Another OCBD Conspiracy Theory

By James H. Grant​​​​​​​​​

[Warning: The following article will probably cause considerable controversy and disquietude – perhaps even some gnashing of teeth. Proceed with caution. – JHG]

In the late summer of 1961, I embarked upon a venture to change my wardrobe from the non-descript blue jeans, plaid shirts, and black loafers I had worn theretofore to the mode of dress known regionally as the southern collegiate style. It was just before my junior year in high school. Although no formal description of the southern collegiate style existed – at least as far as I knew – it was nonetheless what most fraternity boys at southeastern universities chose to wear.

My first purchase to facilitate my metamorphosis was a pair of Bass Weejuns^® which I bought at Bill King Clothiers in Bristol, Virginia.

Shortly thereafter, on November 11, 1961, I purchased my first 100% cotton OCBD. It was a standard light blue GANT shirt in size 15×34. I paid $5.95 for that shirt, which was pretty expensive considering my father’s Arrow shirts probably cost about $3.95. (The reason I know the exact date of the purchase was that it was the Saturday after my father and I went to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to see the UNC-Tennessee football game. The Volunteers lost 22-21, when Carolina converted a two-point conversation with only seconds left on the clock.)

After purchasing the first of many OCBD’s, I remember distinctly going home and taking that beautiful shirt out of the wrapper and trying it on. It was a perfect fit. At that time GANT was the “go-to” shirt among southern collegiate style aficionados. The brand was carried almost exclusively by all the better “campus” shops, including Bill King Clothiers.

Back to Chapel Hill – I learned three things on that trip to the football game with my father.

1. Tennessee had a mediocre football team, at best.
2. Just about every Carolina fraternity man wore a light blue or white OCBD with a striped silk or wool challis tie.

Nota bene: It would be my guess that the majority of those OCBD’s were purchased at Julian’s College Shop or at Milton’s Clothing Cupboard, which were both situated on Franklin Street, juxtaposed to the UNC campus. The Brothers Julian, Maurice and Milton, came to Chapel Hill from Brockton, Massachusetts, and established Julian’s College Shop in 1946. Two years later, Milton left the store and founded his own Milton’s Clothing Cupboard, also on Franklin Street. It is often said that the two stores are responsible for bringing the Ivy League/Brooks Brothers “look” to the Southeastern United States. Of course, there are probably a dozen other well-known retailers who could make the same claim. Incidentally, Maurice was the father of Alexander Julian, the noted New York-based fashion designer.

3. Most of those UNC fraternity men at the football game carried a standard black umbrella. It did not rain that day, but it was cloudy and looked like it could pour at any moment. I had never seen college boys carrying umbrellas before, but I just instinctively knew that it had something to do with “style.” As it turned out, my grandfather had a black umbrella, which he never used. So, I convinced him to give it to me so I could check that box.

Nota bene: An umbrella came in handy on campus. It sheltered the owner from a sudden downpour, but it was also readily available to share with a coed stranded in the rain. In fact, it was not uncommon to see two or three guys with brollies hanging around the liberal arts building, waiting for girls who might need an escort back to the dorm. During the course of that ten minute walk, it was possible to carry on a conversation with the young lady, while getting her name, her hometown, her major, and most importantly, her phone number. There was one guy who claimed that he frequently got a hug or even a buss on the cheek when they reached the dorm.

Now, back to that GANT shirt – It was constructed of a nice quality 100% oxford cloth and had a fused collar which made it arch properly in that classic “S” without being too stiff. Like all GANT shirts of that era, it had a button on the back of the collar, a box pleat under the yoke and the patented “locker loop” just above the pleat. Each shirt was stamped “Do Not Starch” inside the collar. After the shirt was laundered, the collar looked great and always maintained that soft “S” shape. Over the next several years, before I went off to college, I purchased or was gifted four more GANT shirts – another blue, a blue and white stripe, a yellow, and of course, a white.

Like I said, GANT was the “go-to” OCBD in the 1960’s. Other brands were Sero and Hathaway. I know Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Fenn-Feinstein also had nice OCBD’s because I saw their advertisements in The New Yorker magazine, but those stores were 581 miles away.

I went into the U.S. Air Force in 1967. When I returned to the university four years later, it was difficult to find proper traditional “collegiate” clothing. Polyester double-knit leisure suits, bell-bottomed pants, psychedelic-colored shirts, wide ties and white patent leather loafers were all over the place, but all the traditional men’s shops had either gone out of business or moved out of the city to the mall. I wandered around in a style wilderness for several years, which was really okay since I barely had enough money for my tuition and apartment rent – even with the GI Bill.

Fast forward to the late 1970’s – By that time, I was a sales representative at the largest designer furniture showroom in the South. My income was on the rise and I had a wonderful wife, who was also gainfully employed. Things were looking up. It was about that time that I discovered the Lands’ End “Hyde Park” OCBD. The Hyde Park was also constructed of a nice quality 100% cotton oxford cloth with a fused collar. By that time, I had grown into a size 16×35. The Hyde Park was available in all the right colors, and more importantly, when you ordered one from Lands’ End, you knew it would have a 3¼” collar and the next one would be just like the one before. And they maintained that consistency and continuity into the first decade of the 21^st Century. So, if I had to name my two all-time favorite OCBD’s, they would be the 1960’s GANT and the Lands’ End “Hyde Park.” Both had fused collars, both were excellent quality, and both were well priced.

Nota bene: Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics average annual inflation rate (1961–2025), the $5.95 GANT shirt in 1961 would cost about $65.00 today.  Similarly, based on the average inflation (1984–2025), a $24.95 Hyde Park OCBD in 1984 would have increased to about $78.00 today. I know. It’s a mystery to me too.

And now for the controversy – What about this “unlined, unfused” collar everyone keeps bragging about? Firstly, I must admit that I have almost no knowledge of how to manufacture a shirt – virtually none! But I do know something about the Immutable Laws of Merchandising. Retailers are constantly beating up manufacturers over price, and manufacturers are constantly beating up their suppliers to reduce their costs. That is just the way it is. That is the way it has always been.

It would be my guess that somewhere along the line – who knows when? – the shirtmakers and the shirt retailers decided to take some of the cost out of the OCBD. And one way to do that was to eliminate the collar’s fusing material and its concomitant labor cost. And human nature being what it is, the cost savings were hardly ever passed on to the customer.

Admittedly, this is all PURE SPECULATION on my part. But understanding the principles of manufacturing and retailing as I do, that is probably what happened. Then, the retailers challenged their marketing and advertising departments to figure out a way to spin this change as a benefit rather than a pure cost-cutting maneuver. And based on what I read on this forum, that effort has been extremely successful. It was reminiscent of what the advertising firm, Ogilvy & Mather, did to convince Brooks Brothers’ customers that the dyes in Madras were intended to bleed and that was a feature, not a fault.

I understand that many quality shirts started out with hand-sewn “unlined and unfused” collars, and some are still almost made that way. But I contend that an unfused collar is not as good as the 1960’s GANT or the 1980’s Lands’ End “Hyde Park” – particularly given the “skimpy” fabrics used today.  Sometimes you get that magic “S” and sometimes you don’t. And therein lies the rub.

Today, my shirts are all size 17½x36. I purchase expensive OCBD’s, but I would gladly swap the shirts in my closet for the 1960’s GANT or the 1980’s Hyde Park, which were constructed of a nice quality, “gutsy” oxford cloth. This is strictly my opinion. I am sure you have yours.

[Interested readers might want to search my original article – “Of OCBD’s and a Conspiracy Theory,” dated Jan. 25, 2023, via the Ivy Style search engine. – James H. Grant]