Building a stylish, versatile wardrobe starts with a solid foundation, and with shirts, you want to find simple, versatile options that are timeless and go with everything. Don’t be afraid to buy multiple colors of the same shirt to take out over-thinking about wardrobe. These are the five essentials shirts that every man should own!
Don’t forget to check out our shirt Fit Guides for more info.
1. White dress shirt
Simple, timeless and will go with everything. Every man should have a few crisp white dress shirts in his closet. Wear with everything from a suit to jeans.
2. Oxford
Another classic, make sure to get these in blue or white. Oxfords are the ultimate casual staple for jeans or chinos and can be easily dressed up for business casual with a blazer.
3. Black T-shirt
I love the versatility of a black t-shirt. It can be casual with jeans and sneakers or even dressed up with a blazer or suit.
4. Chambray shirt
This shirt has a cool, denim-like vibe and is perfect with chinos or as a more casual substitute for a dress shirt with a blazer and a tie.
5. Solid colored polos
Make sure you have a good rotation of solid-colored polos in basic colors like black, grey, navy, and white.
Bonus: Henley
A henley shirt is only recommended if you have a trim to medium build. If you’re a bigger or athletic guy it’s not the right shirt for you.
You asked, we answered! In this Q&A video, we discuss things like what to splurge/save on, our upcoming wedding, some of our favorite motivational books and podcasts, and much more!
In this video, I talk about the 21 things men should never wear! These are the things that’ll curl your toenails, and offend even your grandmother. Just don.do.it.
Just like with polo shirts – if I had a dollar for every poor-fitting t-shirt I’ve seen a man wearing, I’d have twomoneybins! So let’s make sure you look amazing in your t-shirts, as well.
When I first start working with clients, I always get pushback when I utter the next sentence, but they later admit I was right when they’re getting complimented all the time.
These rules apply to all men, no matter your age or body type. So trust me on these rules. I’m here to make you look amazing, not like some doofus who’s trying too hard.
Neck Opening
Crew necks are pretty standard, but just make sure it doesn’t fit too tight around your neck, or too loosely. If the collar looks stretched out or you can see some of your shoulder when wearing, that’s too loose.
If you’re wearing v-necks, you need to avoid deep v’s at all costs. Man cleavage is just… no. Some brands will have deeper v’s than others, so be wary of how deep it is. Just make sure the bottom point of the “v” doesn’t go past the top of your armpits and you’ll be fine.
Sleeves
The sleeves should hit around mid-bicep and lightly hug your arms. The sleeves shouldn’t be too tight where it looks like your biceps are being strangled. The image below has sleeves that are perfectly hitting the right place and hugging the arm to perfection.
You also don’t want there to be bunch of slack or room around the bicep, either. That just looks cheap and tacky and makes your arms look really small in the worst way possible. If the t-shirt fits well everywhere else, have your tailor slim the sleeves to fit your arms better. I have to do this with clients all the time.
Body/Torso
Like I say in all my shirting videos & articles, the perfect fitting t-shirt will be when you can pinch (not pull) between 1 to 2 inches of fabric on either side of your stomach, like the image above. This goes for EVERY SINGLE BODY TYPE. A lot of my larger clients fight me on this… until the compliments start rolling in. 🙂
Length
The shirt should end somewhere between upper to mid crotch. I would rather it be closer to mid-crotch than upper-crotch because this avoids showing stomach when reaching up for things and allows it to be lightly tucked into the front of your belt/pants to break up your proportions – if you want.
A plain, short sleeved t-shirt is an essential because they’re super comfortable, timeless, and everyone wears them. Now whether you need a crew neck or v-neck t-shirt is dependent on a few factors that I’ll get into later on in this article.
If you’re like most of my clients, you’re probably wearing a t-shirt or polo shirt most of the time, so let’s make sure you look amazing in them. Before we get into that, though, I have a few bones to pick with men in regards to their t-shirts. They completely crap the bed in a few ways:
Their shirts are full of logos.
They don’t fit properly.
The fabric is too thin, shiny, or worn out.
A horrible combination of the above.
Types of T-Shirts For Men
A t-shirt is defined as:
A lightweight shirt without buttons, with short sleeves and no collar. Often made of cotton and frequently bears a picture or slogan.
Before we get into the finer points of t-shirts, let’s talk about the two different types, first. Before I started in the fashion industry, I didn’t know that there were only really two types of t-shirts. So let’s quickly get this out of the way.
Crew Neck
These t-shirts have round collars that fit closely to the neck like the image above. You probably have these in your closet right now. They are great base items for layering or worn on their own. They work on most body types. See the below section about fit for more details.
V-Neck
If your powers of deduction are strong, you’ll already know that the v-neck t-shirt is named as such because the neck is in the shape of a “v”. They also work on most body types. See the below section about fit for more details.
Long Sleeves
Long-sleeved shirts are not technially t-shirts. I put this here, because when I was first starting out, I swore that long-sleeved shirts, like Henleys, were also t-shirts. But, they’re not. Also, in my professional opinion you shouldn’t really own any long sleeve shirts. Henleys would be the only exception, but they only look good on certain body types. I’ll do an article about Henley shirts at a later time. But I don’t consider them a wardrobe essential.
I discussed my hatred of logos in my polo shirt article. And it definitely applies to t-shirts. Maybe more-so.
No self-respecting man should ever wear t-shirts with logos plastered all over them. We have enough billboards and advertisements in our lives, don’t turn your body into another one. Sports teams and concert/band tees are fine if worn to an event where it’s appropriate. But the worst is when I see guys wearing “designer” t-shirts. It just screams sucker, amateur and douche. Just don’t do it. If you own any of these, either throw them out right now or
How T-Shirts Should Fit
See the T-Shirt Fit Guide for details. But I’ll quickly mention here, too, that no matter your age or body type, a t-shirt (any shirt, for that matter) should have a trim fit and lightly hug your body.
That doesn’t mean it should be skin tight, but it also doesn’t mean it should be baggy, either. A lot of my clients with larger builds tend to think that their shirts need to be baggy to hide their imperfections, but it actually works counter to that. It’ll highlight your imperfections if you attempt to hide them under larger swaths of fabric. And if you’re thinner, a larger shirt won’t add any bulk to your frame, it’ll just make you look even skinnier.
Fabric Choice
I can’t tell you how many nipples and belly buttons I see walking around town because guys are wearing undershirts or flimsy shirts with really thin or delicate fabrics as regular t-shirts.
Too Thin
I see a lot of guys wearing what looks like white undershirts because the fabric is so thin. I’ve honestly been searching for months for good white shirts that don’t show skin through. See my recommendations below. Thin shirts/undershirts are not the same as regular t-shirts. Undershirts, true to their name, should only be worn underneath another shirt – usually an Oxford Button Down Dress Shirt or a Semi-Spread Collar Dress Shirt. They’re thin and soft because they’re purpose-built to go underneath something else.
Silky or Shiny appearance
The quickest way to look like a creepy uncle is to wear a shiny or silky t-shirt. You should only wear cotton and matte (not shiny) t-shirts. Nothing else.
Distressed or Worn out
Your t-shirts shouldn’t look like the garment equivalent of those terrible worn-out baseball caps. A t-shirt should look clean, comfortable and relatively new. Once they’ve got holes or they’re faded, even a little bit, they need to be replaced. Such is the nature of being a well-dressed gentleman. There’s nothing worse than old, stretched-out, or faded looking shirts, unless you’re deliberately going for that look.
You’ll get more usage out of your t-shirts if you wash in cold water and hang dry them. But once they’re stretched out or faded, it’s time to donate and replace them.
The Best T-Shirts For Men
Choosing the best t-shirts comes down to your body type, preference and the colors. I’ll reiterate again, because my older clients like to give me this excuse before they see the light: AGE DOESN’T FACTOR INTO WHAT SHIRTS YOU SHOULD GET – AT ALL.
Should I have V-Necks or Crew Necks?
Between the two, I would say it all depends on your preference. Some of my clients are adamant about their love or hate for one or the other. But if you don’t have a preference, I’d suggest getting one set of each. That way, you have the option to switch it up.
As for which ones you should get, there’s 3 points to consider:
If you have a longer neck, go with crew necks. A v-neck would visually lengthen your neck and make it look longer. Unless you can find shorter v-necks with a shorter “v” like the white shirt on my model below.
If you have a shorter neck, go with v-necks. It’ll make your neck appear a little longer.
If your neck is average, the t-shirt world is your oyster and you can have whatever you want!
What colors should I have?
Every man should have these colors to start since they’ll go with everything else in your Essential Wardrobe.
White
Heather gray
Navy
Black
As for how many of each you should have, I suggest getting at least 2 of each, that way you can easily get through a week without needing to do laundry.
Best T-Shirts For Men
Designer Options
The fabrics of these options are really amazing and super comfortable. The James Perse ones are a personal favorite and I use them on a lot of my clients. I wish I could make all my clothes out of some of these materials. See my note in the section below, before making your decision. All of these shirts come in the colors I recommended above.
I’d probably default to these options over the designer ones because I find very minute differences between them. The biggest factors would be fit and slightly better fabrics. I don’t find the added costs are worth what you get in return, especially because t-shirts will need to be replaced much quicker than other items in your wardrobe. All of these shirts come in the colors I recommended above. I especially love the RibbedTee shirts and the American Apparel Summer Shirts.
All Saints White Figure Crew T-Shirt
Armani Exchange Grey Pima V-Neck Tee
Armani Exchange Black Pima Crew Tee
American Apparel Grey Tri-Blend Short Sleeve Track Shirt
American Apparel White Sheer Jersey Short Sleeve Summer T-Shirt
RibbedTee White Rex Cotton Modal Tee V-Neck 1-Pack
