The short-sleeve button up is a piece of menswear that has experienced quite the renaissance of late with retailers from Abercrombie and Fitch to Michael Bastian featuring it in their summer collections. Unfortunately, it’s a relatively difficult piece of clothing to wear without looking like….

This guy!

Or this guy!

Now that’s a Situation indeed…

When it comes to the short-sleeve button up, fit is key. Short-sleeve button ups are inherently more casual than long sleeve ones, and as such it’s best not to wear them tucked into your pants. That means that the shirt hem should hit just below the belt and fit close to the body.

Fit is key. A loose short-sleeve button up makes you look like a sloppy tourist on vacation in a warm climate… or the aforementioned Dwight Schrute.

Equally important is the fit of the sleeves. Loose short sleeves tend to look like a sagging tent drooping from your shoulder. The sleeves should fit like this.

The sleeves should not be baggy but shouldn’t hug the arm when the muscles are not flexed.

The short-sleeve button up is also not for everyone. To put it simply, if you have pasty white twigs for arms, you might not want to wear a shirt that will highlight that fact.

However, all told there are few better looks than a crisp, white short-sleeve button up showcasing your summer tan.