool dressers definitely rock the OCBD
but YES they are a very ivy-coded article of clothing
not everyone needs one
Alright I gotchu, #6 looks badass, I officially admit you can look cool in an OCBD
Exactly, but it’s not right to say they never look good
I agree with @char though, my main beef with OCBDs is still that they are very tailored to a specific aesthetic and don't really work so well outside of the Ivy/prep context
yeah fair enough
But that’s with all shirt types too no?
OCBDs may not be as versatile as everyone says they are but they still offer a way to dress up or down if you want to dress in a tailored style
I don't know if I agree, like think how many different ways you can style a bowling shirt for example. It can be anything from a clean-cut 50s inspired look all the way to a y2k Demna Gvasalia type of fit
eh i'm willing to call skill issue
Tbh I’m seeing two stylings here
Shirt + black pants, the first 3 fits all could just swap the shirts around imo and work close to the same
And shirt with baggy cargos
Other than that there are just all different shirts
same ocbd in 1/2, same ocbd in 3/4. i think ocbds are like plain yogurt - sure you could survive on it alone but it's infinitely better to me with fruit or nuts or honey or chocolate chips
it's worth noting both of those are oversized; a TTS ocbd is maybe a little more difficult to reinterpet but not terribly difficult imo
I definitely dig the use of the oversized ocbd, does give you more room to be creative for sure
This is the same genre imo
I would agree that bowling shirts can be versatile but those pictures don't support that argument
Not sure that taking any one of those shirts and swapping it out for the other examples would really be a strong fit. Except for the first 3, but those three are essentially the same fit.
I probably also don't know enough about the history of bowling shirts, but aren't all but the first just camp-collars?
I'm not even into OCBDs but change the cut, change the tuck, change the styling, change the color, change how fine the fabric is, change the wash/distressing, etc
You can find nearly infinite variation with any kind of garment
Not bashing, just wanted to point out that it's an amazingly diverse world of fashion.
yeah, OCBDs that are wearing out in the collar look great! (one of my neighbors has some) https://oxfordclothbuttondown.com/2023/05/ocbd-memories/
if only I hadn't got far too small size shirts in college lol
oxford cloth button down
Lands" End Original Oxford | OCBD Blog
The Lands' End Original Oxford was discontinued around 2010. This is the shirt that got me in the OCBD game. My first adult OCBD. These shirts hold a lot of memories for me to this day.
Rather YMMV but 'fun shirts' are definitely different!
https://www.ralphlauren.com/men-clothing-button-down-shirts/classic-fit-oxford-fun-shirt/0076796028.html?
Perhaps not surprisingly, a staple in my wardrobe, though most are (slightly) more formal dress shirts. I wasn't aware there was any sort of "anti-OCBD" crowd. Interesting that I wouldn't really construe a single message here as against them per se, just some acknowledgement of limitations.
I will always have white & light blue OCBDs in my closet. It is never the star of an outfit, but it matches everything and works in almost every situation. They make it easy to always be dressed appropriately at work without a huge closet.
I'd say OCBD shirts have their place in everyone's wardrobes, women and men, older or younger generations. They've been around for a while and have many more years to come. They can work in a lot of different outfits, with a suits and tie like in more streetwear-type of styles
I think thats overstating the case. You might be able to say that about collared shirts in general, but I think plenty of wardrobes can do without just fine.
I have one OCBD and I haven't worn it in over a year
that being said, these are cool
do you have an example of streetwear fits working with an ocbd (not already pictured in thread)
Aimé Leon Dore has interesting inspirations in their lookbooks mixing streetwear and more formal pieces
Well, thats a very specific blend of prep & streetwear. Not my first thought when ppl say streetwear tbh
Agreed. Pushing the cursor further on the street side of things, I can easily picture an OCBD shirt under an oversized hoodie. But you're right, the OCBD is historically very prep by definition so is likely to bring this kind of flavour into the outfit
Engineered Garments do this quite a lot