Short Sleeved Shirts

They?re not quite a polo top, but certainly not a formal shirt. Short sleeved shirts can be a versatile addition to your wardrobe, but take care that you only wear them in casual contexts.

Short sleeves

If your top half is a little scrawnier than you?d like, short sleeved shirts are the answer to concealing it. During cold weather when you?re wearing plenty of layers it?s easy to hide your skinny arms, but short sleeved shirts are a decent warm weather substitute for this effect. As a shirt is not as tight as a tee, it?s hard to tell that there isn?t much of you underneath it.

Is it office appropriate?

The only time anyone should wear a short sleeved shirt in the workplace is if they work in fast food and have no other choice. That pale blue pinstripe isn?t fooling anyone- short sleeved shirts are too informal to be office attire. A short sleeved shirt in the workplace shows that you don?t really know what you?re doing when it comes to dressing properly- which can murder your prospects of getting that promotion. Even in a sweltering summer, you can avoid having to resort to short sleeved shirts by simply rolling up the sleeves of a long sleeved shirt.

Spring into patterns

Printed shirts can be a staple of your casual spring and fall wardrobe. A youthful look, printed shirts are more sophisticated than tee shirts yet are still quite laidback. Any kind of pants or shorts can go with a printed short sleeved shirt.

Sleeve length

Fit is always important, but with short sleeved shirts what you really need to pay attention to is sleeve length. Sleeve lengths from the middle of your bicep to the top of your elbow are good. Any shorter looks awkward; any longer and you look swamped by your shirt. This can be a particular problem for men with short arms- it is hard to get a shirt with the right length sleeves for you and you can expect to spend an annoying amount of time in the fitting room.

Tucking it in

Short sleeved shirts can be worn either tucked in or untucked. Some wearers prefer the untucked look, keeping in line with the casual nature of the piece. It needs to be perfectly fitted to look good untucked. The shirt should match your shape but give you more breathing room than a more formal shirt, and should hit just below the belt line.
If you?re going for the tucked in look, it?s important that your pants aren?t sitting too high. You can get away with pants sitting anywhere between your hips and waist when dressing formally, but it?s all too obvious that your pants are sitting too high when wearing a casual shirt. It looks best if your pants sit at your hips, held with a nice belt.

Never wear a tie with a short sleeved shirt!

The biggest mistake men make with wearing a short sleeved shirt is trying to pair it with a tie. It is never acceptable to attach the most formal of accessories to an inherently casual garment. Trying to pass off a casual shirt with a tie looks dorky, and not in a cute way.