Curved Hem T-Shirts for Men: Who Should Buy One, and Who Should Not
Cut
THE HEM THAT STAYS OUT
Lower at the front and back, higher at the sides. Who it helps, and what to check.
Nick Tee, Black, $45
Free ground shipping over $75 · 30 day returns
A curved hem earns its money in one situation, and it is the one most men are in most days: the shirt is out and staying out. The lower front and back cover your waistband when you reach or sit. The higher sides keep it from reading long.
PILLAR makes the Nick Tee, so read this knowing we sell one of the shirts in it. A curved hem is a trade, not an upgrade. It buys coverage untucked and costs a clean tuck. Terms are in our glossary.
What does a curved hem actually do?
It moves fabric from the sides to the front and back, so the shirt stays over your waistband through a full range of motion without going boxy or long.
A tee does not ride up evenly. It lifts at the front when you raise your arms and at the back when you sit. A straight hem answers that by being longer everywhere, which is how you get a shirt that looks fine standing and sloppy in a chair.
Two Questions, Then Buy
Yes
Does it creep off your waistband when you sit?
Buy the curve. That is the problem it solves.
No
Tucking for work, a jacket, or a dress code?
Buy the straight hem. The curve bunches at the hip.
Who is a curved hem tee actually for?
Anyone whose shirt lives untucked. The PILLAR Nick Tee is the curved hem at $45, a slim fit everyday tee for dinner and the office. The PILLAR Joey Tee is the straight hem at the same $45, a tailored fit stretch tee for gym to street.
It helps most if you are long through the torso, because a short straight hem exposes that first. It helps for the opposite reason if you carry weight at the middle, since the higher side stops fabric pooling at your widest point. More in how a thicker middle changes which cut works.
Shop the Curve
Three colorways, one hem
Nick Tee
Black
Slim fit, curved hem. 60% cotton, 35% rayon, 5% spandex, so it hangs rather than clings.
$45
Nick Tee
White
The same slim cut in white, where the hem line shows most. Breathable and moisture wicking.
$45
Nick Tee
Beige
A warm neutral that sits well over denim and olive. Same slim cut as the black.
$45
One Click
Black and white, together
$90 for the pair, which clears free ground shipping at $75. Pick a size.
Both colorways in stock in every size today.
When is a curved hem the wrong buy?
Any time the shirt goes in. A curve gathers at the hip to sit flat inside a waistband, and that gather shows through a chino as a ridge you cannot press out.
Skip it if your week runs on tucked shirts, or if you are short through the torso and the centre front lands past your fly. The fix is a level hem. Ours is the Joey Tee, and the long version is in the full cut by cut breakdown. The tucking question itself is in whether a tee should go in at all.
Most men buy a tee for the fabric and then judge it on where it ends.
How do you check the curve before you buy?
Look at the side seam on the product photo. If the hem lifts visibly where the seam meets it, the curve is real. If it barely lifts, it is a straight hem with a rounded corner.
Then check the front drop against the model's waistband. Coverage with room left over is right, past the fly is too much. In your own mirror: raise both arms and bring them down. If the hem settles back without a tug, the shirt is cut for you. The rest of the line is in the everyday tee comparison.
If You Tuck
The straight hem, and the waistband
Joey Tee
Black
Tailored fit, straight cut hem, four way stretch. Same blend as the Nick. Tucks flat.
$45
James Jogger
Tan
An elastic waistband is the hardest thing for a hem to sit over cleanly, so it is where to test one.
$89
Frequently Asked Questions
Are curved hem t-shirts still in style?
Yes, for a practical reason rather than a seasonal one. The curved hem exists to make an untucked shirt look finished, and men have worn tees untucked for decades. What has moved is the amount of curve, from the deep mid 2010s drop to a shallower shape.
Does a curved hem t-shirt ride up when you sit down?
Less than a straight hem of the same length, because the extra fabric sits where sitting pulls hardest. No hem stops movement entirely. What a curve buys is margin at the centre.
Do curved hem t-shirts work for shorter guys?
They can, but check where the front lands first. On a shorter torso the centre drop can fall low enough that the shirt reads long rather than covered, which shortens the leg line. If it sits past your fly, take the straight hem instead.
Is a curved hem t-shirt longer than a straight hem one?
At the front and back, yes. At the sides it is usually the same or shorter, and that is the whole design. One size chart number tells you little, because it is taken at the centre front where the curve is longest.
Which PILLAR t-shirt has a curved hem?
The Nick Tee, $45, a slim fit everyday tee in 60% cotton, 35% rayon and 5% spandex. The Joey Tee is the straight cut hem at the same $45, tailored fit with four way stretch.
Athletic Meets Aesthetic
Cut to Stay Untucked
Six colorways of the curved hem, plus the straight hem alternative.
pillarathletics.com
