When the word “shirt” is mentioned, what comes to mind is usually a t-shirt, or any kind of casual upper body garment that has short sleeves. The term “shirt” is actually quite broad, and encompasses a wide variety of garments, both formal and casual.

A shirt may refer to any upper-body clothing that is not a jacket, a coat, a sweater, or an undergarment. A shirt can either be casual or formal. A shirt used for formal settings is often called a dress shirt. Dress shirts are collared, usually long-sleeved, and has an opening down the front, with buttons. The sleeves of dress shirts usually have cuffs.

The category of casual shirts, on the other hand, is composed of many different forms. Probably the most common and most popular form is the t-shirt. It is a plain shirt, without a collar or buttons. The term usually refers to a short-sleeved shirt, but long-sleeved t-shirts are also used by many people. A polo shirt, also called golf shirt and tennis shirt, is also part of the casual shirt category. Polo shirts have soft collars and a few buttons at the top.

When they first came out, t-shirts were only worn under uniforms and other forms of clothing. Today, they are worn as the only piece of garment on the upper body. T-shirts can have different shapes of the neckline: round, square, U-shaped, or V-shaped. The neckline of a shirt can be high or rather low. For those who are a bit more daring, womens and mens deep v neck t-shirts are abundant in the market.

The choice of the shape of the shirt neckline has quite an effect on the look and outfit of a person. The person’s size, shape and angularity may look different because of the chosen neckline. The shape of the neckline may enhance a person’s physical features. For example, the use of womens or mens deep v neck t-shirts may somehow elongate a round face.  

T-shirts may be plain or printed; they come in different designs and colors. Some styles of t-shirts may be quite exclusive to a certain gender only; for example, mens deep v neck t-shirt measurements and designs are made for the standard dimensions of a male body. The size or design may look out of place or inappropriate for a female wearer. Although, many t-shirt designs sold today are made to be unisex.