What is the Difference Between a T-Shirt and an Undershirt?

Browsing through men's fashion publications and looking through e-shops, one will inevitably find the notions " undershirt " and "t-shirt" used as very distinct concepts, even though, for most men, there are no clear or visible differences between the two.

And, there is some truth to that, in that, not only are both very similar, but the undershirt is a subset of the t-shirt.

This, however, has not only been the case. When the modern t-shirt appeared, it was considered underwear and it was worn by men under their dress shirts. Seeing a guy in his undershirt was pretty much the equivalent of looking at a woman in her everyday bra: something that was uncommon and of which many people steered away. Surely, things were generally more relaxed for men than for women, but everything changed during the 1950s, when t-shirts started to be worn as "the final layer" - a practice that was popularized by Hollywood celebrities like Marlon Brando.

Little by little, these undershirts evolved and become more and more diverse and sophisticated, differentiating in terms of design, color, fabrics and cut. It wasn't long until the undershirt became a subset of the t-shirt.

These days, fashion has come a long way and undershirts have become quite popular even for everyday wear. Surely, there are some people who think that undershirts should not be worn as regular t-shirts, but that's not really a valid point, since t-shirts in general are quite flexible these days. What we would recommend though, is not to wear a non-undershirt t-shirt as an undershirt.

To clarify why, one needs to remember the subtle differences between undershirts and t-shirts:

Undershirts are usually white, black or gray - this way, they are supposed to be matched either to a white dress shirt, to a dark one or to a colorful one. All other t-shirts come in all colors and prints.
Undershirts are clear, they don't feature images or any details, except, sometimes, a logo.
Undershirts are made from a thin fabric, which is supposed to absorb moisture. Many t-shirts are made from polyester (sports t-shirts for example) or other fabrics.
Undershirts are fitted. Everyday t-shirts can be looser.
Undershirts are longer. While there is a category of "long t-shirts", usually t-shirts are not very long.
Undershirts usually feature a v-neck, but they can also have other types. The reason for this is because it's supposed to be more or less invisible. Undershirts have in general deeper necklines than other t-shirts.

With all these reasons in sight, it becomes rather clear why one should not wear a regular non-undershirt t-shirt as an undershirt. If you do so, you may end up with a weird visible layer beneath your shirt, you may end up being too warm and the bulkiness of the piece won't allow the dress shirt to hug your body well.

In this sense, it is always important to remember that not every t-shirt is suited to be worn under a shirt, but that, sometimes, an undershirt can be worn as a regular shirt... unless it really looks like underwear. It's all about the overall vibe!

Fraquoh and Franchomme