undershirts

My husband always wore undershirts and my boys wear them too. In the heat, the shirt tends to stick to the body but an undershirt prevents this from happening. You struck a chord in my memory. As children we wore what ere called 'liberty bodices' and these were cotton undershirts but lined with some fleecy material. It was to keep us warm as the houses only had coal fires and the school classrooms were freezing. Great post and thanks for resurrecting a memory

I never knew anybody that wore undershirts, don't they also call them wife beaters?

We call them vests for men. When I was younger, we wore a petticoat or an extension of the vest. Even after I started wearing a bra...especially with clothes that were thin and light. That was the proper thing to do. My dad always wore a vest under his shirt and still does. He says it helps to absorb the sweat and the shirt doesn't stick to his body. My husband never wears one and he sweats a lot more than my dad did. I have two boys. I got them vest. The older one would wear it always and then it slowly got to when he would wear it only with his school uniform and now that he is homeschooling, he has stopped it altogether. The younger one doesn't wear it always...but sometimes when I ask him to especially when it's too cold.

Mom made me wear them, they are like a camisole for an adult woman. It keeps sweat off your clothes in the summer, I am told, and it keeps you warmer in winter. If a neckline is too deep it fills it in. For a little girl too little for a bra but too developed, it makes her not look so developed. I do not know of anyone who wears them past toddler age though. They get the same results with tank tops or cami s

I'll wear them in the wintertime, not formally named undershirts but something under my shirt to trap the warmth in. I think they must have originally had the purpose of keeping the more expensive outer shirt cleaner and odor free but for me they are for warmth. I wouldn't think of wearing one when it was warm, though!

I used to wear them when I was little too and not sure the purpose either, I guess to get us ready for the boulder holders! Uhm I don't wear them that much, I wear a camisole but that is usually just around the house.

I blush at the thought! We never called them 'undershirts' they were always 'vests' and little girls and boys wore them (but usually only in the winter). When I became a teenager (and beyond), we wore 'string vests' ... sleeveless mesh things with holes big enough to let minnows through. If one wanted to look REALLY professional, one didn't wear them (or at least one wore shirts which hid them). These days people wil wear several layers, depending on the climate, and it is no longer 'unprofessional' (for a man) to wear a t-shirt under one's shirt. Women are different (as we all know). Some don't mind showing a bra under their blouse (they probably spent more on the bra than on the top, so what the hey!), others wear a varied assortment of tops, all with straps that one can see and identify. Long gone the days when to even show a bra strap was considered indelicate! I think it just looks untidy. I, too, remember 'liberty bodices'. I think they were called that because they were made by a company called 'Liberty', not because they gave one any liberty - quite the reverse, in fact!

My husband and son used to and still do on occassion...problem is men/boys don't wear nice shirts anymore to need an undershirt under them! Boy, it's been ages since I saw a guy in a suit, or sport coat or even just a pair of nice slacks and a polo shirt! People in general dress so trashy and sloppy and junky these days.. and even professional wear is nearly that sloppy. Sandles are totally acceptable in the work place. So, I think if they want to look nice, they should wear them but alias...they don't.

Why they are made I guess it has a purpose.Like when you are in your teens especially girls some develop womanhood fast and you are too young to wear bra then they used it as a cover.You can use it also to protect your dress from being wet if the weather is too hot or use it as a layer if the weather is cold.

My boyfriend always wears them with any type of dress shirt and or think type of shirt. I guess he is just very old school in that sense and I do like that he does. As for me I wear camisole types but only if I am layering colors or something like that. Out of habit I did have my daughter wear up until she wore her training bra so to a sense it was sort of protect the chest from an lighter type of clothing. Although I had her wear it all the same until the bra started.