
I
previously blogged about buying button-down dress shirt that fit me. Now that I've had the shirts for a while, here's what I did to improve them for how I use them.
First, I got rid of all the spare buttons. Yes it's nice that they give you spare buttons for your shirts, but they always sew them on the bottom of the placket. This is fine if you tuck in your shirt, but I generally don't. So those are the first to go. Also, if there's a care label sewn on the placket, that goes too. In the picture on the right, I've done both. Look closely and you'll see the indent where the spare button used to be, and the rectangle at the bottom where the label was.

Next, I take all of the unnecessary buttons off the cuffs. This includes the second button on the cuff that renders it so tight around my wrist that I could use it as a makeshift tourniquet should I ever slice an artery in my hand cutting open a bagel in the kitchenette at work.
I also remove those small buttons that keep the slit of the cuff closed. The only thing those buttons are good for is branding a round imprint into the sleeve when ironing the shirt. I don't notice any drafts, nor do I hear the shocked gasps of co-workers as the catch a glimpse of my naked forearm.
I should note that both Brooks Brothers and Charles Tyrwhitt—two fine shirt makers—do not include any of these extraneous buttons on their shirts.

Finally I took a few of my shirts to a tailor and had them remove the collars. Instant banded collar. It makes for a cleaner, more modern look. And since I'm never going to wear a tie with these shirts. This look won't work for all shirts, but it's a nice way to mix up my wardrobe.
I really don't like button-down collars, but with the collar removal option, I can now shop for these shirts if I think they'd make a good banded-collar shirt.