How A T-Shirt Should Fit [0:00:00]
[Music] Gents, the t-shirt, it’s a key essential
in any classic casual wardrobe. And do you know the number one secret to looking good
in a t-shirt? Gents, it comes down to one thing - fit is
king. You see, a great fitting t-shirt will compliment your body and can even help a thin
guy look strong and masculine. On the flipside, a bad-fitted t-shirt can emphasize your worst
physical features. So, how to get the perfect fit with your t-shirt?
I’m going to share with you the simple tips to buying a well-fitted t-shirt.
Tip number one. Make sure it fits in the shoulders. Gents, we start with shoulder fit because
that’s the one area that can’t be altered or adjusted later. If the shoulders don’t
fit, then don’t buy it. So, what’s a good fit? You want the seam
to sit at the edge of your shoulder, right where the shoulder bone ends. If the seam
is hiked up your shoulder, you need to get a larger size t-shirt. Likewise, if the seam
is hanging down your arm, you’re going to need to go for a smaller size t-shirt or a
different brand. Tip two. Make sure the t-shirt fits you in
the neck. So, first up, we’ve got the crewneck t-shirt. The neck size here is pretty universal
across brands. As long as the crewneck t-shirt fits close to your neck, you’re good to
go. V-necks on the other hand are a little bit
harder to fit and it is nice if you can try the shirt on before buying. Now, v-necks in
general are great for t-shirts because they emphasize the chest and they can give you
a more masculine appearance. But, be careful. You don’t want to go too
far. Unless it’s an undershirt, you want to avoid the deep v-neck shirt. It just doesn’t
look good. How far down should a v-neck dip? A good rule
of thumb is that a v-neck should never dip below your armpit.
Now, sound off in the comments below which side are you on. Are you team crewneck or
team v-neck? Next up, let’s talk about t-shirt fit in
the chest. Now, when it comes to the chest fit, you want your t-shirt to fit relatively
close. A t-shirt that’s way too loose and baggy doesn’t flatter any body type. But,
remember, this isn’t a compression shirt. You don’t want it to fit so tightly that
you got your nipples poking out. Rule of thumb, if you’re getting a horizontal
stretch, then it’s too tight. A great fitted t-shirt is going to stay close to the chest
without being constricting, about one and a half to two and a half inches of extra fabric.
Next up, shirt fit in the waist area. Now, once you’ve got a good fit in the chest,
let’s look at the waist. Now, this is where things can get a little bit tricky. I know
there’s a wide range of body types out there and you really want to find a brand that works
for your body type. And on a side note, if you can’t find the
perfect fit off the rack, you may need to actually adjust the shirt. You can do it yourself
or you can even take it to a tailor. Now, if you’ve got an average build, most
brands are going to fit you just fine. However, if you’re a muscular man with a large chest
and a smaller waist, you’re going to find that many t-shirts are going to be way too
large in the waist area. So, you’re going to want to look for a specialty brand or get
the t-shirt adjusted. At the end of the day, you just don’t want to look like you’re
wearing a parachute. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we got
the guys with the round body type. With this body type, you got to look for brands that
are going to more generous in the waist area. That being said, if you’ve got a round body
type, I’m going to highly recommend you look at other shirt types that are going to
be more flattering to your build. Now, in general, the perfect fit in the waist
area is going to have about two to three inches of extra fabric.
Next up, t-shirt sleeve length. Now, the perfect t-shirt sleeve length is going to hit in the
middle of your bicep. This is going to look best for most body types. Now, if you’re
packed and you’ve got a muscular build and you want to show off the guns, then you can
actually go for a bit shorter of a sleeve length.
And, unless you’re playing baseball, then stay away from sleeves that reach toward the
elbow or past them. This really doesn’t look good on anybody.
Next up, we’ve got sleeve width. One of the most common problems with t-shirts are
giant arm openings that make your sleeves look like wings. If you’re a thin guy wearing
a t-shirt with large sleeves, this is just going to make your skinny arms look thinner.
You want to buy a t-shirt that fits you well in the sleeve both the length and the width.
The ideal sleeve width is going to lightly hug your bicep.
Next up, t-shirt length. Now, I know there’s a fashion trend right now with super long
t-shirts. Gents, unless you want to look you’re wearing a dress, avoid this look. Seriously,
any t-shirt that extends past your crotch and covers your backside is way too long.
That being said, you don’t want the opposite problem. You don’t want a t-shirt that’s
too short. And you can tell if a t-shirt is too short because if you raise your arms and
expose your stomach, yeah, that t-shirt is too short on you. The ideal length is going
to hit about mid fly. That’s about two to three inches below your beltline.
And let’s not forget the importance of shirt fabric and how it affects fit. 100% cotton
or cotton polyester blend t-shirts are very common and durable, but they’re not always
the best choice. The issue is that cotton gets stretched out over time and will need
to be washed and dried at a high heat temperature to return to its original shape.
So, if you don’t have access to a dryer, cotton crew neck collared t-shirts can really
get stretched out and look bad. Also, if it’s a cheaper lower quality cotton, it can feel
restrictive and can even cause hotspots in those close-fitted areas.
[0:05:10] Me, personally, I like to look for t-shirts
that are blends using about 2% to 5% spandex. This is going to give you an overall better
fit. Now, besides cotton, you’re also going to
see other fabrics like bamboo, micro modal, and wool. These can be very breathable, they
can be lightweight, and they can be a lot cooler of a shirt during the summer. The point,
pay attention to your t-shirt fabric. It can have a huge effect on the overall look and
the fit of the t-shirt. Congratulations, you now have the information
to go out there and buy the perfect fitted t-shirt. But, how to match that t-shirt with
jeans? Find out, guys, in this video right here.
[0:05:46] End of audio