# Designer label on the cuff of a suit -- remove or leave it alone?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 21, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957 "2004-11-21T16:52:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@anamnesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anamnesis)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/1 "2004-11-21T16:52:37Z")
I’ve been looking around for some insight on the best answer to this for some time but haven’t been able to come up with much of anything … probably because it’s a pretty trivial question related to men’s suits. It’s not about sizes, colors, styles, or buttons; I just wanted to know whether or not it’s a no-no to remove the designer tag on the cuff of the sleeve. I figure the only reason it’s there is to brand the garment and in all honesty, I deplore such ostentatiousness (is that actually a word?)
The suits I own aren’t totally cheap or ridiculously expensive, but I’m curious whether or not I’d be committing some unwritten fashion faux pas by removing the tag, since I’m not really interested in advertising how much I paid for a suit. I only have a few nice ones but I’m not looking to rub people’s noses in it. 🙂
I’d just as soon assume this is up to one’s own personal discretion, but … any thoughts?
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/2 "2004-11-21T17:19:24Z")
I take mine off. A suit’s not supposed to be like an expensive pair of jeans, where most people _want_ the label to show.
Do you work in an office where most people wear suits? What do other guys do?
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### Author:  [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/3 "2004-11-21T17:25:30Z")
On the cuff of a suit? Ditch it. I think the only reason they would be be there in the first place is to make it easier to pick out on a long rack of unsold merchandise.
Micro-fashion rant #3
If a designer needs to scrawl their names on the outside of a garment, isn’t that admission of defeat? If the designer is capable of clothing that is genuinely distinctive, then there’s no need for a big fat logo.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/4 "2004-11-21T17:26:55Z")
On the contrary, you’d be committing a massive faux pas by leaving it on. Clip that puppy off.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/5 "2004-11-21T17:31:49Z")
General Questions is for questions with factual answers.
Moving this to IMHO.
**samclem** GQ moderator
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### Author:  [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/6 "2004-11-22T01:10:09Z")
Yes, that label is most certainly intended to be removed once the suit is purchased.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/7 "2004-11-22T01:33:28Z")
It’s not a “designer label” but rather, it’s just a tag. Leaving it on is terribly, terribly tacky. In fact, most “quality” menswear shops will remove it for you.
Its primary purpose in life is to prevent some schlub from buying a suit, wearing it once for an interview or wedding, then returning it for a refund.
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### Author:  [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/8 "2004-11-22T01:45:33Z")
When I was suit shopping with my boyfriend the salesman told us that you’re definitely supposed to cut it.
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### Author:  [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/9 "2004-11-22T01:48:48Z")
OMG yes, cut that thing off!
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### Author:  [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/10 "2004-11-22T01:57:54Z")
Leave it on and you’ll never ever get laid again.
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### Author:  [@smartini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smartini)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/11 "2004-11-22T02:03:11Z")
Clip it off. Definitely.
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/12 "2004-11-22T02:27:11Z")
Only Minnie Pearly got away with it.
You won’t.
😃
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/13 "2004-11-22T03:22:35Z")
I love it when I see people leave that on and I can see that their coat is “100% Wool”.
CUT IT OFF!
Now me question.
Those little plastic things in the collar of men’s dress shirts. Do you pull those or leave them? There are pockets made for them so maybe keep them. But then agian they could be sewn completly in so they wouldn’t fall out so maybe ditch them.
I usually leave to fate to decide when the leave.
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### Author:  [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/14 "2004-11-22T03:43:25Z")
Leave it on? Why not wear the plastic bag it came in as a hat?
**Zebra** : They’re called “collar stays.” You’re supposed to have them in while you’re wearing the shirt, and then take them out when the shirt is laundered and pressed. They’re not sewn in because you can’t press the collar properly with them in.
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/15 "2004-11-22T03:47:39Z")
So I’m supposed to take them out when I wash the shirt and put them back?
I lose socks all the time how the heck am I supposed to keep these things?
Can I buy replacement ones or should I just steal them from the men’s department?
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### Author:  [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/16 "2004-11-22T03:48:36Z")
And one more reassurance for the OP.
One of my first interviews for a job, and I’d just gotten myself a new suit. The interviewer (a really sweet lady) told me that you’re supposed to cut them off.
So there you go.
🙂
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### Author:  [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/17 "2004-11-22T04:00:54Z")
> [@Zebra](#):
>
> So I’m supposed to take them out when I wash the shirt and put them back?
> I lose socks all the time how the heck am I supposed to keep these things?
> Can I buy replacement ones or should I just steal them from the men’s department?
Yes, that’s what you’re supposed to do.
As for where to put them–my dad had a box on his dresser. I think it was actually a cigar humidor. It’s where he put all sorts of odds and ends, like pocketknives and things. On the inside of the lid was a kind of a metal piece. I don’t know what it was really supposed to be for, but pop stuck his collar stays behind that metal piece. He always seemed to have spares. I guess he kept some when he got rid of old shirts.
But pop was about as meticulous and neat as a person could be without having full-fledged OCD or something. How normal people manage their collar stays I have no idea.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/18 "2004-11-22T04:16:55Z")
You can, in fact, buy collar stays.
The sort of nice shirt that you should be worrying about the collar stays, you really ought to get laundered anyway. You can’t do it as well as they can, with the clamshell presses and all.
But then you gotta take out the little paper tag that declares your shirt to be number 86342. Caught that bad boy on some guy a few weeks ago. Didn’t say anything to him and then felt guilty the rest of the day. Surely you notice when you’re buttoning your shirt that there’s a paper tag through the buttonhole?
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### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/19 "2004-11-22T04:29:05Z")
The tag on the suit is just tacked on…one stitch at each corner. Not Machine stitched in place permanently. So yes, remove it. I have to keep from laughing when women come into my store in good wool coats with that label still tacked on…smart, professional women who should know better.
And if you don’t want to buy replacement collar stays at menswear stores, they are available at fabric stores on the notions wall. Look near the collar extenders.
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### Author:  [@Bangiadore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bangiadore)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/designer-label-on-the-cuff-of-a-suit-remove-or-leave-it-alone/275957/20 "2004-11-22T05:17:57Z")
I think what’s been happening is that certain high-profile rappers have taken to leaving cuff tags on – I’ve noticed this on occasional awards shows, particularly – and that’s started a bit of a trend.
But there was a time when to leave a cuff tag on your suit jacket would have been just as embarrassing as _walking around with your underwear showing_.
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