Undershirts are special garments that look like a T-shirt but have different purposes. Undershirts fall under the underwear category, so this should be considered when choosing one. Should an undershirt be tight or loose? The answer can be found in the next paragraph.
The undershirt should be tight and fit the body well, like a glove. The right-size undershirt is slightly tighter and has a compressive effect of squeezing out excess fat, absorbing sweat, and warming or cooling your body. Choose the size of the undershirt based on the measurements provided by the seller.
Find out why wearing an undershirt makes you look more attractive and how to choose the right size below.
Are tight shirts more attractive?
A tighter undershirt will make you look more attractive, as an elasticated undershirt has a compressive effect. This ensures that excess fat is compressed against the body, making it less visible through outer clothing. Wearing an undershirt will make you feel more comfortable and confident.
The undershirt is tighter than the T-shirt and has small armholes that fit close to the body and are not visible through the dress shirt. The fact that the undershirt is tighter has many positive attributes:
- fits the body to keep you warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather,
- absorbs sweat so that it isn’t transferred to outer clothing,
- pushes away excess fat to make us look more attractive.
A tight undershirt keeps you warm and cool
A tighter-fitting undershirt adds an extra layer of clothing to keep you warm in cold weather. This makes you feel more comfortable because you won’t be wearing just one piece of clothing (shirt, T-shirt). And in the hot summer months, the undershirt will keep you cooler.
This contradicts the belief that we should wear as few layers as possible to keep cool in summer. Summer undershirts are breathable and absorb sweat well, so you start to sweat later, and your skin stays drier for longer.
Cotton is the best material for undershirts, which works well in summer and winter. It is elastic, very comfortable, absorbs sweat well, and is long-lasting. Some people prefer to wear polyester undershirts for the summer months, as it is a thinner material and breathes well. But it doesn’t absorb sweat as well as cotton. Read our comprehensive post on whether to choose polyester or cotton for your undershirt.
A tight undershirt absorbs a lot of sweat
Tighter-fitting undershirts are also necessary to absorb as much sweat as possible and prevent sweat from transferring to the outer clothing. This is also the undershirt’s primary purpose: to protect the outer clothing from sweat and yellow stains that can form when deodorant and sweat come into contact.
By wearing a sweatshirt that absorbs sweat well, especially under the armpits, you will protect your clothes, which will stay in good quality for longer. If you are interested in how to protect your clothes from sweat and how to remove yellow stains, I encourage you to read this post.
A tight undershirt hides excess fat
The undershirts themselves are particularly more elastic than ordinary T-shirts. But there are also special compression undershirts that compress your body even further, covering the parts of your body where you have excess fat. Read this post to find out how undershirts make you look thinner and hotter.
If you have a standard body shape without large areas of excess fat, I advise you to wear a regular undershirt without compression.
You can try a compression undershirt if you have excess fat on your stomach (beer belly) or your chest (man boobs).
Why I don’t recommend a loose undershirt
The undershirt shouldn’t be loose because it will not feel comfortable. The sleeves and the rest of the undershirt will wrinkle, which can be seen through your clothes.
Are undershirts supposed to be a size smaller?
The undershirt does not need to be one inch smaller, as undershirts are more elastic and snug than ordinary T-shirts. When choosing the size of the undershirt, please take into account the measurements given by the sellers. This is the best way to ensure that your undershirt will not be too tight or too loose.
Undershirts have different measurements than a normal T-shirts, so it isn’t easy to compare the T-shirt and the undershirt in terms of their garment numbers. These are some of the factors to consider when buying an undershirt to ensure that it fits you as well as possible:
- it must fit like a glove (not too tight or too wide – it feels like you’re wearing nothing),
- undershirts are longer than regular shirts so that it doesn’t stick out of the trousers,
- measure before you buy.
Undershirts should be longer than T-shirts
Don’t be surprised about the fact that undershirts are longer than regular T-shirts. Undershirts are longer and reach about halfway down the buttocks, so they tuck into the trousers and do not untuck out throughout the day. It would spoil the look if the undershirt were to pull out of the trousers and peek out from under the shirt.
If possible, choose a longer under-shirt, as it should stay under the clothes the whole time you wear it. And it’s not OK if your undershirt is in any way visible under the shirt you’re wearing. Read why in the post here.
The undershirt should be neither too tight nor too loose
An undershirt should be comfortable so that you feel like you are wearing nothing underneath your clothes. Therefore, the undershirt shouldn’t be too tight or too loose.
If you are shopping for an undershirt in a shop, try it on, and don’t rely on the garment numbers. Because the size of your undershirt differs from the size of the other clothes you wear.
When you put on your undershirt, it should fit you like a glove. It shouldn’t make you feel too tight, and it should not interfere with your movement. The arm holes of the undershirt should be tighter but not so tight that it hinders your movement.
Take measurements before you make a purchase
Unfortunately, if you’re shopping online, you can’t try on the clothes. Unless you try on the same brand of undershirt in-store first and then purchase in the online shop.
To avoid going to a physical store first, you can follow the measurement guides the seller provides. The most important information is the width of the chest and the length of the body. The seller offers a size chart where you can find your size when you take measurements.