An overshirt is a combination between a shirt and a jacket, and has thus certain particularities that can make it a bit hard to wear, but, once worn rightly, it can be a great item to have.

 

 

Fit

An overshirt is a style piece that is a bit ambiguous: it looks like a shirt, but it is worn like a jacket. Sometimes, overshirts resemble jackets more than they do shirts, by featuring design details such as large pockets on the sides, which would not be normally be present on a regular shirt. An overshirt is basically a thicker, oversized shirt that is not supposed to be worn as a shirt, but as an outer layer. Tucking in an overshirt is a bad idea, as overshirts are designed to be worn over other clothes and thus it won’t fit you right if you wear it as a regular shirt and it will also add a lot of bulk in your pants.

In order to establish whether an overshirt fits on you or not, you need to check whether the shoulder lines match yours and whether the sleeves fit your arms. These two elements will determine whether an overshirt fits or whether it is too big or too small.

 

 

How to wear an overshirt

Given that an overshirt is meant to over worn “over” something, it is always important to have something underneath your overshirt. It is best to go for a henley or a t-shirt (even a polo shirt might look good) underneath. Some men wear casual button-down shirts underneath, but it can be argued that this looks a bit off, as the designs of the casual shirt and of the overshirt are very similar and thus it may look redundant, as if you are wearing two shirts one over each other.

But, overall, an overshirt is a great layering piece: put it over a simple, basic henley and you will add both comfort and style to your look, by adding dimension through the overshirt.

 

 

When to wear an overshirt

Overshirts are casual pieces, which means that they go best for casual settings. If you have a laid-back dress code at work, it may work in such an environment too, but otherwise we would stay away from wearing an onvershirt in an office or at a formal event.

Calendar-wise, overshirts are great for the spring and for the autumn. Overshirts are also good for climates where the temperatures between day and evening vary greatly. An overshirt is meant to add some warmth, but not as much as a jacket and it can also be taken off easily.

 

 

All in all, overshirts are great items to have: they can be worn with jeans and t-shirts and make a great addition to an outfit on a day with odd weather. Moreover, overshirts come in all styles: from buttons to zippers and countless colors and patterns, so you will definitely find one that matches your style and expresses who you are and what you want to convey.

 

 

Fraquoh and Franchomme

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. We want to hear from you! Do you wear overshirts? When do you wear them? What do you wear beneath them? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!