The Dos and Don’ts of Wearing a Tank Top This Summer

The tank top is a tricky one. You're walking around in what is, traditionally, an undergarment or a piece of sportswear in the old-timey sense. It can make you feel vulnerable—even a little inappropriate, maybe. Wearing one, in my book, is more daring than going fully topless to collect as much Vitamin D as possible. It's a move, is what I'm saying, and it's not an easy one.

But I also believe wearing a tank top can look incredibly cool when done correctly. A lot of "doing it correctly" comes down to confidence, panache, or just acceptance and love of your body—and those are three things I think every guy needs to have. So in a weird, roundabout way, I am very much a fan of the tank top and what it can do for a guy.

The only "rule" I have around it is that you need to understand how you're wearing it and act accordingly. Is it function? Is it fashion? Or is it too damn hot and I'm wearing whatever I want? In any case, here are some guidelines for each.

Sometimes you simply can’t wear any more clothes than Donald Glover is here.

This bit is simple; you already knew it. Don't overthink the tank top. You wear it as God intended. That's under other clothes to stop sweat or act as man's version of a girdle. My grandpa would do this under his coveralls every day; I do it when I wear a suit. Same result, no one sees it. The other side of functionally wearing a tank top is when you're working out, maybe doing some yard work. Someone might see you in it, but you're not presenting yourself to the world in it; it's more a matter of circumstance. Invest, or don't, based on the activity, and really focus on the fabric and weight.

Underneath a shirt, tie, and suit, it's OK to get a little techy with sweat-wicking fabrics. For me CDLP does it to perfection with a Pima cotton, lyocell, and elastane blend in which the lyocell lends extra softness and sweat-wicking ability. If you want cheap and replaceable undershirts, a Hanes six-pack is totally fine, but they're too sheer to wear solo and disintegrate within a year. Knocker is just a touch thicker, not sheer, and holds up better. I also don't mind Calvin Klein, the name to beat when it comes to undergarments. Uniqlo AIRism is an easy choice if you're working out, barbecuing, at a festival, or in the pit at the Oasis reunion and haven't gone fully topless yet.

Disclaimer, I actually hate the word layered. In almost every context it sounds too overblown and fashion-y. But "putting a tank underneath other clothes," just doesn't ring, so ... humor me.

Funny enough, this is where you'll find the most treacherous of the tank top waters. You're not wearing it functionally, but you're not going full throttle and wearing it solo. It's a style affectation, and that means you run the risk of wearing it as a gimmick. The way to beat that is simple: don't bring attention to it. Start at a casual hangout with some friends, a summertime date night, or barbecue. Wear summery shoes, smart trousers, and a semi-casual button-up shirt—in linen, oxford cloth, or short-sleeve something—add a baseball cap if you'll be in the sun. Unbutton the shirt until you see the first hint of tank top. Don't go any further; chances are you're already approaching your lower sternum. A slightly visible tank top feels a touch risqué, which you don't often get to do in menswear. It's fun.

As photographer Jamie Ferguson ably demonstrates, a little peek of tank top is often just the right amount.

That formula also lets you dress it up for a party. Put a full suit over that slightly unbuttoned shirt and tank, and it's good for dressed-down drinks. This shot, from our Five Fits With feature with photographer Jamie Ferguson proves my point exactly. Go any lower than this, button-wise, and you should just go fully unbuttoned, a good look if it's not contrived. My advice is to do it out of necessity. Your shirt was buttoned, but a long walk or a few minutes sunbathing made you sweat. Y'all were at the park but now going to see a movie and the air conditioning will be blasting; chuck on a shirt or zip hoodie. That's cool.

The no-go of this section is a tank top underneath a suit. Avoid it at all costs. This is tough for me because one of my favorite menswear looks of all time is Charlie (Mickey Rourke) in Pope of Greenwich Village pitching in a game of stickball, wearing a mint green suit with a tank top underneath as Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" plays in the background. I've tried it. Doesn't work. It's not a confidence issue here. It's real life, and unless you wear suits every single day, you're trying too hard. Scroll TikTok or go to a New York City party and plenty of guys are trying to pull it off. None of them do.

See here, Justin Bieber keeps it simple: hoodie over the tank to run around town. Hits it out of the park...

And he strikes out big doing a tank on the red carpet. Even with similar oversized proportions, tank under a suit is a great way to embarrass your date.

On a lighter note, as for brands and fabrics, this is where you can dabble in more premium options because you'll see more of them, but the cheap ones above work just as well. Sunspel makes a perfect tank, close cut and with enough weight to feel worth the price without being too heavy for an undergarment. Buck Mason does a decent old military-inspired style; Freenote Cloth does a more expensive one. Tekla, a Copenhagen-based brand revered in fashion circles, makes a divine tank out of 200 GSM cotton. It costs $105, the upper limit of what I'd ever advise spending on a tank—and triple what would actually come out of my own pocket for one—but it's so damn good. As for color and texture, Todd Snyder does that with wide-rib, mesh, and linen versions.

Rocking just a tank, not in the context of a workout or manual labor, marks a turn in my thinking. At this point, you're hitting don't give a fuck territory. You're out in the world wearing what is, again, technically an undergarment. You're as close as you can get to shirtless while still being allowed into a bar. Embrace that.

My North Star here is a duo of paparazzi pics of David Beckham, taken two days apart in Los Angeles in May of 2000. He's skinhead Becks (a huge deal then), one year into his marriage, father to a one-year-old Brooklyn, and in the worst bit of his love-hate with England fans and media. (In a few weeks, he'll give his own fans the one-finger salute at Euro 2000.) He's probably a bit off his rocker here, seen in the first picture with capri-length white cargos, an insane outfit and peak Becks. In the second, he's dressed like DMX, but it's a fundamentally "normal" outfit of white shirt, denim, and boots.

When wearing a tank on its own, I’m all for leaning in and putting on an absolutely insane outfit.

But a simple combo of jeans and boots is easier to pull off.

I'm not saying you should copy these looks verbatim, but think of them as the guardrails. On one side, wear whatever you dream up: those giant shorts you bought on sale, cutoff work pants at three-quarter length, a fitted baseball cap. Becks didn't care; neither should you. If that feels too indulgent, just Bruce Springsteen it with jeans and boots.

As for brands and looks, the world is your oyster because it's (presumably) too hot to care. Again, I love that Sunspel tank for a classic white. After this, I'll accept anything without sleeves. The train goes off the rails, and the only rule is to have the confidence to wear your clothes. That could be a Rick Owens deep V, the Todd Snyder mesh number I mentioned earlier, or a T-shirt you cut the sleeves off of. I'm also partial to this cotton tank from Factor's, a small brand out of Atlanta; it's 100 percent cotton but mesh like an old basketball jersey (funky.) I'm also into this heavyweight sleeveless tee from Abercrombie. You can wear a sweater vest—like these from Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren—as a tank top, but I think that's a bridge too far into "putting on a 'fit." That said, at this point you're putting on whatever. The rules dissolve, and you don't have to listen to me.

All in all, my thesis remains. It comes down to confidence. That could be sartorial confidence. That could be body image confidence. In any case, I want you to go for it. You've got the panache, I promise.