It’s the tail-end of the silly season so no doubt you’ve eaten, drunk and made merry. As a result, there’s a fair chance you’re carrying a bit of extra timber. Trouble is that it’s also summer and it’s bloody hot out there. That means whenever you’re off-duty you’re almost certainly wearing a T-shirt – not the most forgiving garment for concealing excess kilos. Unless you talk to Zoltan Csaki.
Zoltan is the co-founder of Citizen Wolf (citizenwolf.com), the Sydney brand who’ve democratised tailoring with their range of made-to-measure T-shirts. Zoltan and his partner Eric Phu started the business to solve the eternal problem of fit. They make tees that actively complement your body-shape and flatter you in all the right places. Even if you’re over your fighting weight.
That’s an issue on Zoltan’s mind right now because he just became a dad. “So this is a very personal problem at the moment because, the missus was eating for two and I was like, ‘Well, I can’t let her do that by herself’. So selflessly, I went in to bat as well. Then she had the baby and a lot of the weight fell off and mine didn’t.
“And now, I find myself, obviously, as time-poor as anybody, but doubly so when you’re a new dad and it’s number one and you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing.”
Fortunately, he says. the right t-shirt can provide a form of damage-limitation. Use Zoltan’s guide to suit your shape and buy a better T-shirt. After all, he explains: “If you’re trying to squeeze into something you used to wear, then it can look pretty bad, you know?”
Embrace the darkside(s)
“Darker colours are more forgiving for subtle lumps and bumps,” Zoltan says. “Think about it, only a few people can truly get away with a pair of white jeans. Whereas almost everyone can wear a pair of black jeans and look amazing.
“Black tees are popular for a reason because, even if you don’t look like an Adonis, you can kind of get away with it. Olive is a really nice colour, depending on your hair and your eyes. Navy is obviously great. Dark grey is good too.”
Become A Lightweight
“Lighter weight fabrics drape better. A good drape just doesn’t cling to any of your rounder bits and when it hangs, it has some curvature in the way that the folds fall off the body.
“For example, we do a hemp organic cotton-blend, at the moment which is perfect for summer. It’s lightweight and not as opaque as a regular cotton. You would think that would be a poor choice for somebody who is trying to hide a few love handles. But it drapes so well that it ends up being far more forgiving than say, a regular heavyweight cotton tee-shirt.
Tight Is Wrong
“Obviously, go for a relaxed fit. You don’t have to wear a potato sack, by all means go for something that comes in at the waist a little bit. Just make sure there’s a little bit more give everywhere.
“You should also just avoid certain styles like tank tops and singlets even if you’ve got huge guns. If you’re trying to hide the bulges lower down, it’s just best not to wear them unless you’ve got a movie-star body.”
The Finer Details
“To optically balance things out ideally you want a few extra centimetres on the length and then, a few extra centimetres on the sleeve length. That really works especially with the darker colours – it’ll create a more flattering silhouette.
“When it comes to the bottom hem style, it depends how large the beer gut is. But, I think a flat hem, which is what most T-shirts have, is really unforgiving when you start to be a bit more rotund. If you have a curved hem, even if it’s a really gentle curve, it creates a better silhouette as it makes your legs look longer and everybody wants to look a little bit taller.
“Neckline is really individual. But again, I would say, avoid anything that’s too deep. Stick to your classic crew neck. You just can’t go wrong.”
https://www.citizenwolf.com