Tomima - Lingerie and Underwear Expert

Guy Fashion 101: T-shirts and undershirts are not the same. Undershirts should not be worn as t-shirts and vice versa. If you got it for free, it’s probably cheap and ill-fitting. Every guy should own a wardrobe of both undershirts and t-shirts. These are the rules.

Let’s begin with undershirts. An undershirt is designed to be worn UNDER another shirt. It’s primary purpose is to catch perspiration and, in the winter, to add warmth. A proper undershirt is one that is form-fitting, not too thick, and has the right neckline so that it can’t be seen under the top shirt. For example, you want to wear an open button down shirt. Wear a v-neck undershirt, and have it be long sleeve if you want added warmth. Of course, an undershirt should also be all cotton in order to absorb perspiration.

How many undershirts should a guy have? It really depends on your lifestyle. If you wear a suit and tie every day, you should have at least two weeks worth of undershirts. This will cover you for travel or lags in your weekly laundry. Styles again depend on preference. Some men hate the look of a short sleeve undershirt under their shirts. Then the answer is to get a sleeveless undershirt. Some men like their undershirt to be visible at the neckline. So buy crew neck undershirts.

Final notes on undershirts. They should be white, so bleach them. When the underarms become yellow, throw them out. Don’t buy them too big, or you’ll have layering and "tucking in" issues.

Now for t-shirts. T-shirts are more about fashion. The size and cut should flatter your physique. I interviewed Jason Scarlatti - designer for the 2(X)ist brand - and Gregory Sovell - designer for C-in2 brand and former designer for 2(X)ist - and asked them about the fit and look of t-shirts on men. Both agreed that most men wear t-shirts that are too large for them. This is probably because t-shirts used to shrink. Now, they are made-pre-shrunk, but men haven’t caught up with this fact. The second point both made is that the beefier or thicker the t-shirt, the lower the quality. And, the quality of a t-shirt can quickly be determined by looking at the price - the higher the price, the better and softer the t-shirt.

Scarlatti was very specific about the fit of a t-shirt. The new look in t-shirts is to try and capture the James Dean image - short sleeve that stops at the bicept,  fitted but comfortable across the chest, straight down the sides, and ends 2" below the belt or at the bottom of the fly. This, Scarlatti says is the look most men in fairly good shape should strive for.

Sovall made the same James Dean analogy, but went into detail about the sleeve. He said if you can run a pole through the sleeves of a t-shirt and it lays flat like a flag, the t-shirt will not fit nicely. The key is to find a cap sleeve. To tell if the t-shirt has a cap sleeve, lay the t-shirt down flat on a table. If the sleeve openings point downward, and can’t be layed completely flat, that t-shirt has a cap sleeve and a better fit. When your arm is down, the sleeve won’t have that strange fly-away flag look, and will not have the bunched fabric look under the arm.

The number of t-shirts in your wardrobe, again, depends on your lifestyle. However, they should be good quality, fit well and be of a color that is flattering. Black is always good and makes the wearer look thinner.

Find t-shirts and undershirts at HisRoom.