Two-tone shirts: yea or nay

December 29, 2009 5:58 PM

What, if anything, is wrong with wearing two-tone shirts to the office? These are shirts that have white collar & cuffs but another colour for the rest of the shirt.

My Google searching reveals that they are widely derided - is this because they are seen as being too formal or overwhelming? Is it just the Gordon Gekko connotation which dooms these shirts? I have seen a few coworkers wearing said shirts and I think they look neat. Is it considered a slight faux pas to wear one to the office, particularly if you are a more junior employee in your firm?

posted by kid A to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (36 answers total)

The era in which they were fashionable (the 1980s) is generally considered to be a kind of low point for fashion. People who wear them today look like they're either out of the loop or trying to make fetch happen.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:59 PM on December 29, 2009 [3 favorites]

It will remind people of Gordon Gekko. Whether that is a bad thing is dependent upon the nature of your company.
posted by dfriedman at 6:00 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you like the look, wear it. They're perfectly acceptable.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:00 PM on December 29, 2009

It's just out of style, and connotes a gasbag. That's pretty much it.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:03 PM on December 29, 2009 [9 favorites]

Mrs. Jeffamaphone says they're very much out of style. She has stopped me from buying them on several occasions.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:05 PM on December 29, 2009

In an office setting they probably scream Patrick Bateman but I wouldn't say they are out of fashion in a wider sense, I see them all the time. Wear them if you like.
posted by fire&wings at 6:08 PM on December 29, 2009

A guy I knew as a graduate student in the late 60s wore these every day, back then. He became rather well known as a digital guru, and occasionally I would see a picture of him, still wearing those shirts (usually the blue pinstriped ones). Then I ran into him at a conference in the mid-1990s. With the shirt on. It was the first time I'd seen him in 25 years. During our rather brief conversation I managed to mention that I remembered he was already wearing those shirts a quarter century ago. Ever since, when I've found a fresh photo of him, he has worn something different. Maybe he asked the wife and she finally told him they were dorky and she was sick and tired of them. In any event, they seem to have worked well enough for him during his upward mobility, so I don't see why they'd be considered a faux pas, dorky as they may be.
posted by beagle at 6:10 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

It will remind people of Bill Lumbergh from Office Space or Gordon Gekko. But you will not act like Bill Lumbergh from Office Space or Gordon Gekko, and pretty soon, it will just remind people of how awesome you are.

(Note that this plan depends upon your being awesome. If you are not awesome, you might just want to blend in. In that case, just wear solid colored shirts).
posted by seventyfour at 6:13 PM on December 29, 2009 [6 favorites]

Personally, I just think they look tacky.

But if you like the look, and don't mind that a few people might snicker under their breath or raise an eyebrow .... go for it. I'm sure some people will like it.
posted by Diag at 6:16 PM on December 29, 2009

I like them.
posted by Houstonian at 6:20 PM on December 29, 2009 [6 favorites]

I sometimes see City, City of London finance, workers wear these every now and then. But the high point would have been the mid 80's.

They're still sold by the traditional mens outfitters left on Jermyn Street for what that's worth. I presume the style goes back to when collars and cuffs were detachable and washable separate to the body of the shirt.

Personally I like them.
posted by selton at 6:24 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

I work in retail and the people who purchase these shirts or either old men or young douchebags. I personally think they just look pretentious. Maybe a little too much "look at me I'm wearing something different."
posted by comatose at 6:32 PM on December 29, 2009 [5 favorites]

I presume the style goes back to when collars and cuffs were detachable and washable separate to the body of the shirt.

Yes. They were called "grandfather shirts" by some vendors when they first came on the scene in the late 1960s.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:42 PM on December 29, 2009

Depending on your industry, it is a faux pas for the more junior employees (banking, for one...I think)

Untrue. I see young men wearing these not frequently, but not never, and they generally look sharp. And they're much more common on younger rather than older bankers. I actually think they made a comeback a bit the last couple of years, I myself wear one and look rather natty if I do say so myself. But the things you can get away with in Manhattan and not look ridiculous are rather different than the things you can get away with other places, so I'd be aware of that.
posted by ch1x0r at 6:42 PM on December 29, 2009

I bought one by accident a couple of years ago, and I would never wear it in a non-ironic setting. Unfortunately, my work is a non-ironic setting, so it's never been worn.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 6:44 PM on December 29, 2009

If you can pull it off, sartorially, then I think they are fine.

Frankly, I think that in the "who's a bigger douchebag" competition, people who assume someone is a douchebag because of the color of their shirt collar, are far bigger douchebags than people who wear shirts with a collar that is a different color from the rest of the shirt.
posted by jayder at 6:45 PM on December 29, 2009 [23 favorites]

i would assume that someone wearing those shirts spends way too much on cologne and hair gel and has a highly inflated view of himself. to me, it screams nouveau riche and trying too hard.
posted by nadawi at 7:16 PM on December 29, 2009

What, if anything, is wrong with wearing two-tone shirts to the office?

I would say "The wrongness is because they make you look like a wanker".

That said, I worked in the City for a while, so was probably mentally scarred by wankers wearing these shirts. I presume that I'm old enough that there's been a whole fashion cycle since then.
posted by pompomtom at 7:37 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

I think they look good, on the right kind of build.

and don't forget the fedora.
posted by seawallrunner at 7:48 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm no fashion expert (I'm rarely even have office meetings) but I was always under the impression that these shirts were intended to be worn exclusively under a suit jacket. The cuff and collar being what stands out from beyond the black suit, but the color of the shirt with a complimentary tie (and no handkerchief).

Knowing how well we men pay attention to fashion I'm sure they're generally paired with khakis and flipflops.

But the truth is if the look is right for you and you have the style to pull it off, you can get away with very nearly anything.
posted by Ookseer at 7:48 PM on December 29, 2009

Bill Lumbergh, Gordon Gekko, and Lee Iacocca. Just sayin'.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:48 PM on December 29, 2009

I think Jason Kottke nailed it:

Spotted a guy in new red Porsche wearing Bluetooth headset and white-collared blue shirt. Perfect score in the douchespotting competition.

posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 8:20 PM on December 29, 2009

Contrast collar and cuffs are generally a more formal, conservative, traditional look. Depending on the line of work you're in and what kind of image you're trying to present, it's entirely possible they're quite appropriate for the office and if you like them, go for it.

If you're looking for some tips on how to make them look less Lumburgh-y or tempering the traditional look a bit, check out Put This On or An Affordable Wardrobe, both of them have good ideas for making a traditional wardrobe younger and more modern. I'd also highly recommend A Suitable Wardrobe for some excellent examples of traditional men's style and how it can be combined. I don't personally think everything on there is appropriate either for my age bracket or look, but I admire the knowledge of the history and tradition of men's style on display there.
posted by donnerjack at 9:02 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

Uh, idk, I find them kind of hot, actually.

I blame Dean Winchester.
posted by elizardbits at 9:21 PM on December 29, 2009

These are shirts that have white collar & cuffs but another colour for the rest of the shirt.

Another term for this style of collar, which I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet, is "asshole collar". One interpretation (which I'm pretty sure I learned here somewhere) is that they signal your desire to be sure that everyone is aware how white collar you are, no matter your actual shirt color. More info here.
posted by advil at 9:21 PM on December 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

Last time I was in Singapore, these shirts were everywhere. Lots of office workers (men and women) were wearing them and they were sold in trendy clothing stores. So they're they're definitely not out of fashion everywhere. I think they look a bit naff, but what's really relevant is whether they're considered okay at your office. If your co-workers are wearing them, maybe it's okay for you to wear them too.
posted by embrangled at 9:30 PM on December 29, 2009

Its all Michael Douglas' fault. He nailed that role. He did it so well that he destroyed a shirt style. Probably ok with youngish types who've never seen the film. When dressing professionally, its all about knowing your audience. Are you looking to step out amongst your peers or make a different impression on the higher ups and most importantly, the clients.

attorneys should not wear this.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:56 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

At the opposite end of the spectrum from conservative. Always thought they were kind of flash ghetto.
posted by Muirwylde at 10:25 PM on December 29, 2009

Denny Crane.
posted by you're a kitty! at 11:43 PM on December 29, 2009

I have exactly the same impression of them as Advil does.

Also, I've never met a nice person wearing one.
posted by Magnakai at 12:05 AM on December 30, 2009

Just my $0.02 but in terms of wrongness - there is nothing inherrently wrong. As other posters have said they are in fashion in some places and not in others. I have seen people where them and they can pull it off and look fantastic whilst others it looks very wrong (and yes your graduate rocking up in this sort of stuff, with a pin and hankerchief is usually derided in the square mile).

Ookseer is correct in that the original intention of these shirts was that they would always be worn with a jacket. It was a way of conforming in that you had the white company regulation collar but you could jazz it up with the shirt. Anyway, as I said - some people can pull it off and some can't. It may have negative conatations in some peoples minds but if thats what you want to do then why not.
posted by numberstation at 1:28 AM on December 30, 2009

At some financial companies, certain fashion choices were "reserved" for Managing Directors and above. At one place I worked, it was "straps" (suspenders) and at another it was contrast collars. I'd guess that some of these people work at those sorts of places.
posted by joshu at 3:10 AM on December 30, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for your insights! I can see where the anti-two-tone shirt crowd is coming from. If I buy a two tone shirt I'll wear it only when I'm in a 'power suit' mood.
posted by kid A at 4:11 AM on December 30, 2009

at first reading I thought you were asking about wearing a rugby shirt to work. ugh. Anyway, I'm throwing my vote in for how the actual dress shirts you mean are generally unflattering.
posted by purpletangerine at 7:18 AM on December 30, 2009

I am with jayder on this. Even though the guy that I most think of with this shirt was a 1980s boss in the ad industry who was the first real-life person about whom I heard the phrase "a legend in his own mind".

I will say that you want the whole package with something like this shirt. Impeccably shined shoes, properly fitted trousers, conservatively-styled hair, the right tie (perhaps an actual prep tie if you rate one) and accessories like glasses (if need be). Well, I can also see a Richard Branson type pulling this off, but even then the hair is thought out. Suspenders might be a bit much, though. This is a look that is almost inherently flashy, but proper color coordination can dampen that.

I don't think by itself it signals anything -- or should -- other than your desire to dress nattily. But that itself has a context. IT Team Leader? Pushing it, suggests wankery. Comer VP? Go for it, the opinion that matters is the guys above you. "More junior employee"? Depends on whether the look fits you and your position. Accountant, PR or marketing, or HR or engineering or other internal-facing?

In short, I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand, but I would be cautious in whether and how I use it.
posted by dhartung at 11:14 AM on December 30, 2009

In the 1980s-early 90s there was an attempt to make these shirts stylish but I always thought they looked dumb, and wouldn't buy 'em then or now.
posted by Rash at 1:46 PM on December 30, 2009