Going Without Undershirts

Inverse commando?

undershirt = under age

imho

I've always wore v-neck undershirts. I tried going a couple of times without them and it felt like I was naked or something....I can see it being more comfortable, but I'm just too used to wearing something underneath.

I just throw on a v-neck undershirt if I'm not wearing a tie and a normal crew-neck undershirt if I'm wearing a tie. It's a not a big deal. You never wear undershirts with polos...this one kills me and I see it far too often.

Wearing an undershirt with a polo is like wearing socks with sandals. Dealbreaker.

I think the idea is to wear an undershirt if you're speaking at a small town hall meeting in a flyover state and are attempting to ingratiate yourself with the local blue collar voters.

Undershirt + Polo = TBOB (Total Back Office Bitch)

I wear undershirts all the time but you can never tell. I've got plunging Vs on my undershirts so you can't see it with the first 3 buttons undone and I would sometimes wear undershirts with polos, but the sleeves on my new undershirts are too long so I can't wear them any longer.

I don't think there is anything wrong with it but I hate when I can see a person's undershirt, like when someone wears a crew neck with the first couple buttons undone.

From a practical standpoint, I fee better about replacing a $12 undershirt than I do an $60+ dress shirt.

Regards

Keep in mind when you're sweating your balls off in summer heat in a suit, as soon as the jacket comes off you can see why you wear an undershirt.

Undershirts if you have sweating problems or if you can see your nipples through your shirt.

Otherwise, no.

In Tokyo, and other parts in Asia, people all wear undershirts. The senior chaps wear something ugly called running-shirts http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1aKg0Tsz6eTA7r-1m5IFOBrHeXVV4… The more younger folks in their 20-30s wear dryfit v-necks. http://www.uniqlo.com/us/CPaGoods/itemcode=069685 These are pretty comfortalbe. Almost feels like air.

I have a high metabolism and tend to get sweat rings if I even think about physical labor. I'd much rather replace the cheaper dress shirt than get sweat rings in my shirts like cphbravo said above. I go with a v-neck if I'm wearing it unbuttoned or crew if I'm wearing a tie. I don't like seeing the t-shirt at all but it's great to protect your shirts from sweat and deodorant.

I don't wear an undershirt anymore, but that's because I started using anti-perspirant deodorant and there's really no point in me wearing an undershirt anymore.

So what do you do if people can see the nips?

If you are female, nothing.

You damn non-under shirt wearers stink up elevators, offices and trains with your damn sweaty armpits. Under shirts should be worn with everything besides t-shirts, no one wants to see your chest hair and pit stains.

All I can say is, I'm glad I am a woman.

undershirts are tacky

Tried wearing undershirts...no good. Yes, they're the first line of defense for armpit sweat but 99% of the time you're in the office and shouldn't be doing any strenuous activity (unless you're an intern).

depends on your climate really

i've never really bought the idea that an additional layer reduces sweat stains or sweating in general. Seems to me the added material and fact that sweat is being drawn out into the t-shirt fabric which is right against your nice dress shirt results in an even worse situation. Also tucking in two shirts always seems to look worse, especially if you're tall.

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I feel like during the winter I will be more inclined to wear an undershirt. But, even now it gets too hot sometimes, especially in the PATH station at the World Trade Center. When I wear a polo I definitely don't wear an undershirt, but with button ups it depends. And, I prefer wife beaters to sleeved shirts. Awesome study, good luck with the research.

Did I miss something?

Undershirts prolong the life of dress shirts by minimizing the need for continuous dry cleaning which can be damaging over time.

What about a beater rather than an undershirt? Helps flatten out the dress shirt IMO and gives you a light layer for a base.

By the way, do you guys see the "Blank Label" advertisement at the top below the first post? My buddy from college started that company which is really taking off. Good for him.

I wear a white T-shirt underneath because I have a jungle of upper chest hair that I think the office would probably be better off not seeing.

Reason people stop wearing undershirts is simple... They come un-tucked easily and billow underneath dress shirts since Hanes has to make them fit every man in America.

I solved the problem by launching a company that cuts the shirts slim and long.

www.UnderFitShirts.com

i dropped the undershirt this summer. NYC is too humid for that extra layer of cloth. maybe i'll go back once it gets cold out, but maybe not since cold weather means the heaters are jacked up in the office

if you are working 18 hours a day in full suit, with a tie, you'll be wearing an undershirt believe me. Not many guys at my office decide to forego the undershirt.

When I go out after work, I will often remove the undershirt and drop two buttons to go more casual and roll up the sleeves. No need for an undershirt then and certainly not under a polo, who the fuck even does that? But going without an undershirt all day at work would ruin my shirts so fast and would get sticky sitting there literally all day, hour after hour in the chair. Dry cleaning is a total fucking pain and keeping fresh and pressed is way easier with an undershirt.

Uniqlo premium v-cut are really nice by the way, with a super comfy cotton and a slim fit.

Banana Republic Makes slim fit undershirts that work really well and don't come untucked. I think they're like 12 or 15 bucks a pop. Totally worth it.

As a woman, I think it's gross when guys don't use an undershirt if they have anything more than scant chest hair.

Your shirts will last longer... no discoloration from the chemicals in antiperspirant.

The only guy I knew who pulled it off without undershirts had bespoke heavyweight shirts and didn't wear any underwear as a rule... haha

Always wear one in a professional setting, never wear one socially. If I got out in what I wore to work, I'll either have a v-neck so you can't see it, or remove the undershirt.

A couple comments...

First of all, some of you wear oxfords into the office? By definition, oxford cloth is distinctly casual. It's a cloth designed for workshirts, more sturdy and not a gentleman's shirt by any means. True OCBDs come with a button at the back of the neck as well as a locker loop, two absolute no-no's in a professional environment. Let me guess ... you think wearing button-down collars in the office is formal too.

Now I'm gonna contradict myself and admit that undershirts are considered casual rather than formal as well, but many guys do it out of necessity. I'll second everyone saying the Uniqlo wicking ones are fantastic, it does a phenomenal job of keeping your body dry if you're athletic/have a high metabolism/body adjusts more quickly to core temperature changes and you perspire more immediately.

I hate crewneck undershirts but even with Brooks broadcloth shirts, the contour of the v-neck shows at the neck area behind the tie. Maybe it's just because I have darker skin though.

Finally, absolutely agreed that the undershirt beneath a polo is absurd. Swear to God, I wanna bitchslap the shit outta any guy I see doing it; most of the time they're completely non-athletic guys to begin with.

Obviously there are multiple views and always will be. Some prefer/need undershirts. Others don't. I found I could do without after wearing them pretty religiously all my life. Apparently lots of others feel the same way. Catalogs like J Crew or BB always feature their dress-shirt wearers sans undershirt. It's comfortable for me and the problems some mention fortunately do not bother me. If what I read on other websites is true, others have made the same experiment I did. I'm not saying everyone should drop the undershirt. But some may try it and like it. I did!

I may have to try these uniqlo shirts. Anybody know a source to order online?

The link below is for the Premium Cotton Uniqlo v-neck undershirts I wear to the office. They are super soft, form fitting, a bit longer than normal, and really cheap. A lot of people like the technical fabrics as well.

The store is basically J Crew from Japan, but with a high style / low price Topshop thing going on. They have one in SoHo with two more coming soon. Stuff is hit or miss, and those t-shirts are a definite hit.

http://www.uniqlo.com/global_images/uk/goods/067041/sub/067041_sub1.jpg

If you'd rather not order online .. you can PM me. May be willing to hit the store up and ship them out for you.

Lots here from those who prefer undershirts. Would like to hear from those who like to go without.

Yes, they wick it away. If you're a profuse sweater, it'll still break through to your dress shirt if you wear slimmer cut shirts. For most, it does good enough a job wicking away that it's never noticeable.

If I didn't wear a wifebeater, I would feel like a hypocrite.

If you are not wearing an undershirt and unbuttoning 2 buttons, you need one of these:

hey folks,

pretty healthy dialog here about the pros/cons about wearing undershirts. also noticed a good number of questions and/or comments about specific undershirt or sweat-related topics that i thought i'd help with.

whether or not to wear an undershirt? bottom line, this is personal preference and depends on your own body chemistry make up. if you don't perspire much, undershirts can help keep your outer shirts cleaner because, whether or not you subscribe to this, your body secrets oils and sweat even if you don't see it. think ring-around-the-collar. wearing an undershirt will always provide for more protection than without. also, undershirts help in other areas like masking physical characteristics like puffy or protruding nipples, chest hair, etc.

what type of undershirt should you wear? simple: fitted with a little stretch to it and cut a little longer so it doesn't come untucked.

what style of undershirt should you wear? again, person preference, but as a rule of thumb, if you're going to wear an undershirt this is what i recommend: >button-up dress shirt with a tie: crew neck >button-up dress shirt without a tie: v-neck >polo: v-neck (since you generally wear the collar open on a polo) >t-shirt: crew neck or tank top >if your button up shirts are light colored or semi-transparent, consider wearing a heather grey undershirt since they won’t show through as much as white. there are nude colored undershirts too, but i’m not a big fan of the color >exception: in any of the above cases, you could opt to wear a tank since those will generally wear cooler than full undershirts, but since you seem to need the underarm protection, a tank top (a-shirt) might not be right for you. but, maybe someone else who doesn’t sweat as much

fabric & sweat protection? different fabrics handle sweat protection different ways. in simple terms, there are fabrics that absorb moisture (cotton, micromodal, bamboo) and those that do not (polyester, nylon, coolmax-polyester). if you wear an undershirt with non-absorbing fabric, sweat will be more likely to reach your outer shirt quicker. there are also special undershirts made for people who sweat more than others. they are called "hyperhidrosis undershirts" or "sweat through resistant undershirts". brands: sutran, kleinerts, advadri, silverback apparel, sweatshield undershirts, feelu. do a google search and you'll find a good amount of information

wearing undershirts make you warmer? in general, wearing an undershirt will be slightly warmer than without, but there are many new undershirts that are designed to be cooler to wear than others. for example, if you don't sweat very much, wearing a lightweight "cellular" or waffled fabrics (those with tiny air-ducts) will likely feel a lot cooler to wear than something denser. also, a tank top is always a good choice if you don't sweat much. lastly, there are literately hundreds of undershirts to choose from today. finding a proper fitting undershirt is the key. if it doesn't fit right, you'll feel warmer and more uncomfortable.

is there a way to remove pit stains? yep, there is. there are two products on the market specifically designed for that. they are deo-go and raise stain remover. i've only tested deo-go and it's the real deal. it will remove set-in yellow pit stains, deodorant build-up and odors.

containing smell? if you can believe this, there are undershirts designed to do this. you get some protection of this with undershirts with anti-microbial treatments, but you'll get more protection from something that has activated charcol in it. i recently came across a product like this, but i haven't had the chance to try it out yet. i'm also about to write an article about posishield - an odor eliminating spray that can be applied to almost any type of garment or surface.

if you have any other questions, feel free to pm me and i'll point you to my website/blog that covers these topics in detail.

best, tug

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TOQGdlpahZA/S78Mtio9PlI/AAAAAAAAAGE/GcaHZY_tH…

Kidding, but thanks for the breakdown.

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/110120/park-recs-pyramid_1500.j…

I am a man. I eat meat I have chest hair.

I will let others know by not wearing an undershirt.

On a more serious note, I don't wear undershirts because they are too hot and constricting. I don't have any questions asked as only the top button is undone. Personal preference, IMO.