My new girlfriend, 2nd generation Polish-American (which may or may not be relevant), has told me I have to wear a button up, long sleeve dress shirt to her house for New Years Eve. We’re not going anywhere, no one besides the two of us, but I absolutely cannot figure out why the shirt with buttons is so important for me to wear that evening. No other clothing requirements, except if I had button fly jeans (which I don’t)
Anyone have any thoughts why clothing buttons are so important on New Years Eve??
I’m Polish-American (although a bit further removed from the motherland than your girl) and I know nothing of a button-wearing tradition. I can’t even come up with a WAG.
At first I thought she was just telling you to dress up a little. And that it’s easier to tell you to wear a button-up shirt than to tell you to wear a nice shirt and hope you can read her mind regarding what “nice” means.
Am I missing something here? Button-up is the definition of nice shirt. At least, it’s one of the categories. Is this seriously the first time you’ve ever heard of a dress shirt referred to as a button-up? If so, I guess I could understand your confusion.
Why would she say this? Because she’s dressing up. Because she wants to. So you have to as well.
Yes. In general people don’t dress up to sit at home alone. And very few people consider button-up jeans to be dressy. The thing they have in common is that they both have buttons. Therefore it makes sense that there’s some reason the girl like buttons.
Anyways, New Years has passed. Did you ever find out?