Why do button-down shirts have that little loop on the back?

In the fashion sphere, you may have wondered about the difference between a "button-up" and a "button-down," but have you ever noticed the loop on the back of it?



Sometimes we put on clothes with extra pieces or parts without knowing what those parts are used for.

These extra pieces of fabric sit right where the pleat meets the yoke in the center of the back — but why? They first appeared on shirts by the menswear brand GANT in the 1960s and were named "locker loops," because they were fashioned to keep student's shirts wrinkle-free in Ivy League locker rooms.

They later took on more significance as a popular part of Ivy League culture, serving as a relationship status symbol on campus. Men would remove the loop to show they were taken and the lady, in return, would wear his scarf. Let's just say a few things have changed on college campuses since.