The #1 Reason Grey Undershirts Are Better Than White

So my pal Kyle over at The Distilled Man just pinged me to let me know about a new undershirt-related article he just wrote related to grey undershirts.

The topic? 5 RULES FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT UNDERSHIRT

As part of doing research for his article, he came by my What’s The Difference Between A T-Shirt & Undershirt? article, and referenced it in his writing. I poked through his article, and came across a gem of a find.

Kyle brought to my attention a very interesting reason why grey undershirts were better than white. And, it’s not what you may think.

It’s not because grey undershirts are less visible under white or light color dress shirts, though he does a great job of demonstrating how that is the case.

How grey undershirts don't showing under a white dress shirt vs a white undershirt

Undershirts of a grey hue can compliment your outfit better.

The #1 Reason Why Grey Undershirts Are Better Than White?

Kyle states it brilliantly:

The other advantage of light gray is that it takes longer for wear like armpit stains to appear, and you can easily throw it in with your “darks” when you do the laundry.

Whoa, now that’s a damn good reason, and one I can honestly say that I’ve never thought about!

But the truth is, Kyle is 100% right. I know from first-hand experience.

You see, in comparing both my well used white and grey undershirts, the grey ones actually do look less stained than my white undershirts in the armpit area.

Now whether or not the grey undershirts are actually cleaner than my white undershirts in the armpit area could be debated.

But, each morning when I’m getting dressed, I personally find myself reaching for grey a lot more than I do my white, and it just might be because they visually look cleaner!

Looking to remove pit stains from your shirts? Read this article: Remove Deodorant Stains & Build-Up

My mind is officially blown (not really, but you get the idea).

Kudos to Kyle for uncovering a great reason to buy and wear grey undershirts over white ones.

What Is Your Favorite Color Of Undershirt?

White, Grey, Black, Other?

Tell me in the comments section below so we can discuss this topic further.

17 thoughts on “The #1 Reason Grey Undershirts Are Better Than White”

  1. Guys it’s time for a girl to tell you the “girl trick” – skin coloured under white is the most undetectable.

    That’s why skin colored bras (not white) sell out so quickly and is a wardrobe staple! Uniqlo has skin colored mesh airism for guys

    Reply
    • good stuff mel (:

      i think guys are warming up to skin-colored undershirts, but i think there are two main issues:

      1. everyone’s skin color is different, so a brand would have to make different skin tone undershirts to address different skin tones.

      there are several brands already doing this, but uniqlo is not one of them. i believe they are making only one skin-tone colored undershirt.

      2. skin color (light tone, tone or darker) undershirts may be perceived to be less masculine than other colors. i suspect this will change over time.

      one interesting tid-bit — i recently hung out with one of my friends, who also happens to be black, and he definitely prefers light grey / light heather grey undershirts.

      he says they work universally for him, under any color shirt, and the undershirt won’t show through — even under lighter colored or thinner shirts.

      anyway, thanks for stopping by (:

      Reply
  2. I’ve become an avid fan of Uniqlo Airism V necks for my dress clothes.

    Maybe it’s because they’re so thin or the microfiber material, but the white doesn’t really stand out under my white dress shirts.

    My other undershirts, 2xist Slims, do stand out more noticeably under thin overshirts, but as they’re my “casual” undershirts, it’s not an issue.

    As far as armpit stains are concerned, I ruined many an undershirt in the past before coming upon a solution that worked (for me personally) at eliminating yellow pit stains entirely.

    I apply antiperspirant (usually Degree or Old Spice, though I doubt it matters) sparingly at night before bed.

    In the morning, I apply a moderate amount of deodorant (usually Old Spice, but, again, I doubt it matters.)

    I’ll sweat, but never to the point that I’m sopping wet with big moist marks on and around my pits.

    When I wash my whites, I use hot water, cheap detergent, and Oxi-clean (sparingly to line 1 on the scoop.)

    Haven’t had a pit stain yet.

    Reply
    • heya william, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts about uniqlo airism v-neck undershirts!

      dunno if you noticed, but they are in my top 5 favorite undershirts (:

      funny thing you mention applying antiperspirant at night as a method to stop getting armpit stains. i just wrote an article about that:
      http://www.undershirtguy.com/sweat-less-apply-antiperspirant-at-night-before-bed/

      i’ve never cared too much of whether i get stains on my shirts or undershirts much. mostly because i know how to remove deodorant stains via deo-go or making the at-home concoction noted in that article i just linked to.

      but, if you can prevent it, and still get the sweat prevention, then why not do it.

      i too am starting to test a new antiperspirant application regiment, which includes applying some at night in areas where i sweat a little more during the hot months (lower back, butt, back legs) and in the morning on areas where i sweat less (underarm).

      i am also testing a couple new antiperspirants. one dry spray, and one cream. we’ll see how it goes (:

      Reply
  3. Since I’m a big fan of modal material, I took a chance on the David Archy 3-pack Micro Modal Drop-Needle V-Neck T-shirts.

    I ordered through Amazon and they arrived on time with free shipping.

    To get free shipping I first needed to have $35 worth of items in my cart.

    I like my Calvin Klein Modal shirts, and wanted to replace my old cotton shirts with something similar.

    The shirt itself is very silky to the touch, but not too fragile for daily use.

    I hand wash anything modal and hang dry to retain the material’s softness. The pattern on the shirts are thin vertical lines about 1/5 inch apart but aren’t very noticable unless seen up close.

    I don’t think they can be worn alone with jeans etc, but work well under a polo or dress shirt.

    I prefer to use them for sleeping and hanging around the house. They breathe better than the Calvin Kleins, due to the Lenzing Modal material that’s advertised.

    For the quality and the price I highly recommend them.

    Beats paying $35 for a single CK Modal shirt and I plan on buying more as soon as they’re available.

    I looked for the Amazon link when writing this post, and it seems they are currently sold out.

    David Archy does have three other versions, a cotton 4-pack at $26.90, a 3-pack bamboo fiber version at $26.90, and a luxury series polyamide shirt (single) at $26.90.

    Oh one more thing, sizing. I’m not thin by any means (5’11” 200lbs) and prefer to use something baggy in case I need to step out of the house for a few minutes.

    Being an undershirt I decided on large. They fit me perfectly but if you like form fitting shirts I would go a size down due to stretch.

    I loathe anything that makes it hard to breathe and the large works well for that issue.

    Jorge

    Reply
    • heya jorge, thanks for stopping by and posting information about the david archy 3-pack micromdal drop-needle v-neck!

      looks like the brand is out of china (i think) and selling some of their gear on ebay — maybe those are close out items, and so they only had a limited amount of stock left.

      how much were the micromodal ones you bought?

      i sent them an email to see if they were going to be restocking that item on ebay.

      if you’re looking for something similar, and want to stick with that brand, i’d say the viscose (from bamboo) would be the closest comparable. micromodal and “bamboo” and viscose are all from the rayon family, so many of them will have a similar hand-feel.

      Reply
  4. Tug you are absolutely right about the gray undershirts not showing through like a white one does.

    What else works is this: Wearing a deep v neck light gray undershirt as an undershirt as you can wear just about any shirt over it with any type collar set up with or without tie and have no undershirt poke out above the shirt when wearing.

    This added to the two you mentioned above and you have the go to undershirt for sure.

    Next thing would be fit and what material suits ones needs as one would just test through the ones that works best for your personal needs.

    Reply
  5. I can totally and shamefully relate to those stains in white tees.

    I no longer use my older tees out and about, even under clothes just in case those have to come off one way or another.

    I’ve pretty much settled into purchasing tees that aren’t white, unless they have some stretch and can be worn alone.

    I like the H&M Divided stretch tees, especially the black ones. They slim my upper body, which is saying a lot.

    The H&M Divided non-stretch tees are also good and slightly less costly than the aforementioned style.

    As for getting those stains out, I’m lost in the woods so to speak. Oxi-Clean?

    Heard it works well, but I’ll let my fellow commenters be the judge of that.

    Reply
  6. I had no idea heather gray undershirts could be worn under a white dress shirt. I’m going to have to try this ASAP.

    But, I tend to wear crew necks and no tie, so that could be the deal breaker??

    I do love heather gray undershirts. I still have a couple Stafford brand ones, but have a hard time actually finding good heather grays.

    It’s easy to find white or black. I prefer a blended shirt (poly/cotton).

    I found some Alfani dark grays sold individually at Macy’s. Maybe some advice could be provided for where to find these Heather grays.

    In particular, what stores can I walk in and buy?

    Oh…I did notice recently that Old Navy solid color t-shirts are now a blend and work well as undershirts…the ones sold individually.

    Reply
    • heya joe! good to hear from you buddy and thanks for your question & comments (:

      coincidentally, i answered a similar grey v-neck undershirt question for another reader, and these were the brands that i mentioned to him:
      1. uniqlo – they have a flat grey in the airism and heathered in the supima ribbed undershirt
      2. retro tri-blend from ribbed tee (poly/rayon/cotton)
      3. mr. davis has a darker heathered grey undershirt (viscose / spandex)
      4. here’s an article with more: http://www.undershirtguy.com/heather-grey-v-neck-undershirts/

      let me know if you have any other questions (:

      Reply
    • Hey Joe, try the uniqlo airism they are very form fitting and wick sweat off like crazy.

      I wear mine under a suit and am wearing one right now as I type this message. I have just about been wearing uniqlo airism all the time and they work very well for me.

      Also, if you need any extra warmth in the winter, try the uniqlo heat tech undershirts. If it does not get very cold where you are, the airism would work year round.

      I am getting older so I am more prone to be somewhat cooler in the winter and these work for me in that respect.

      As Tug stated earlier, they have them in light gray and they work under every shirt including white.

      Reply
  7. I’m not at all PC, so I doubt this will see publication, and I don’t really care, but I’ll weigh in.

    There’s nothing more classic, masculine, or sexy than a nice-quality white t-shirt on a nice body.

    Over blue jeans, as an undershirt, or under worn casually under a totally open button front shirt over a pair of shorts.

    Nipples popped? OMFG… Nothing like it.

    The black tee is almost the same as the white, but even more versatile.

    Can even work over slacks and under a blazer for an evening out. Very hot, and evokes a little more of the dark, bad boy image.

    Hides stains. Can be washed with your darks.

    Even helps forgive a few extra pounds, but not if you’re wearing 300 of them on a 5’8″ body – then it just makes you look like the slob that you are.

    White and black, I wear the Alfani Stretch tees from Macys, and no other.

    I like the gray tee because it’s a change, and it evokes the athletic, jock image, if it’s the usual heather grey, which is just hot.

    Few guys can afford, or will care enough to pay for this kind of fit, feel, and quality, and frankly few have the body to pull it off these days, but I wear the one from James Perse, at $50 per shirt, and no other

    Reply
    • heya randy! thanks for the thoughts on the white vs black vs heather colored undershirts.

      this is primarily referring to grey undershirts that are meant to be worn only as undershirts, and not necessarily those that have the ability to double as a t-shirts.

      imo, it’s really hard to find a “tee” that can rightfully fulfill the task of being a great t-shirt as well as a properly fitting undershirt.

      but to your point, stylistically speaking, the classic look of a white tee shirt paired with denim jeans cannot be trumped by a t-shirt of any other color.

      Reply

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