Do I really need a OCBD?
Context: I work from home, in a creative industry where dressing casually is the norm. I rarely go anywhere that would require smart-casual & own a nice suit w/ dress shirt & cuflinks etc for those occasions.
I'm currently building a wardrobe from near-scratch, however I was gifted 2 nice white shirts recently. While these are not really OCBDs, I feel like I could wear them with some chinos in any situation that I would need an OCBD and still be dressed appropriately.
My question is, can I skip the OCBD from my wardrobe? Or are there situations where I would be overdressed in a shirt like this but underdressed in, say, a turtleneck or plain white long sleeve tee (both things I already own).
For reference, these are shirts in question: https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/uk/cutaway-collar-non-iron-henley-weave-shirt---white/FON2482WHT.html
9 Replies
No, you do not need one
big W and firm handshakes all round, this is great news
yeah always dress for what you actually need
no reason to try and fit something in that's not actually going to work/be reasonably used in your wardrobe
rarely is anything here prescriptive it's all about what works for you
Makes sense - I think I was concerned I would look like I was a guy that had just lost his suit because honestly I can't really tell the difference between a OCBD and a dress shirt unless I see them side by side
You don't need one if that's not your style, but I like ocbds because of how easy they are to dress down and make casual
The BD part is easy to tell apart from a dress shirt, because the collar has buttons on it. The OC part (Oxford cloth) is harder to tell from pictures, but it's sort of a rougher feeling weave than most dress shirts in my experience
Some dress shirts have button-down collars. But yes, it is obvious if a collar buttons down.
Oxford cloth is a weave that's textured. Some are rougher and some are finer, some are heavier and some are lighter, but you can just look up pictures, it's kind of an obvious thing once you see it up close.
Oxford cloth button-down shirts tend to have soft rolled collars rather than stiffer sharper ones like dress shirts have. They often have a chest pocket, and some will say that any shirt with a pocket is no dress shirt, but some do not, it's a style choice.
You definitely do not need one if you don't want one.
This makes sense, my main point of confusion has been because the shirts I was gifted have a far rougher weave than the dress shirt I wear with my suit and so it feels less dressy & more casual when I compare all the shirts in my wardrobe - I’m working through the basic wardrobe guide & some pieces I know I do not need/will never wear but the OCBD was the only one I wasn’t sure about. This really clears it up, thanks!
Yep, OCBDs are indeed less formal than dress shirts. You can totally wear them with a suit (with caveats - as always, intent and formality level matching is key) but they are far easier to wear without a suit due to being less formal.
If they have no real place in your daily dress, don't wear them daily; if they have no real place in your non-professional dress, don't wear then non-professionally... so like, if they just don't have a place, don't bother paying money for them. There's not gonna be some guy gently quizzing you on how many OCBDs you own to see if you're eligible for promotion or to invite you to a golf tournament, yknow? Personal preference.
I personally like them with a sport coat, and I like them with no jacket, depending on the circumstance. I do like the more formal OCBDs with a tie when wearing a jacket, though that's a matter of much debate (certain sub-cultures think that's ridiculous to do, others do it daily. Shrug)
broadcloth