The short answer is yes; as long as you wear a four-in-hand, you can wear button-down collar dress shirts with a tie.
The longer answer gets a bit complicated.
The button-down collar has casual roots – it was originally found on British polo shirts. It was brought back to the United States and placed on button-down shirts by Brooks Brothers. The “Polo Button-Down,” as it was named, was designed to be a sport shirt – the buttons would serve to prevent the collars from flapping when a tie isn’t worn.
The button-down-with-tie look was created a bit after, and was first seen in the early 20th century on Ivy League students. These students wore the then-casual shirt with blazers and striped/emblem ties that represented club membership, and as these men moved on past college, the button-down-with-tie look became an integral part the American workplace.
With that said, it is not hard to see that the button-down-with-tie look would be inappropriate both with more European clothing and in events requiring traditional and more formal attires. Here’s a few instances where it should never be worn.
- With a black suit. Black suits are too formal for the inherently casual collar. Additionally, American menswear makers do not usually make black suits – a tradition that honors President Abraham Lincoln, who was killed in such a suit.
- With a black tie (unless knit), also due to disagreements in formality.
- To an event demanding “evening informal” or greater formality.
Here are things to avoid:
- Plain, solid ties (especially satin). These ties are extremely formal and should only be worn with more formal shirts. Textured solid weaves, such as the grenadine, silk knit, and shantung, are more than acceptable.
- Ties with stripes running from the upper left to lower right (heart to sword). These ties are called “British Stripe.” Many elements of American menswear were made to be complete opposites of British styling, and the two should not mix.
- Any “business formal” event (or more formal) beginning after 6 PM, because such events often demand a step-up in formality (closer to evening informal).
- One-button or double-breasted suits. These garments tend to be more formal, and should be worn with a stiff or otherwise non-buttoned collar.
Furthermore, if the collar on the shirt is too short, it will be unable to “contain” a tie, and is better worn tieless.
Here are things that would look great for the button-down-with-tie look:
- American sack suits (J. Press, Brooks Brothers, Jos A Bank), or anything with a center vent
- The “all-American” navy blazer, and its not-all-American cousins
- Tweed (or otherwise rough-textured and/or patterned) sport coats
- American-stripe ties (right to left), repp ties, and foulard ties
- Casual ties: silk knit ties and non-silk ties
- Bowties
As I stated before, use a four-in-hand with your button-down collars. This is simply because the collar provides little tie space, and thus a smaller knot should be used. Additionally, the button-down collar should not be ironed flat, but rather curve a little to display a “roll.” A collar’s ability to display this “roll” is often used to judge its quality.
Although the button-down shirt could be difficult to wear with a jacket and tie, it is very comfortable to wear and perhaps the best collar to be worn tieless. Thus, it is definitely reasonable to invest in a few.