The T-shirt is as casual as it gets. With its underwear origins (and for many still its only domain) the T-shirt is in this author’s opinion appropriate for working out, beach wear, and situations where a close fitting garment that is unlikely to get tangled is called for. However in the US, a quality designer T-shirt is accepted as casual summer wear; you won’t get a second look if you choose to wear one to class, to the local cafĂ©, or out to a bar with friends.
When wearing a T-shirt, ensure the fabric is 100% cotton and that it is not so thin as to be see-through. Pay attention to proper fit in the torso area – too loose of a shirt only makes you look smaller than you are while too tight of a shirt makes you look like an overstuffed sausage.
The advice 90% of you will ignore:
Think twice about wearing a T-shirt if you can just as easily wear a Polo, short sleeve, or long sleeve button-up. Yes, I know everyone else wears them, but in most situations a short sleeve collared shirt is simply a better choice because of its versatility. Even a $150 designer T-shirt is outclassed by a $25 polo because the latter has a collar. Summer picnics, informal garage graduation parties, and Sunday morning brunch at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q can all be attended in style with a short sleeve button dress shirt.
The Short Sleeve Polo
As its name suggests, the polo shirt has it’s origins on the fields of sport where its moisture wicking properties and style made it the choice of gentleman athletes. Today it has ascended as the standard uniform of the North American man dressed in summer casual. However, just because it’s widely accepted does not mean its use should be abused. Reserve the polo for true casual events on weekends. Unless it’s your company’s uniform, consider wearing a tasteful button down short sleeve during the week.
When it comes to colors and patterns, polo shirts are afforded more freedom in their range of acceptable hues and contrast. They are one of the few exceptions where a man can wear bright & bold colors and not be accused of trying to draw attention to himself (well, within reason). Fabrics types are either a smooth weave or a more casual rough weave with visible texture; you want to choose polos made from cotton, although up to 15% of other fibers types is acceptable as they may be used to enhance performance, fit, and comfort.
The Button-Down Short Sleeve
The most under utilized shirt in a man’s wardrobe is the button-down short sleeve shirt. A step up from the polo, this shirt style is often avoided because of the difficulty in achieving a “great look.” A button down short sleeve that’s too large or too small has its weaknesses amplified by its inability to hide behind another garment or even itself. Thin arms dwarfed by large armholes and midsections that press the limits of a button’s strength have no long sleeves or jacket to cover their ungainly appearance. Thus, it’s imperative to pay attention to fit. Try taking these shirts to a tailor; you’d be amazed at how much a slight alteration can improve appearances.
A short sleeve dress shirt needs to fit properly at the shoulder points and along the torso. Sleeve lengths can vary but they should cover at least 25 to 80 percent of the bicep (as measured from shoulder point to elbow). Understand the less bicep covered the more casual the shirt becomes. I personally like my shirts to cover at least 60% of my bicep unless headed to the beach or lake. But then again I don’t have the build to pull off the short bicep look. As for circumference of the sleeve, at least 1 inch but not more than 4 or so; again, a skilled tailor can help here, but your best bet is to find a brand whose factory fit is close to your body build.
My favorite detail of the short sleeve dress shirt is the wearer’s ability to have it incorporate classic military style features such as double breast pockets, small bicep pouches, epaulets (shoulder straps) and the freedom its casual nature affords when it comes to fabric selection. Checks that would normally overpower a long sleeve dress shirt or look ridiculous on a polo shirt somehow are tempered by the compromising features found in the short sleeve dress shirt.
The Long Sleeve Dress Shirt
Although not most men’s first choice in 90 degree plus weather, it is a more formal option than its short sleeve cousin and often the only choice for work. If wearing the long sleeve dress shirt during the day, select a light color, and to avoid being swallowed up by the sea of simple white’s, consider a lightly patterned fabric that tastefully suggests individuality. Most men know to select cotton, but few realize the fabric make-up is only a part of the equation for staying cool. Search for weaves and weights that allow cotton to do what you want it to do – transmit the moisture and heat from your body right out to your surrounding environment. A long sleeve shirt rolled up to the mid-forearm or beyond, is a very stylish look preferred by many over the short sleeve button-up. It’s actually dressier than a true short sleeve because it gives the wearer the option of unrolling the sleeves (even though he won’t be). For more on long sleeve dress shirts, check out this Art of Manliness article on the dress shirt or look at the stylish duo at Street Etiquette (these gentlemen add a modern New York flair to classic style).
