White or Skin-Coloured Undershirt Under a White Shirt?
Short answer: Nude. Under a white shirt a white vest shows more clearly than a nude one, because white fabric throws the light back and shows as a block. A colour close to your own skin, by contrast, disappears under the fabric.
Why white is not invisible
It seems wrong, but white under white is the most visible combination there is. White fabric throws light back more strongly than skin does, so the edge of the vest shows as a clear transition through a thin shirt. That applies to the neckline, the sleeve edge and the hem alike.
What nude does instead
A colour close to the skin throws light back roughly as the skin does, so there is no transition to spot. It is the same mechanism that makes nude underwear invisible under a pale blouse, and it works whatever garment lies over the top.
Finding the right shade
Nude is not one colour. Choose the shade closest to the skin on your chest or stomach, not on your face or hands, which are often darker. Between two shades take the darker one, because a touch too dark shows less than one that is too light.
The edges matter more than the colour
A thick, sewn edge shows as a line whatever colour the vest is. Choose a model with a flat or laser cut edge, and avoid lace and wide ribbed bands if the shirt is thin. Colour and edge have to be solved together, or one alone will not help.
When white is fine after all
Under a thick shirt, under dark colours and under anything that is not see through, the colour does not matter. There you can wear white without any trouble, and in practice that is where most white vests belong.
Black under dark
Under a navy or black shirt, black is the colour that shows least. Nude can glow faintly through a thin fabric in that situation, which is why three colours, white, black and nude, cover the whole shirt cupboard.
The same goes for women
Under a pale blouse the rule is the same. Have a look at bamboo vests for women in nude for the thin blouses, and save the white ones for knits and dark fabrics where they cannot be seen anyway.
How the shade survives
Nude fabric turns grey if it is washed with dark clothes, and a grey vest shows almost as clearly as a white one. Wash it separately at 30 degrees without bleach. See the rest of the range under bamboo vests for men. See also good undershirt as a base layer and size guide for bamboo clothing.
Frequently asked questions
Is nude always best under white?
Yes, under thin and pale fabric. Under a thick white shirt the colour can be anything, because the fabric is not see through.
What if I cannot find my skin tone?
Take the darker of the shades that come closest. A touch too dark shows less through thin fabric than one that is too light.
Can a grey vest be used?
Grey shows almost as clearly as white under a thin, pale fabric. Under dark and thick shirts it is no trouble at all.
See our range of bamboo shirts for men.
