Layering guide
What to Wear Under a Sweater
A plain t-shirt most days, a collared shirt when you want a collar, a polo in between, or nothing if the sweater is fine enough. The sweater’s neckline decides which: a crew hides a collar badly, a V frames one, and a funnel or zip neck fights one.
Start with the neckline, not the shirt
The sweater’s opening is a fixed shape. It either has room for a collar or it does not.
| Sweater neckline | What goes under it |
|---|---|
| Crew neck | A crew-neck tee, or a collared shirt with a firm collar. The opening sits high, so the ribbing pushes a soft collar up. |
| V-neck | A collared shirt, which is what the V is made for. Or a V-neck tee. A crew tee shows as a band across the V. |
| Funnel neck / quarter zip | A tee, or a shirt with the collar left inside. The funnel takes the space a collar wants. |
| Turtleneck | A tee or nothing. There is no room for a collar. |
The quarter zip’s funnel neck is a standing band that does not fold down, so it makes the choice for you. More on Funnel Neck Sweaters for Men.
A t-shirt: the default, and why
A thin tee is right most days, mainly to keep the sweater clean. Skin oils and sweat go into whatever touches your skin. Better the tee than a sweater you hand wash at 30 °C and dry flat.
- Match the neckline. Crew tee under a crew, V tee under a V. A mismatched tee is the most visible layering mistake.
- Match the colour or go lighter. Under pale knits like Sand, Sandstone, Oat and Sky Blue, a dark tee shows through as a shadow. Under Charcoal Black or Graphite, nothing shows.
- Keep the sleeves short. A long-sleeve tee bunches at the elbow under a knit sleeve.
A collared shirt: which collars survive
A shirt under a sweater is the business-casual default. When it goes wrong, it is almost always the collar. A knit neckline is heavy and presses down on whatever is inside it.
- Button-down collar. The most reliable under a crew neck. The buttons stop the points wandering out over the ribbing.
- Spread or semi-spread with stays in. The stays hold it up. Without them it collapses.
- Soft, unstructured collars. Great on their own, poor under a sweater. By mid-morning one point is under the knit and one is over it.
Under a V-neck, the V frames the collar and the top of the shirt. It is the only common sweater neckline with room for a tie knot. For collar and tie, see Wearing a Sweater Under a Blazer (and Suit).
Under a crew neck, wear the collar out for a traditional look or tucked in for a cleaner one. Both work. Half of each does not.
A polo, and the case for nothing at all
A polo gives you a collar without a tie or cuffs. Under a crew it is less formal than a dress shirt. Under a V it fills the opening softly. A knitted polo collar holds up better than a soft one.
Nothing at all works too, if the sweater is fine enough. Prickle comes from stiff fibre ends pressing into skin, and below about 30 micron they bend instead. Cashmere at 12–16 micron is well under that. The cost of bare skin is more washing, covered below.
In warm weather the tee is there to handle sweat, not to add warmth. More on Can You Wear Cashmere in Summer?
The measurements that make layering work
Layering usually fails on length, not width. Lay a shirt you own flat on a table, measure it and compare.
| Size | Body length · Chest, flat · Sleeve from shoulder seam |
|---|---|
| S | 64 · 48 · 60 cm |
| M | 66 · 50 · 62 cm |
| L | 68 · 52 · 64 cm |
| XL | 70 · 54 · 66 cm |
| 2XL | 73 · 56 · 68 cm |
- Sleeve. Ours run 60–68 cm from the shoulder seam. A longer shirt sleeve bunches at the elbow and pokes out of the cuff. Fine if you want the cuff to show.
- Body. Ours run 64–73 cm. A longer shirt tail hangs below the hem unless you tuck it in.
- Chest. 48–56 cm flat, so double it for the full chest. Between sizes and wearing a shirt underneath? Take the larger. A knit stretched over a shirt pulls at the buttons.
Garment laid flat, in centimetres, the same for every colour. Full details in the Men's Cashmere Sweater Size Guide & Fit.
What to wear under a cashmere sweater
Everything above applies, with one rule on top: thin, smooth, flat-seamed, or nothing.
Rubbing is what makes cashmere pill. A rough layer, a stiff seam or a hard print rubs the same spot all day and pills it. A smooth cotton or fine merino tee with flat seams does not. The inside of the sweater touches your layer constantly, so this matters more than what goes over it. More on Does Cashmere Pill?
Bare skin feels great but means more washing. There is no prickle at 12–16 micron. But the fibre takes up oils and sweat, and every wash is by hand at 30 °C max, reshaped damp and dried flat. A tee underneath means far fewer washes.
Watch static. A synthetic layer under cashmere in dry indoor air makes the knit cling. A cotton or merino layer mostly solves it.
Which of ours takes which layer
The Men's Crew Neck Cashmere Sweater: 14 colourways, S–2XL, $155. Buy it if a tee is your usual layer. Its collar also sits flattest under a jacket.
The Men's V-Neck Cashmere Sweater: 13 colourways, S–2XL, $155. Buy it if you wear a collared shirt most days.
The Men's Quarter Zip Cashmere Sweater: $120, one colour, free size only (65 · 50 · 60 cm). It has a funnel neck, so it takes a tee and fights a collar.
What not to put under a sweater
- A hoodie. The hood bunches at the back of your neck.
- Anything with a chest print. It shows through a fine knit and rubs the inside.
- A second sweater. Two knits fight at the shoulder. Need more warmth? Add a layer over, not under.
- A soft, long-pointed collar. The most common mistake by far.
- Anything damp. Wet fibre stretches the knit, and cashmere holds moisture longer than you expect.
Wearing a jacket over the top? Its sleeves and shoulders set their own limits, covered in How to Wear a Sport Coat with a Sweater. Otherwise, start from the neckline. Tee underneath? Go for the Men's Crew Neck Cashmere Sweater. Collared shirt? The Men's V-Neck Cashmere Sweater. Both are $155, S–2XL, and sit alongside the quarter zip on Men's Cashmere Sweaters.
Common questions
What do you wear under a sweater?
A plain tee most of the time. A collared shirt when you want the collar to show, a polo for a collar without a tie, or nothing if the sweater is fine enough not to itch. The neckline decides more than the occasion: a crew hides a collar badly, a V frames one, and a funnel neck fights one.
Should you wear a t-shirt under a sweater?
Usually, yes, mostly to keep the sweater clean. A thin tee keeps skin oils and sweat out of the knit, so you wash it less. Match the neckline: a crew tee under a crew, a V-neck tee under a V-neck.
Can you wear a dress shirt under a sweater?
Yes. It is the standard business-casual layer. Pick a collar that stands up on its own, like a button-down or a spread with collar stays. A soft collar collapses under the knit by mid-morning.
What should you wear under a cashmere sweater?
Something thin and smooth with flat seams, or nothing. At 12–16 micron cashmere does not prickle, but bare skin puts oils and sweat into the fibre, so you hand wash it more often. Avoid rough layers and stiff seams, because rubbing is what makes cashmere pill.
What colour t-shirt should you wear under a sweater?
Match the sweater or go lighter. Under pale colours like Sand, Sandstone, Oat and Sky Blue, a dark tee shows through as a shadow. Under dark colours nothing shows, so only the neck and cuffs matter.