# Do you remove the spare buttons or tags from new shirts?



## J.Marko (Apr 14, 2009)

When you get a new shirt, do you leave the spare buttons on the front placket of the shirt on the shirt, or do you snip them off and save them? I assume the purpose of the spare buttons is to replace buttons cracked or chipped during washing, in which case leaving them on the shirt seems like a bad idea since they could get cracked or chipped just as well. Another reasons for the spares are in case you lose some buttons, and it is handy to have them with the shirt. I have never removed the buttons, but I am thinking about it. Also, if you wear the shirt un-tucked (not that anyone on these boards would admit to considering such blasphemy), the extra buttons look messy.

Same thing with tags. Some shirts have tab tags that can irritate the neck if you don't wear a t-shirt - do you remove them? Some shirts have laundry instruction tags that hang off the tail of the shirt (like LE), if you are wearing the shirt untucked (see propriety disclaimer above), do you cut them off? I often remove tags if they are annoying.


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## NewLawyer (Mar 26, 2008)

I leave the buttons on, as I am still in that moving from apartment to apartment stage of life, and would likely lose track of them otherwise.

If I were more settled, I think I would cut them off. I might also consider removing (and saving) buttons from damaged clothing that I throw away.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

I leave the buttons on as long as they don't create any comfort issues (they never do).

I leave the tags on as long as they don't create any comfort issues (they rarely do).


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## Preu Pummel (Feb 5, 2008)

It is rare that a dress shirt tag will irritate in any way. Most are anchored quite well, unlike t-shirt tags.

Those shirt buttons really should be snipped and saved, but I never bother. I have never popped or broken or lost a shirt button in decades! However, jacket buttons are something different. I always seem to get those snagged on doors, tables, etc., and thus break or chip rather frequently.


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## Frank aka The Minotaur (Nov 12, 2004)

I don't remove any of them. I rarely wear my shirts untucked, or have to use the buttons as replacements. And I've never had a tag on a button down shirt bother me.


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## Professorshak (Mar 16, 2009)

I leave em. Makes them harder to lose should something need to be replaced.


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## Mongo (May 9, 2008)

J.Marko said:


> Some shirts have laundry instruction tags that hang off the tail of the shirt (like LE), if you are wearing the shirt untucked (see propriety disclaimer above), do you cut them off? I often remove tags if they are annoying.


If you ever plan to have those shirts cleaned professionally, I would strongly advise against this.


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## sid1971 (May 12, 2009)

i leave them on, never had one chipped in the wash yet...i'd lose them otherwise...as for the tags i cut them out of the neck area sometimes on the cheaper shirts i own.


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## Mercrutio (Apr 1, 2009)

Leave the buttons; don't cut the tags.

I have had a decent number of buttons chip or suffer damage at the cleaners, and I've lost a couple, too, but I've never had a chip or a loss of an attached extra button. Typically, if not always, shirts wear out or become unworthy of their place in my rotation long before I even _remember _that I have an extra button attached to them.


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## LanceW (Jun 2, 2009)

Buttons stay. Tags are removed.


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## Politely (May 8, 2008)

J.Marko said:


> I assume the purpose of the spare buttons is to replace buttons cracked or chipped during washing, in which case leaving them on the shirt seems like a bad idea since they could get cracked or chipped just as well.


This is a great point, however, whenever I've tried putting them away safely, I have inevitably lost them, so I just leave them on.


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## jst (Oct 22, 2008)

I cut away all buttons in case I have to get rid of the shirt and it is not possible to give it to the special containers for charity. Just to have spare buttons ......


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I don't remove them, for I am sure that if I did, I would not be able to find them when needed!


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## Wrenkin (May 4, 2008)

Cut off buttons if they irritate, which is occasionally. I had a particularly bad Banana Republic example recently. Shirt tags if they're that obnoxious kind inside the collar.


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## Blueboy1938 (Aug 17, 2008)

*No . . .*

. . . and no.

Would one actually remove the Ermenegildo Zegne tag from one of his shirts? From a Burberry? Turbull & Asser? Harvie & Hudson? Is there a hierarchy above which the label stays in and below which the label, if inconvenient, comes off?

Trying to keep track of which buttons go with which garment is tough enough in cases when they come detached, as for some coats, without piling up an inventory that would have to either be catalogued or gone exhaustively through upon the loss of a button. Not appealing at all to me.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

No and only rarely, respectively. I've had quite a few buttons cracked, but never the spare ones on the tail (actually, those on the collar and cuffs seem most vulnerable). If I cut them off, I'd only lose them, or mismatch them by getting them on the wrong shirt. 

I only remove a tag if it's a bother. There's one particular manufacturer (maybe Robert Talbot? I'm not certain...) that always drives me to the scissors. Otherwise, no.


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## Fiat Justicia (May 9, 2009)

No, but the last time I had my shirts tailored, he went ahead and took the tags and buttons out for me. I wish he had given them back to me, though -- the buttons were mother-of-pearl.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

I have my Mom sew on name tags on all my clothes. The iron on tags don't last very long.


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## Scoundrel (Oct 30, 2007)

I remove all the spare buttons from my shirts, and make necklaces out of them. Then, I sell the necklaces at local craft fairs...



J.Marko said:


> When you get a new shirt, do you leave the spare buttons on the front placket of the shirt on the shirt, or do you snip them off and save them? I assume the purpose of the spare buttons is to replace buttons cracked or chipped during washing, in which case leaving them on the shirt seems like a bad idea since they could get cracked or chipped just as well. Another reasons for the spares are in case you lose some buttons, and it is handy to have them with the shirt. I have never removed the buttons, but I am thinking about it. Also, if you wear the shirt un-tucked (not that anyone on these boards would admit to considering such blasphemy), the extra buttons look messy.
> 
> Same thing with tags. Some shirts have tab tags that can irritate the neck if you don't wear a t-shirt - do you remove them? Some shirts have laundry instruction tags that hang off the tail of the shirt (like LE), if you are wearing the shirt untucked (see propriety disclaimer above), do you cut them off? I often remove tags if they are annoying.


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## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

I keep the buttons on the shirt. I've only had to use a spare button once, but I was glad I knew where to find it when I needed it.

As for the tags, I leave them on. I like the fact that some of the clothes I'm getting now, particularly t-shirts, are coming with the label printed on the inside of the shirt instead of sewn on. No worries about comfort and I assume it saves some very small increment of the manufacturing costs.


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

No - they cause no discomfort and it prevents them becoming lost.

I have never had any problems with labels inside shirts and am somewhat surprised to even hear of it as an issue.

There is no reason on earth why it is unacceptable to have a shirt untucked in appropriate informal circumstances.


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## gtnc (Aug 7, 2006)

The buttons stay put, that way I have them handy in case they need to be put to use.

I mostly leave the tags unless they are stiff and scratchy.


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## Chengdu nanhai (Apr 12, 2009)

Fiat Justicia said:


> No, but the last time I had my shirts tailored, he went ahead and took the tags and buttons out for me. I wish he had given them back to me, though -- the buttons were mother-of-pearl.


These buttons are probably on Ebay right now :icon_smile_big:


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