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Men and V Neck T-shirts. Too Metro?

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Ask A Woman: Should a guy wear a V-Neck T-shirt?

If you’ve got a question that needs the female treatment, chances are you’re not the only one who wants to ask it. Beth is our source for the answers. From opinions on men’s style to decoding the sometimes mysterious ways of women, she’ll take on a different question every Thursday. And don’t worry, your identity will be protected too. Click here to get to know Beth, then get in touch with her by sending your question to: askawoman@dappered.com
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Hey Beth:

What’s your opinion on v-neck t-shirts on men?  I’ve been wearing them for awhile now since they became a popular men’s staple.  I’ve got a couple of friends though who say it’s too metro looking.

– Jake

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Hey Jake,

I’ve been writing this column for, what, five or six months now?  And, just to review, this column appears on a men’s style website called Dappered.  Suffice it to say, I’m surprised this is the first conversation we’re having on the topic of being “metro.”

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What does metro mean?  For those of us who have been living at the bottom of the ocean, metro is short for metrosexual.  This is a term for the modern heterosexual man who is interested in and knowledgeable about things such as style, art, and culture.  The metrosexual is well-groomed and well-dressed.  The prefix of “metro” is because one is most likely to find these creatures in metropolitan areas (but this is not to exclude my nattily-dressed friends in Hungry Horse, Montana and Sugar Camp, Wisconsin–keep leading the fashion charge in the sticks, fellas!).

The term has evolved to be a bit of a dig–“God, he’s SO metro”–which I suspect is because these behaviors of art-buying, symphony-attending, and frequent shopping are associated with the stereotypical behaviors of fabulous gay men.  More on this in a moment….

So…the controversial v-neck…people HATE them or LOVE them.  V-neck tees tend to look best on men with a toned torso, and no chest/neck hair.  Both of these “requirements” would imply metro habits–working out and removing body hair.  So, are v-neck shirts metro?  Yeah, I guess so.  But, look, who cares?  Metro just means you take care of yourself, right?

UPDATE: To clarify, it was NOT my intent to say that only ripped, hairless men take care of themselves.  Dappered (and being stylish), I hope we can agree, is for men of all physical varieties.  Certain trends simply work better on certain bodies, and v-necks work better without hair sprouting up out of the V like a dry, curly geyser.

It makes me slightly insane that contemporary wisdom says there is something weird or effeminate about a man–gay or straight–who wants to look presentable.  This is also a fairly new way of thinking.  Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant were both smooth dressers, both well-groomed, and both considered manly men.  (Second week in a row Ol’ Blue Eyes has worked his way into my column…Frank, are you psychically stalking me?)

A final word about the v-neck.  Make sure it fits properly.  Too tight and you’re pulling a Jersey Shore; too loose and it looks like an undershirt your girlfriend sleeps in.  V-necks (and all clothing, really) should skim the body, not cling, not billow.

-Beth

Got a question for Beth? Send them to: askawoman@dappered.com

Comments

  1. In the past two years, I’ve replaced many crew-neck t-shirts with v-neck t-shirts as my base layer. They’re definitely more stylish and many of my female friends have taken notice of the v-necks I wear. Put on a well-fitting v-neck in the summer and suddenly it looks like you’re putting effort into looking good. You easily control how “metro” the v-neck is through how deep the v-neck drops on your chest.

  2. Totally agreed! Love the look. Trying to get my boyfriend to switch to the V-neck when the weather warms up. But, then again, I’m a little more than metro, so take that with a grain of salt.

  3. “You easily control how “metro” the v-neck is through how deep the v-neck drops on your chest.”

    Quoted for truth. There’s nothing at all metro about the v-neck on the guy in that picture, at least “metro” in the negative sense of the world. It gets riskier as the v-neck dips much below that, though, eventually reaching the point where you look like an ASOS.com model, which is something that I don’t think Dappered readers aspire to.

  4. Agreed with the above. The extent of the V determines it all! I also do take somewhat issue with the statement in the article that removing your chest hair is a sign that you take care of yourself. I do take care of myself, am fit and “trim” with a “toned torso” and my chest hair is controlled and neat, but personally, to me, chest hair is part of me and I don’t feel that it’s a sign of sloppiness or not presenting myself well. I doubt that this was the intent of the wording, and maybe I’m just reading the article wrong!

    Cheers,
    Ben

  6. All about the v-neck. I have found the ones that look the classiest are the subtle v-necks. Nothing that shows too much man-cleavage. The key is also in your last sentence…

    “V-necks (and all clothing, really) should skim the body, not cling, not billow.”

    Let’s all keep repeating that mantra.

  7. Agreed with the above; however, I’m not sure I would use the depth of the v-neck to determine its “metro-ness”. To me, increasing depth of the v-neck tends to have a negative correlation to the relative metro-ness of the guy wearing the shirt; that is, when I see guys wearing a deep cut v-neck their style tends to be more indy hipster than metro, neither of which is bad.

  9. V-Necks are few and far between in my wardrobe and none are t-shirts. That is because I have chest hair and more than a little bit of it. I keep it trimmed around the neckline but let the rest live its life. I saw what happened when my brother trimmed his up. It gets itchy. I think the V is in the preference of the guy. Although super deep Vs are frightening, looks like you are wearing a lady shirt.

  10. Since we’re on the subject of v-necks… where does everybody buy theirs?

    I’ve found the best deals on v-necks at Old Navy, Target, and TJ Maxx. Those are my go to stores. Occasionally I step it up to GAP or Banana Republic.

    Any other brands/ stores worth checking out? I’ve heard great things about the v-necks by Stafford at JC Penney.

  11. I only wear the Calvin Klein t-shirts, both crew and v-neck, and black and white. That’s primarily because the fit me.

  12. Isn’t January kind of a weird time for this discussion? Who’s wearing v-neck t-shirts right now as anything but undershirts?

    I wear v-neck sweaters all the time in the fall and winter, but it will be months before I consider adding any t-shirts to my wardrobe.

  13. I purchase mine from Gap when they go on sale. Or from Gap Outlet, where they’re always on sale. I’ve found that Gap’s (or Banana Republic’s for that matter) adhere to Beth’s point that clothing should skim the body. They’re not too tight, not too loose.

  14. Fellas: Beth asked to clarify her comments up above about “taking care of yourself” and body hair management. Doesn’t sound like she’s anti chest hair at all, just anti tons of it coming up through the v-neck…

  15. “too loose and it looks like an undershirt your girlfriend sleeps in.”

    Are you saying my girlfiend is fat?

  16. Another stupid question from me; Would you consider the shirt in the above picture skimming or clinging the body?

  17. Isn’t “metrosexual” sort of fading? Less usage? I don’t hear or see it as much. Interesting that an interesting in clothing is described as if it were a sexual orientation.

  18. Worn V-necks for years and will continue to do so. I agree with most of the gentlemen here though, dip to deep and you’re asking for it. Looks best when it matches with the picture above. Most women seem to like them (as long as they aren’t too deep) and to me they look more stylish than just a plain ol’ crew neck.

  19. I’m not big on v-necks (I only wear polos and button-ups) but I’m laughing. Once I called my mom complaining that I loved fashion (women’s and men’s; love reading Vogue) and she suggested I could be metro instead of gay (I’m not gay). I’m so tired of an interest in fashion indicating homosexuality. It’s why I love this website–some guys just like to dress well.

  20. Crew necks tend to be really unflattering for me. V-necks look good, but the most they show is the dip between my collarbones, like the photo used in the article. I also don’t get the ‘loves fashion’ = ‘homosexual’ connection. I’m gay and I love fashion but the thing is I’m kind of an anomaly amongst my gay friends. The majority of them honestly don’t care more than your average straight dudes.

  28. To be honest, I hate V-necks on men. Or perhaps I should say “men”. We now live in a society where femininity in men is not only accepted but seems to be encouraged. What happened to the good old days of yesteryear when guys idolized men, instead of boys all dressed up? It’s one thing to look good, but I believe that it’s the MAN who makes the clothes, not otherwise.

  30. I usually don’t like to post on any site… But to respond to John. A V-neck t-shirt actually accentuates being a man. No doubt about it, research shows most women and men think it is attractive for a man to have broad shoulders and a v shaped body (meaning broad shoulders to slim waist). The V-neck accentuates it more by emphasizing the V figure. Google it for yourself.

    I just felt I had to educate people, because I’ve read a lot of comments from Google of misinformed people thinking the goal of V-necks are to make a man look more feminine. It’s the furthest from the truth.

    http://www.AHipHopLovers.com

  31. I’m maybe in a different boat than most people here. I’m on the short end of average height, but I’m very broad shouldered, and have a very thick neck, so most crew neck shirts tend to make it seem like I have no neck,lol. I find that I look better in v neck tees as a result, because I am fairly muscular and they v doesn’t dig into my neck. I think as long as you’re conscious about how deep of a v you go with, you can look really good in a v neck. A lot of my female friends have also complimented me on my shirts.

  32. Yes. Because what a woman logically says is what she responds to emotionally? Right. If you are dressing because you think it matters for women, go educate yourself in the trenches. Do what the fuck you want for you. I wear v-necks to my goddamn nipples because IDGAF.

  33. Dude, maybe it wasn’t a typo. Maybe he’s got a man that he loves?

    Just another guy giving his opinion on v-necks!