For most people, "button-down" and "button-up" are interchangeable, but they're actually not the same item of clothing.

Alexander Aciman/NYT Wirecutter The new imitation-shell buttons (left) are cleaner-looking than the resin swirls of the old shirt’s imitation-horn buttons (right). Alexander Aciman/NYT ...

An easy styling trick is to take any button-down from a plain old shirt to an elevated, knotted blouse. To avoid channeling too much of a ‘90s pop star vibe (yes, I’m referring to Britney ...