With the onset of warm spring and hot summer, every man remembers his summer wardrobe. Men's shorts, T-shirt, sneakers, polo, baseball cap and, of course, a short-sleeved shirt, make it possible not to sweat in the heat and feel comfortable.
The topic of our article on the eve of hot days is a summer shirt in the style of csaual, both with long sleeves and with short sleeves. We will give 5 tips on how to choose and purchase a summer shirt in which you will look your best, and most importantly – feel comfortable!
Before we get into the discussion, I want to repeat that we will be talking specifically about a casual shirt, and not about a classic shirt with a business dress code. Many men do not notice the difference at all, but it is significant.
Tip 1. Pay attention to how the summer shirt sits on you
Like any item in your wardrobe, a shirt should fit well. Unlike a dress shirt, which should fit snugly around your torso (see the infographic for how a dress shirt should fit), a casual shirt should fit loosely on you.
More specifically, when looking for a shirt for the summer, choose a model that has an extra centimeter in the chest and waist, and a couple of centimeters in addition in the shoulder area.
How a men's summer shirt should fit
What is it for? It's simple. In the summer we sweat quite a bit and it is necessary for the air to circulate freely under the clothes. If the clothes are tight, then the air will not circulate and, as a result, you will overheat. In the worst case, you will even chafe your skin when driving in areas where you sweat.
That is why you need to check how well the shirt fits, how well it fits in the shoulders and whether there is any excess fabric in the chest area.
Tip 2: Choose a lightweight and breathable fabric
Choosing a loose shirt is only half the battle. The choice of fabric also plays an important role. Can you tell which fabric is lightweight and breathable?
- The first way is to check the fabric by touch and light. If the fabric is soft and light is visible through it, then the fabric is most likely 'breathable'.
- The second method is to place the fabric of the shirt against your mouth and try to breathe through it. Not the most beautiful way, but 100% reliable. So, if you can't breathe through the fabric, then most likely it is not breathable.
Take the time to take 2-3 shirts and breathe through them in the fitting room. It won't look very nice in the sales area, but in the fitting room it will. In my opinion, this is a very quick and convenient method that you can use to determine the 'breathable' fabric.
A man in a light breathable summer shirt
If you are too lazy to wear a non-breathable shirt, even if it is short sleeved, you may still be uncomfortable. For example, in the back or underarms.
If, even after the 'breath test', you are in doubt whether the fabric is breathable, consider another test method – the type of fabric. I can recommend a cotton chambray for you. Also pay attention to linen shirts, they are a little more expensive but more comfortable.
Tip 3. Decide on the style for your summer shirts
There are certain styles of shirts that can make you feel informal, such as pockets. The shirt with two front pockets is a detail borrowed from the military, there was a time when these pockets were used to accommodate different things, and this helped to find an informal casual style. As a rule, pockets sewn on top were located in the chest or on the sleeves. These elements are perfect for a typical men's summer shirt.
Epaulets are another piece taken from military clothing. They were used to indicate titles and awards, epaulettes were sewn on them. Recent trends in men's fashion have allowed epaulettes to be used in civilian clothes, so you can find shirts with epaulets on your shoulders. By the way, if you have very low shoulders, then epaulettes can fix your appearance for the better.
The third detail to look for when choosing a summer shirt is the sleeves and cuffs. A men's short-sleeved shirt can be made from a regular summer shirt by rolling up the sleeves, just pay attention to the cuffs of the sleeves, which should be soft. Sleeves with soft cuffs are easy to roll up even to your bicep, which is not the case with classic shirts, whose cuffs are tight.
Tip 4. Do not forget about the length of the summer shirt
The length of a summer shirt fits the topic of this article, so we need to discuss this point in more detail. Men usually wear summer shirts without tucking in. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the length.
A long shirt is one that goes below the hips. This shirt covers the crotch area, which should not be allowed.
A too short shirt is also bad. An easy way to define a short shirt is to raise your arms. If your belly sticks out, the shirt is short.
Tip 5. Pay attention to the collar and buttons
We come to the final tip for choosing a summer casual shirt for men. It touches the collar and buttons. As a rule, the collar of casual shirts is soft and can easily wrinkle. Therefore, the advice is simple – make sure that the collar lies flat when you wear the shirt.
As for the buttons on the shirt, I recommend unbuttoning one or two on top. Thus, you can emphasize that you are wearing a casual shirt, and not a classic one, which, for example, cannot be worn with shorts.
Summer shirts for men – photo
Summer shirt with buttoned sleeves 
Man in stylish summer shirt with rolled up sleeves 
Light Blue Casual Short Sleeve Summer Shirt Summer Plaid Short Sleeve Men Shirt 
White casual linen short sleeve shirt 
Light Blue Linen Long Sleeve Summer Shirt 
Checkered summer shirt with rolled up sleeves 
Summer shirt with short sleeves and two pockets on the chest 
