Dress shirts - to placket or not to placket?

[Ianiceman]

Is there a general theme that a placket is more or less formal than no placket? Formality is often dictated by relation to formal clothes. I have a tuxedo shirt with a placket for studs and another where the left shirt front just folds in on itself so no clues there.

What do you do for your bespoke/MTM shirts?

 

[landshark]

I get a placket, I think it looks better when I wear the shirt without a tie.

 

[joeninety]

i've always thought that no placket is a quite French/Italian look. i always get a placket when i order shirts.

 

[Ianiceman]

Originally Posted by landshark

I get a placket, I think it looks better when I wear the shirt without a tie.

Yeah I suppose it's moot if you wear a tie every day as it won't be visible but without a tie the symmetry of the placket probably looks better.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

I order no placket on my shirts. I think it looks cleaner and I consider a placket a more casual option like button down collars.

 

[HarleyBob]

If it is a casual button down shirt, placket.
If it is a dress shirt,especially french cuffs, no placket

 

[wEstSidE]

every shirt i own, dress or sport, has a placket.

i like fly fronts for wear with bowties because it looks cleaner. might look odd to some though.

 

[nmprisons]

i go no placket, no pocket. clean and neat.

 

[francisco_bt]

No placket. As it has been said before, looks cleaner to me.

 

[Matt S]

I prefer a placket. If it's worn without a tie I like the rigidity it gives the shirt. I also like the symmetry. If worn with a tie the placket isn't seen.

 

[Ianiceman]

So about a 50-50 split? You've gotta love SF!!

 

[Merlino]

I never order shirts w/ placket, I just think they're ugly.

 

[SpallaCamiccia]

Never placket. Ugly and sportive.

 

[Don Carlos]

I've never cared for the look and feel of placketless shirts. A few of my custom shirts have no plackets, but most of them are placketed -- even the formal, French cuffed ones.

Some people will claim up and down that plackets are a sporty / nondressy feature, but as far as I am aware, this is pure speculation or retroactive application of purpose.

 

[Ataturk]

It's a lot easier to make a shirt without a placket, especially if it's patterened. They're also easier to iron. That's my guess as to why they're so popular. It's certainly not more formal or stylish.