Top button

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Top Button is the highest button on a shirt, holding the collar of the shirt together. When worn with a tie the tie covers the top button. Having this button done up is a much-broken part of many school uniforms. During the Second World War a tradition among qualified RAF fighter pilots was to leave the top button of their uniform undone, in contravention of uniform regulations, both in an effort to remain cool in the cockpit (with the engine directly in front of them), and to emphasize their individualistic image as an elite group. Today, wearing the top button of any shirt in a casual environment (such as school) is a teenage taboo.