A sentimental shirt has a particular failure mode. It is opened, it is appreciated, it is worn once for the photograph, and then it lives in a drawer. Usually that is not about the sentiment. It is about the shirt.
Comfort decides everything
The main reason a gift shirt stops being worn is that it is not comfortable. A stiff, thin blank with a heavy plastic print feels like a novelty, and people do not reach for novelties on a Tuesday.
A shirt that feels good on the first wear has a chance of becoming a regular one. That is worth more than the design being loud.
Size up rather than down
For an older recipient in particular, err roomy. Our shirts already run relaxed, so their usual size gives a comfortable fit rather than a tight one. If you are guessing between two sizes, take the larger.
A useful shortcut: rather than asking their size directly, ask them to measure a shirt they already like and send you the chest width across the flat garment. The size guide converts that into a size.
Choose the color for their wardrobe, not for the design
The temptation is to pick the color that makes the print look best. The better question is what they already wear. Someone whose closet is navy, grey and denim will wear True Navy or Blue Jean; they will probably not wear Blossom.
When in doubt, Ivory, Grey and Pepper go with nearly everything.
Quieter designs get worn more
A large, loud graphic reads as an occasion shirt. A smaller, more restrained one reads as a shirt. If the goal is something worn often rather than something worn once, the quieter design usually wins — even if the bold one gets the bigger reaction when it is unwrapped.
Order earlier than feels necessary
Every shirt is printed after it is ordered by our production partner in China: 3–5 business days on the press, then 8–12 in transit, so 11 to 17 business days in total. Import duties are paid by us, so nothing is charged on delivery — but for a birthday or a holiday, place the order about five weeks ahead and you will not be watching tracking.
If the size is wrong
Returns are open for 30 days from delivery, unworn and unwashed with tags on, and there is no restocking fee. We send a prepaid label to our California returns center and pay the return shipping whatever the reason — a wrong size, a change of mind, or a fault on our side. You can also exchange for a different size or color instead of taking the refund. The detail is in the returns policy.
The designs most often bought as gifts are grouped under gifts for parents.