Help me dress my husband!

October 15, 2007 12:04 PM

I got him out of black t shirts all the time (they are fine, but not for everything) and into bowling shirts, camp shirts, cubavera shirts, or short sleeve guayabera type shirts (usually in black, only sometimes with a pinup girl on them). Now he needs something just like that but with LONG sleeves.

What is the name for that type of shirt? I've tried long sleeve camp shirt, and that is close BUT--I'd like a kind of swing/lounge lizard feel to the shirts (my exgoth boyo won't wear a button down or 'sport shirt' ). These shirts are cut loose, not meant to be tucked in...kind of a monochrome Hawaiian shirt style but with long sleeves. And sometimes something funny on the back.

Like this: http://www.daddyos.com/bowl/bowlmain.html
but with long sleeves? And only two colors, black and grey or dark blue and black , dark green (just not neon colors or two many at a time, his head would explode)

What do I search for? Any online stores?

posted by pywacket to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (17 answers total)

Bowling shirts are basically the exact same fabric pattern as men's pajama tops. They may be too thin, but you might find something.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 12:12 PM on October 15, 2007

Look inside some of the shirts he loves for the brand name.

Off the top of my head, I know Nat Nast does long-sleeved versions (my husband has a few) of their bowling shirts, and Tommy Bahama may as well... although a quick google shows mostly short-sleeved versions at the top of the list. Still, worth the hunt, and easier to hunt by brand name than by style, methinks.
posted by nkknkk at 12:25 PM on October 15, 2007

Might want to check for "Rockabilly" shirts as well, as they're common in long sleeves and have a similar cut (if you stay away from those that are too western styled). When he dares some stripes and checks try Ben Sherman (comes in both skinny cut and wide cut) for some broad shouldered shirt comfyness.
posted by dabitch at 12:30 PM on October 15, 2007

Why do you need these? I'm having a hard time imagining an event where short sleeve lounge shirts are unacceptable but button down shirts and/or sport coats are too much. If you could tell us where or why he'll need these we might be able to come up with some acceptable alternatives.

(For example, if this is for formal (i.e. suit and tie) events a long sleeve guayabera would be perfectly acceptable, but you wouldn't want to wear one just to go to a local bar.)
posted by oddman at 12:39 PM on October 15, 2007

oddman - maybe he wants to be warmer?
posted by amtho at 12:44 PM on October 15, 2007

long sleeve guayabera - hawt, I'm getting one for my bowlingshirtaddicted man. For weddings and such I've gotten him some custom tailored Stenströms
posted by dabitch at 12:46 PM on October 15, 2007

If you've bought him any of the Cubavera line of guayabera and he's liked them, they make at least one in a long sleeve design - I have one. I would expect that means there's more.

oddman, she said "my exgoth boyo won't wear a button down or 'sport shirt'" so I think this means he finds the button downs too dull but might wear one with the guayabera styling.

Keying guayabera into Google products turned up several vendors and the first few pictures were even of long-sleeved varieties.
posted by phearlez at 1:07 PM on October 15, 2007

Seconding Nat Nast long sleeved silk bowling shirts (I recommended them in another thread, I swear I'm not on the payroll!). My husband has a few that are solid colors with either panels of contrast on the front, or just contrast stitching on the collar. They are lovely and very nice to the touch.
posted by pinky at 1:42 PM on October 15, 2007

I would not automatically suspect that you're trying to give him "help" he does not want, but you haven't mentioned anything about him wanting to find long sleeves that he would like. Does he want you to help him find long sleeve shirts that he would like wearing? Do you have reason to believe he would appreciate the help? I'm not trying to start a battle of the sexes here, but I'd like to offer some of my reasons for almost always refusing to wear long sleeves, since maybe your husband shares some of them. First, I just don't like the way I look in them. Now if my partner helped me find some I did like, even without me expressing me asking, I would indeed be grateful. But the other main reason I don't wear them is because find them uncomfortable. They offer less freedom. The cuffs often get in my way. Also, sometimes they are too hot. I do wear long sleeves, but only as an additional layer over a short sleeved shirt. I hate being in long sleeves, and not being able to remove them if it gets too hot. And the third reason, of course, is that I'm a stubborn man, and I just don't like them so there. If your husband refuses to wear long sleeves for either of the last two reasons (I know, the last one is irrational, but hey, it's just clothes), just let him wear short sleeves.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 1:46 PM on October 15, 2007

vintage cowboy shirts would probably fit the bill, at any good vintage store.

the following won't look like the kind of shirts you want when you look at the website, but up close they are waay cooler than plain old button-down shirts. my boyfriend is stylin' and picky and really into the kramery lounge lizard thing, and he buys these brands of shirts.

ben sherman shirts are styled vintage but are new and nice. the ones with the snap buttons are especially rockin'.
original penguin shirts are good too. ignore all the tucking-in that's pictured on the penguin website, those shirts look way better untucked.
posted by twistofrhyme at 4:16 PM on October 15, 2007

Could you just get some plain colored long sleeved t-shirts to wear under the short sleeved shirts he already has?
posted by puffin at 5:03 PM on October 15, 2007

oddman, he just wants to be warmer! It's not about formal, it's about looking nice at friend's parties or evenings out that don't require suit and tie. Parties around here end up with musicians playing in the garage or standing out by the fire pit.

And gauchodaspampas he doesn't 'refuse' to wear long sleeves, he wears them for work on business trips. He just doesn't want to wear work shirts when he doesn't have to. He actually likes my input and asks for it. Nearly everything (he's not a sweater guy, found that out) I've chosen works, I suspect this will be a good alternative to the short sleeves when it's colder here.

He's just got a desire for style, and now that he doesn't do the ubergoth thing, he'd still like to look good and wants some alternatives.
posted by pywacket at 6:39 PM on October 15, 2007

oh man and that should be TOO not TWO, maybe the fact I was just writing about a two year old will excuse that? Yargh.

Some excellent ideas on the page. The guayabera long sleeves he's not too fond of unless they don't have the bottom pockets. I know he likes cubavera, just need to find a DARK long sleeve.

Thanks everyone!
posted by pywacket at 6:50 PM on October 15, 2007

Basically, my husband wears shirts like this all-year round (as well as t-shirts) and in the colder times, just layers a long-sleeve long-underwear shirt under them.

I'm not saying it's the most stylish this but it works for him and I don't nag.
posted by Brittanie at 10:13 PM on October 15, 2007

Dickies long sleeve workshirts not only look great, but they're comfortable, inexpensive, and last pretty much forever. At some of the more old-school workwear places, they'll even embroider your name over the pocket for ya.

Also my favorite Aunt had a cat named Pywacket when I was a kid, and I always thought it was a made up name.
posted by billyfleetwood at 11:41 PM on October 15, 2007

Does it get cold enough to wear a light cotton jacket?
Maybe something like this That style of jacket is not at all constricting, and will let him get more or less warm as he wants.

There is also a style of jacket that goes very well with swing/bowling shirts that is much more casual than the linked jacket above. The kind I'm thinking of has a zipper front with elastic cuffs. Generally they are cut in a loose box and compliment the cut of the shirt very well. However I'm having a hell of a time finding a picture. (Aha, something like this. Though there are lighter versions.)

Basically, you might want to head down to some local thrift shops and take a look at the jackets.
posted by oddman at 5:02 AM on October 16, 2007

Thanks Oddman, that's the look we're going for. I knew I'd seen it somewhere and yeah, it's the 'you are so money," look :-)He has a jacket kind of like your third link and that's what he's been doing with the cooler nights we've had.

I'll look for some long sleeve black tshirts too, that's a good idea.

The Dickies and Ben Sherman shirts are a good possibility too. The Nat Nast shirts look amazing but J said he'd eat my head if I spent $170 on a shirt. We're looking for around $50 at most. I usually find his short sleeve shirts on sale at Nordstrom for that or less.

Thanks!
posted by pywacket at 2:55 PM on October 16, 2007