T-Shirts for Short Men: Where the Hem Should Land
Proportion
On a shorter frame the right shirt stops at your fly and sits on the corner of your shoulder, which is a cut problem rather than a size problem. Buy the PILLAR Nick Tee at $45 if you wear it untucked, because it is a slim fit with a curved hem, and the PILLAR Joey Tee at $45 if you tuck, because its hem is cut straight.
We make both, so read this knowing we have a horse in it. PILLAR does not cut a short size and the honest answer does not need one. Your size is set by your chest and shoulders. Height only changes where the shirt ends.
Two Routes
Pick untucked or tucked
Sky Blue
Tailored fit, straight cut hem. The one to tuck. Four way stretch, pre shrunk.
$45
Sizes small through 3XL. Free shipping over $75 and 30 days to return anything unworn.
Where should a t-shirt hem land on a shorter frame?
Somewhere between the top and the middle of your fly. Any lower and the shirt eats the length of your legs.
A shirt that covers your whole zip pushes the break between your top and bottom halves below your waist, and the eye reads your legs as shorter than they are. Sizing down fixes the length and ruins the shoulder. The better move is a cut that already finishes higher at the sides.
Which fit actually makes a shorter guy look taller?
A slim one, with the shoulder seam on the corner of your shoulder and the sleeve finishing around mid bicep. Nothing dropped, nothing boxy.
Looser fabric reads as more fabric, and more fabric on a shorter frame reads as less height. A slim cut holds the outline close, so your own proportions show. The shoulder seam is the tell. If it has slid down your arm, the shirt was cut for a wider frame and every measurement on it is long, which is covered in the full fit checklist.
What should you rule out when you are buying?
Three details, and not one is a size. Drop shoulders, longline hems and heavy stiff cotton all add length you then style your way out of.
Rule These Out First
Drop shoulder seams
The seam is meant to sit down your arm, which widens the top half and drags the shirt with it.
Longline and extended hems
Cut deliberately long at the bottom edge. It is the worst choice available to you here.
Heavy, stiff cotton
Thick fabric holds its own shape instead of yours, hangs straight down from the chest, and hides your waist.
Rule those three out and the shortlist gets short fast. We ran the same filter across five brands in the everyday tee roundup.
Nobody reads your height. They read where your shirt stops.
Do you size down, or get the hem shortened?
Size down only if the shoulder seam still lands where it should. Otherwise keep your size and have the hem taken up, which costs far less than a shirt that fits nowhere.
A tailor takes up a straight hem easily. A curved one costs more, because the curve has to be redrawn. Both the Nick and the Joey run true to size, so start at your usual size and check the shoulder first. Shoulder right and length wrong is a fix. Shoulder wrong is the wrong shirt, and whether you tuck at all decides which hem you want anyway.
Shop the Shortlist
Three more in the two cuts that work
Every size shown is in stock today. Regular prices, no promotion.
One of Each
The untucked one and the tucked one. $90.
The Nick Tee in Beige and the Joey Tee in Sky Blue, added in one click. Free shipping starts at $75.
The short version: the Nick is slim with a curved hem, the Joey is tailored with a straight one. The long version sits in the Nick Tee and Joey Tee breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
What size t-shirt should a short man buy?
The same size his chest and shoulders call for. Height does not set t-shirt size, and dropping a size to fix the length pulls the shoulder seam out of place and tightens the chest. Buy your usual size, choose a cut that finishes higher at the sides, and have the hem taken up if it still sits low.
Are slim fit t-shirts better for short guys?
Usually, yes. A slim cut holds the outline close to the body, so your own proportions read rather than the shirt's. A boxy or dropped shoulder shirt adds width at the top and length at the bottom, which is the combination that costs height. The PILLAR Nick Tee is a slim fit and the PILLAR Joey Tee is a tailored fit, both $45.
Does a curved hem make you look shorter?
No. A curved hem is cut shorter at the sides than at the front and back, so the side seam finishes higher up than a straight hem does. That is why it works left out on a shorter frame. Total shirt length is what makes you look shorter, not the shape of the bottom edge.
Does PILLAR make t-shirts in short sizes?
No. PILLAR runs small through 3XL in one length per size, so the lever is which cut you choose. The Nick Tee is the slim, curved hem cut and the Joey Tee is the tailored, straight hem cut. Both are $45 and both run true to size.
Athletic Meets Aesthetic
Buy the cut, not the size
Two lifestyle cuts, eleven colorways, small through 3XL.
pillarathletics.com
