Fitted Undershirts & Fitted Basics

[frost Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close frost]

Hello Gents... I apologize if this has already been covered, but I've had a hard time finding some fitted undershirts and fitted basics (both crew neck and v-neck) to use when layering. I've tried several brands which I'll cover here:


Your basic "Hanes" crew neck - cheap, disposable and generic. I suppose they do the job, but nothing special.


Jockey V-Neck - Fits like a giant box. Arm holes are huge. "One Size Fits All" comes to mind when sporting the "Medium"


Calvin Klein V-Neck - Nicer material than the Hanes, arm holes OK, but overall fit is boxy and will shift and come untucked when wearing a dress shirt. Wearing this by itself as a basic is not an option due to the boxy fit.


Nautica V-Neck - Best v-neck fit of the bunch, but calling this a v-neck is generous at best. The only feature that differentiates this shirt from a crew neck is the ever so slight dip in the front of the collar.


RibbedTee.com V-Neck - Feels awesome under a dress shirt. Expensive but worth it, especially with their "trade-in" program offering a 50% off coupon when trading in one of your old tees. Strictly for layering if you're not going for that Jersey Shore look, but feels great under your button down.


I'm looking for cotton and fitted.. not something with lycra in it that can double as underarmor athletic attire.


Any ideas or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

[LosRockets Dappered Veteran Find all posts View Profile Close LosRockets]

I have the nautica v-necks and I agree with your assessment about it barely being a v-neck, but they're otherwise really nice in terms of material and fit. Sorry, don't have experience with others but I think it's great that you summarized your experiences with so many brands - hopefully some more people chime in.

[mystix Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mystix]

I am also rethinking my undershirts after reading an article on this vary topic recently.


I am looking for the same thing but in grey and v-neck.

[jose_jackson Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jose_jackson]

Does anyone else have the problem that your nips are visible through lightly color shirts? I was trying on a lavender short sleeve button up in BR yesterday. It was on super sale, but I didn't purchase it because it was basically see through. Might have to take the plunge on one of those ribbed tees.

[Ben Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ben]

I usually just buy size smalls (I'm usually a medium) so the fit tighter to the body. I have a ton of hanes, but I also have some mossimo v-necks from target in a bunch of colors that I like wearing either under a shirt or by themselves.


Also x2 on grey as an undershirt color -- it's closer to your skin tone, so when wearing a white shirt you don't get as much contrast from your undershirt

[michael_sprague Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close michael_sprague]

Banana republic has a great line of undershirts meant for that same thing they have v necks in black white and grey the material is amazing and holds up well

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

I recently gave crewneck undershirts the boot after always wearing them and showing a wedge of white with my top button undone. I looked around for any Tall sizes for plain white v-neck shirts and saw BR has some spendy ones (but very refined) while Old Navy had them for $8/each. I got a bunch of ON's Medium Talls so that they wouldn't untuck themselves when moving around like most Mediums would do to me (especially the Hanes!).


I'm very happy with them. They have more heft than the Hanes tees as well. I also grabbed a few long sleeve white, blue and gray tees. In cold weather, that little bit of layering is helpful. So is long underwear. Silk long underwear has less static cling, so it won't look like your pants or sleeves are stuck to your skin. Crewnecks obviously don't matter of you're wearing a tie or have a sweater that sits high.

[LesserBlackDog Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close LesserBlackDog]

I can vouch for Banana Republic t-shirts, if you've got the cash to buy them on retail. I picked one up at the thrift store and it's become a new favorite undershirt. Fit and feel is top notch. The only problem is that they're a bit short if you plan on tucking.


Personally, I like to have both crew-necks and v-necks on hand. Crew-necks are great to wear under crew-neck sweaters and with dress shirts and ties. The problem with wearing a v-neck with a dress shirt and tie is that, depending on the color of the undershirt and the thickness of the shirt, you can sometimes see that little V under the collar, while a crew-neck would be invisible.

[salo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close salo]

Hm I think a bit of crew neck showing through sometimes can be just fine if it's a color that complements the outfit. Probably looks better than chest hair to a lot of people haha.

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

Ben - did you get the regular or tall size? BR makes them available online in tall sizes. I'm picturing a Venn diagram of perfection.

[greg_s Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close greg_s]

Anyone else have experience with Ribbed Tee? Seems like a good company. Made in the USA and they have a trade-in deal where you give them old undershirts (which they in turn recycle or donate depending on condition) and you get 50% off.


I just want to hear some first had experience before I commit to a few undershirts at about $10 a pop. Although, I suppose it would be closer to $5 with the 50% off.

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

If you do order from Ribbed Tee, send a referral to me! My user name at gmail.

[jason_carreira Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jason_carreira]

I have some ribbedtee's... They don't really seem any better than the Jockey tee's I've got. I had a problem with one of them coming apart at the hem, mentioned it here, and they contacted me and sent me another set free, so that was a big plus. On the other hand, my Jockey tees from Lord & Taylor never came apart in the first place, so...

[greg_s Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close greg_s]

How do you find the fit on the Jockeys, Jason? The OP says they are boxy. Then again, I usually size down in undershirts. Also, do they have heather grey v-necks? About what do they cost? I'm used to (and sick of) my hanes T's.

[nicholascrawford Varsity Member Find all posts View Profile Close nicholascrawford]

Jason - Curious about the length of the body too. When sizing down, they can get way too short.