Ratio Unveils Longer-Point Buttondown, Club Collar Options
July 1, 2016
Ratio Clothing, which offers custom-fit shirts made at a certain factory in Garland, North Carolina, yesterday introduced a longer-point buttondown collar option.
Named the Fitzgerald model, the collar features points that measure 3.5 inches. Reads the description:
We consider ourselves to be OCBD aficionados here at Ratio, and designed our Fitzgerald Button-Down to be the truest expression of the classic style. The 3.5” Fitzgerald captures the pronounced long roll that the style is known for in the most authentic sense.
Ratio has also made club collars an official option. Though I’ve told owner Eric Powell they could be a bit longer, they still work fine for me, as a guy who sports 3-inch ties and lapels.
Thanks, Christian. I wonder whether 3.5″ may be too long for a button down, but I think the club collar looks great. The 2 3/8″ length looks like what I have gotten from Tom Davis at Brooks MTM, and I think you may find you like it with a 3″ tie (also my preferred width when I can find it). The few club collars I have currently date back to the late 90s and early 2000s and in some cases are showing wear from collar pins. This looks like a great option. Am I correct that it can be ordered unlined? A fused lining likely would not work with a collar pin, and I know that you have made the pinned club something of a trademark. Happy Independence day!
Eric here, from Ratio. Our standard button-down collar actually has 3″ points, so that would certainly be an option for you. The 3.5″ points are not for everyone and we still steer most people to our 3″ option, though I suspect if you’re an Ivy Style reader you’ll probably prefer them. The longer points help to give the collar a fuller roll, more along the lines of what you’d see in vintage Brooks and Mercer & Sons.
Also, to answer your question: yes, any of our collars can be ordered unlined, but please leave us a note in Special Instructions if you’d like that. We will automatically use light, unfused lining on oxfords or other casual shirt fabrics.
I ordered an unlined 3 1/2″ one a while back and like it. The collar is very much like Mercer’s. The buttons are thicker than BB’s standard OCBD and there is also a button on the sleeve placket. I made a mistake in not specifying a box pleat in the back. I will correct that next time and will also order shirts with a button in the rear of the collar. The only problem is that the shirt is a bit too tapered for me; I like a fuller cut. I think that I can fix that when order the next ones by exaggerating my weight by 10-15 pounds.
I have two shirts from Ratio: a red university stripe OCBD with the 3.5″ unfused collar and a unique green plaid madras with the same collar. Both are very well made and the collar roll is excellent. I was able to tweak the fit to my satisfaction and will look forward to one of their unique flannel fabrics or chambrays for the fall. Customer service has been excellent and they even answer the phone when I have a question that is difficult to ask well by email.
Thank you ZJP, Eric, Jerrysfriend and Mark. Very helpful responses. You are right that the collar roll in the pictures looks great. Only in Ivy world do full grown men quibble about the difference between a 3 1/4″ and 3 1/2 ” collar or tie width. Oh, well. I guess I needed another hobby and this is as good as any. I have ordered my first shirt (unlined club collar) and am looking forward to giving it a try. I increased my weight by 12 lbs. and waist size by an inch in the estimates in order to get a roomier fit. Hopefully I didn’t overdo it. I’m wearing a slim-cut BB shirt at the moment, and wishing it were the Madison version. Not gapping open, thankfully, but still too form-fitting for my taste. Can’t wait to see if Ratio becomes my new favorite shirt maker. Kudos to Christian for posting and to Eric from Ratio for the personal response.
Eric — Have you considered a tab collar? The old BB snap-tab (no longer offered, I fear) was the perfect version, at least it is the one that reminds me most of the heyday version my brother wore. The current button tab is a bit too long for my taste. I am down to about 3 or 4 and will need to find a replacement. The length of the club collar looks perfect in the picture. Happy 4th!
A collar roll is a collar roll is a collar…well, no.
Real joy is found in attention paid to detail, no matter the arena. I pity people who drift through life with such little interest in anything (books, art, clothing, architecture, food, etc.) that the sum of their existence can be best described as “bland.” The most interesting people I know have a eye for detail, and possess a keen sense of what passes for beautiful…and what doesn’t. If 99% of people fail to recognize the simple, nonchalant elegance of a rolling collar, neither do they–the great hoard–indulge in any other sort of inquiry into form, shape or design. Which is too bad.
Christian abhors the word, but humanity stands in desperate need of a word that exalts the study of (and indulgence in) elegance and beauty. For all any/all remnants of faux haute, it just plain works. It’s functional. And considering that beauty inspires more behavior than we care to admit (Maslov forgot to put it on the pyramid), it’s not going away anytime soon.
Which is to say: Three cheers for button downs that roll. Aesthetically pleasing.
Somehow or other the ordeal of ordering shirts online and specifying this or that detail seems a little much for something that was more or less standard some odd years ago, especially here in New Haven. I have a decent selection of Brooks Brothers button downs purchased new in New Haven years ago for $10/shirt which are still in great shape and worn on a regular basis. When I want a new shirt I just go to J Press – no hassles, good fit, all Ivy correct and a great shirt.
Thanks, Christian. I wonder whether 3.5″ may be too long for a button down, but I think the club collar looks great. The 2 3/8″ length looks like what I have gotten from Tom Davis at Brooks MTM, and I think you may find you like it with a 3″ tie (also my preferred width when I can find it). The few club collars I have currently date back to the late 90s and early 2000s and in some cases are showing wear from collar pins. This looks like a great option. Am I correct that it can be ordered unlined? A fused lining likely would not work with a collar pin, and I know that you have made the pinned club something of a trademark. Happy Independence day!
Charlottesville,
Here a couple of examples of the 3.5 inch button down.
This one is lined and the tie is 3.5 inches at the widest: http://pindotsandgrenadine.tumblr.com/post/145509799897/just-for-fun-another-crappy-photo-of-a-ratio
This one is unlined and the tie is just under 3.5 inches : http://pindotsandgrenadine.tumblr.com/post/142842793702/ratio-and-panta
I don’t find the points to be too long. But I guess your mileage may vary.
Charlottesville –
Eric here, from Ratio. Our standard button-down collar actually has 3″ points, so that would certainly be an option for you. The 3.5″ points are not for everyone and we still steer most people to our 3″ option, though I suspect if you’re an Ivy Style reader you’ll probably prefer them. The longer points help to give the collar a fuller roll, more along the lines of what you’d see in vintage Brooks and Mercer & Sons.
Also, to answer your question: yes, any of our collars can be ordered unlined, but please leave us a note in Special Instructions if you’d like that. We will automatically use light, unfused lining on oxfords or other casual shirt fabrics.
Hope that helps!
Eric
I ordered an unlined 3 1/2″ one a while back and like it. The collar is very much like Mercer’s. The buttons are thicker than BB’s standard OCBD and there is also a button on the sleeve placket. I made a mistake in not specifying a box pleat in the back. I will correct that next time and will also order shirts with a button in the rear of the collar. The only problem is that the shirt is a bit too tapered for me; I like a fuller cut. I think that I can fix that when order the next ones by exaggerating my weight by 10-15 pounds.
I have two shirts from Ratio: a red university stripe OCBD with the 3.5″ unfused collar and a unique green plaid madras with the same collar. Both are very well made and the collar roll is excellent. I was able to tweak the fit to my satisfaction and will look forward to one of their unique flannel fabrics or chambrays for the fall. Customer service has been excellent and they even answer the phone when I have a question that is difficult to ask well by email.
Thank you ZJP, Eric, Jerrysfriend and Mark. Very helpful responses. You are right that the collar roll in the pictures looks great. Only in Ivy world do full grown men quibble about the difference between a 3 1/4″ and 3 1/2 ” collar or tie width. Oh, well. I guess I needed another hobby and this is as good as any. I have ordered my first shirt (unlined club collar) and am looking forward to giving it a try. I increased my weight by 12 lbs. and waist size by an inch in the estimates in order to get a roomier fit. Hopefully I didn’t overdo it. I’m wearing a slim-cut BB shirt at the moment, and wishing it were the Madison version. Not gapping open, thankfully, but still too form-fitting for my taste. Can’t wait to see if Ratio becomes my new favorite shirt maker. Kudos to Christian for posting and to Eric from Ratio for the personal response.
Eric — Have you considered a tab collar? The old BB snap-tab (no longer offered, I fear) was the perfect version, at least it is the one that reminds me most of the heyday version my brother wore. The current button tab is a bit too long for my taste. I am down to about 3 or 4 and will need to find a replacement. The length of the club collar looks perfect in the picture. Happy 4th!
A collar roll is a collar roll is a collar…well, no.
Real joy is found in attention paid to detail, no matter the arena. I pity people who drift through life with such little interest in anything (books, art, clothing, architecture, food, etc.) that the sum of their existence can be best described as “bland.” The most interesting people I know have a eye for detail, and possess a keen sense of what passes for beautiful…and what doesn’t. If 99% of people fail to recognize the simple, nonchalant elegance of a rolling collar, neither do they–the great hoard–indulge in any other sort of inquiry into form, shape or design. Which is too bad.
Christian abhors the word, but humanity stands in desperate need of a word that exalts the study of (and indulgence in) elegance and beauty. For all any/all remnants of faux haute, it just plain works. It’s functional. And considering that beauty inspires more behavior than we care to admit (Maslov forgot to put it on the pyramid), it’s not going away anytime soon.
Which is to say: Three cheers for button downs that roll. Aesthetically pleasing.
Somehow or other the ordeal of ordering shirts online and specifying this or that detail seems a little much for something that was more or less standard some odd years ago, especially here in New Haven. I have a decent selection of Brooks Brothers button downs purchased new in New Haven years ago for $10/shirt which are still in great shape and worn on a regular basis. When I want a new shirt I just go to J Press – no hassles, good fit, all Ivy correct and a great shirt.