Wool Flat Cap... a no-no with a kilt?

[CMcG]

The idea that the button-down collar is for when one is not wearing a tie is complete and utter nonsense. The button-down collar was designed and made popular in the United States in the late 1800s to hold the collar in place during active pursuits (riding, shooting, fishing, etc.), but this was a time when gentlemen wore ties while doing those things. A shirt with this style of collar is to shirts what a tweed suit is to suits -- country attire -- no more and no less. What has changed over the last hundred years is that button-down collars are being worn more and more with regular suits and I can see one's argument that that isn't traditional, but ties have always been worn with button-down collars. This isn't a new thing and it certainly isn't a shift from proper to improper. I don't know where the idea came from, but it seems to have taken hold on this forum and it is ridiculous. It is true, however, that button-down collars never caught on as much in Europe so it should come as no surprise that they are not considered traditional with highland attire (to bring it all back to kilts).

Apparently I was misinformed about the origins of the button down, so thank you for setting me straight.

I just did a bit of searching and several sources (including Brooks Bros.) say the button down shirt came from Ivy League polo players, which gives it a sporting origin. The faux pas that people are making, then, is treating it as other than a casual shirt i.e. wearing one with a suit. My original analogy still works (with a small tweak) because it isn't traditional to wear a flat cap with a kilt, just as it isn't traditional to wear a button down collar shirt with a suit, but lots of people do it. Those who know, and hold to, the tradition will see it as wrong, while others will say it looks fine and is popular, so go for it.