Last Updated on 6 years by Naveen Kumar
“DO Well. LIVE Well. And DRESS Really Well!”
As the quote goes, Dressing is definitely a form of good manners! Your clothes can truly represent your individuality, style and choices. Hence it is very key that you choose your clothes well!
Here we are going to discuss one of men’s wardrobe staples, the ultra cool, casual and comfortable t-shirts or ‘tees’ as they are lovingly referred to!
Irrespective of the dapper blazers and innumerable expensive shirts in their closet, most men would agree that they have a number of t-shirts that they love the most!
So here is a guide for men who loves tees and wants to ensure that they pick the perfect ones that will suit them best! This can be extremely helpful when you are shopping online or alone and there is no one to help you choose.
We have divided this guide into three parts to make it simpler.
- How to Choose T-Shirts based on your Age
- How to Choose T-Shirts based on your Complexion
- How to Choose T-Shirts based on your Body Type/Shape
Choosing T-Shirts According to Age
At 50, you can’t expect to get away with skinny jeans, that’s the case of t-shirts too! It’s important to update your wardrobe as you grow older.
No matter whatever your age, you can now step out in style with our foolproof guide to choosing the right t-shirts according to your age.
Young (Early to late 20s)
20s are a great age to explore and experiment with different types of casual fashion. And tshirts are a great way to do it among others. Early to mid 20s, you can ideally choose color blocked tees, funky or neon colors like neon pink, neon green and yellow, bold prints and stripes as well as tees with graphic and geometric prints. You can also experiment with almost all neck styles from deep Vs to scoop necks and different fits from skinny to baggy!
Young Mature (Early to Mid 30s)
Hitting big 3-0 also means it is finally the time to stove away all those embarrassingly deep plunging V necks and super baggy tees and start to dress sharp. You are expected to create your own identity and personality when it comes to your dressing choices and styles and be remembered for it too. And this is also a good time to start investing in classic polos. It is best if you can stick to minimal prints and stripes and get rid of the neon shades of tees. Also, ideally choose moderate styles and avoid Skinny fits.
Middle Age (Mid 30s to Late 40s)
Even if you did experiment a bit a a couple of years ago, it is time to start settling for classy now! Make sure you really invest in the details this decade. Choose a palette of colours that work for you and keep it in mind when you’re shopping. Hence move on to classic shades and styles; Avoid tighter fits and ideally choose perfect or relaxed fit tshirts. Life might not begin at 40, but as far as your style is concerned, it doesn’t have to end there either!
Middle Late (Late 40s to Late 50s)
If you were a sloppy dresser for much of your life, and decided to sharpen your image up for the first time in your fifties, you’ve got some shopping ahead of you. When choosing tshirts for a casual look, ideally avoid the bold colors like pink, bright green and lilac. Instead, focus on the classics like gray and navy as well as colors like burnt orange, dark purples, olive greens. This will help you stay classy and trendy at the same time.
Older (Above Late 50s)
Crossing the age of 50 is no excuse to dress like a crumpled mess! You have accumulated decades of clothes and it is time to throw away the tight and baggy ones (if you haven’t already!) and stack upon comfortable classic ones. When you are almost nearing 60s or past that, you are probably retiring soon or already retired, which also means you would be sporting more casuals, that almost translates to tshirts and polos! Hence it is important to ttick to comfortable fabrics and polos in solid shades like greys, blacks and navy blues. When choosing tees, choose shades like ash, soft grey, maroon, brown, camel, navy or dark blue. Also, its ideal if you can choose relaxed fits but avoid baggy ones. Avoid v necks and henleys & choose more polos and crew necks for a sharp trendier look.
Choosing T-Shirts based on Complexion
You cannot change your skin tone beyond a certain point, but what can be changed are the choice of colors of your clothes! Certain colors might look good on others but might not have the same result on you!
When it comes to the realm of fashion and beauty, identifying the subtle shades that comprise your skin is an intrinsic component to proper styling. There are clashing and flattering colors for your skin tone and it is advisable that you pick the ones that suits your skin tone the best to give you that ultimate and perfect look! This applies for both men and women! Most of the time, you might have liked a tee color and picked it up only to regret it later since it made you look darker or paler!
Choosing the right colors is not exactly rocket science! But if you have an idea about the different hues and colors that suit you best, it will definitely help you to shop online confidently or reduce your shopping rounds and trips to the changing room!
Here we have managed to briefly decipher the shades suitable for different skin tones. And you can keep these in mind when choosing some great tshirts!
Darker Skin Tone
Light and pastel shades work best for them.
Choose: Pale blue, Sky blue, Lime or Pale Yellow, Pastel or baby Pink, White, Mauve, Lavender.
Avoid: Dark browns, blacks, navys
Medium Skin Tone
Choose: Pale Beige, Pink, Coral, Purple, Magenta,
Avoid: Shades like mustard, pista green, olive, light brown
Lighter Skin Tone
Choose: Dark tones like Navy Blue, Black, Dark or Bottle Green, Dark Red, Maroon, Brown, Dark Grey, sand, camel, khaki and slate grey
Avoid: Too much soft and pastel shades or overly bright colors as well as whites and light beige
Choosing T-Shirts based on Body type
Whether you’ve got the perfect body shape or are rocking the oval, every guy can definitely benefit from dressing in a way that best suits his physique. But for that, you need to first know your body type or body shape. Though in reality, there are so many different body shapes, for convenience you can roughly divide men into 4 different categories; Triangle, Inverted Triangle, Rectangle & Trapezoid. Once you know your body shape well, you will find it much easier to shop for clothes, especially shirts & t-shirts, the patterns, necks and prints you should avoid as well as the fit you should ideally choose. Whats the best part? Knowing your disproportions are the key to dressing them up to create the illusion of a perfectly balanced body!
This comprehensive guide will help you choose the different tshirts that would suit you best to create a near perfect silhouette.
Triangle Shaped Body Type
If your upper hips and lower midsection are bulkier and have a comparatively narrower chest and waist, then you belong to the Triangle shaped body category.
The body shape might appear disproportionate since the lower part of your body appears wider than the upper part of the body.
Hence, you need to choose your clothing diligently and is essential that you focus on well fitted clothing.
DO: Choose dark colors in tees and polos, crew neck tees as well as relaxed or bulkier fits. Patterns and detailing across the chest and shoulders help to broaden the narrow upper torso. Also, tshirts with prints, vertical stripes are a good way to camouflage the imbalance between the upper and lower body.
Avoid: Tshirts with Narrow necks, V necks, skinny or tight fits. Also, ideally avoid fitted polos.
V or Inverted Triangle Shaped Body Type
Think Johnny Bravo! You are the proud owner of broad shoulders and narrow waist and hips. The upper body is wider compared to the lower part of the body. Though most men love this body shape, it sill creates an imbalanced illusion due to the difference in the size of the upper and lower body.
An ideal dressing pattern for them is to wear narrow cuts for the upper body to create a proportionate illusion.
DO: Choose V necks tees(not plunging V necks), skinny fits, slim fitted polos, tees with prints or stripes on the stomach area rather than chest area, close fitting tees. Dark colors, like charcoal, navy, of course, black, instantly slim visually hence you can choose tees in these colors to create a balanced appearance like the trapezoid.
Avoid: Horizontal and wide stripes, scoop necks, bold prints, bulky and baggy tees, relaxed fits.
Rectangular Shaped Body Type
This body type has a balanced and proportionate body shape; usually, tall and thin, they have a lean and toned appearance. This body type is characterized by a similar or equally proportioned shoulders as well as waist and hips.
Hence, the aim is to create a flattering silhouette by bulking up the top part of the bod to give the appearance of broader shoulders.
DO: Opt for bulky t-shirts and polos, bolder and wider horizontal stripes, crew or scoop neck tees, relaxed fit tees and polos, tshirts with detailing across the shoulder and chest. Remember, layering up is a great way to add bulk to the torso.
AVOID: Tight or Skinny fit tees, V neck tees, very bright or neon colors, graphic tees with large geometric or photographic prints, since all of these would focus the attention on the rectangular shape.
Athletic or Trapezoid Shaped Body Type
The most desirable type of body shape, just like the hourglass figure in women! Characterized by broad shoulders and broad chest and a gentle taper towards the hip and the waist, you are very lucky to have been bestowed this frame.
The aim is not to hide the perfect body shape, but wear clothes that flatter the dreamed about trapezoid shape.
As such, you can get away with almost all cuts, designs and patterns of clothes, with no DOs and DONTs! Just ensure that you pick well fitting clothes to show off your perfect frame.
Fitted medium length tops that come down to the hips are the ideal for this body type. When it comes to patterns vertical stripes are a good way of elongating your body and drawing attention down to your hips.
Hope you found this guide useful. So the next time you shop alone or online, and you remembered this guide, then do let us know! Feel free to drop your comments here.
