Undershirt Review: SPANX for Men Cotton Compression Undershirt
It all started back at the end of 2008 when the men’s shapewear market got world-wide visibility after a UK reporter described a new high-tech men’s slimming undershirt as the “new SPANX for Men”. Although the product was not actually made by Sara Blakely’s SPANX, Inc., the new company releasing that product clearly benefited from the powerful and ubiquitous SPANX brand awareness that Sara and her team have been painstakingly building for the last 12+ years.
As the news broke, rumors of a SPANX-brand line of men’s slimming undershirts leaked out, so I decided to reach out to see if anyone from Sara’s organization would care to comment. In late December of 08′ I did a little research, found a couple of contact names and sent them the following email:
Hello,
I write a fairly popular blog covering nearly every facet of men’s undershirts (undershirtguy.com).
Over the last month, there’s been a huge amount of buzz about [other men's slimming undershirt name removed], which is being touted by the media on the web as the new “Spanx for Men”. In the last month alone, my site has gotten over 10,000 visitors looking for information on their product.
I have been reading several articles that speculate that Spanx will be coming out with your own line of men’s compression undergarments. Wondering if you’d be in a position to verify whether or not it’s true and if so, could you provide additional details about your plans that I can share with my readers. I’d also be interested in reviewing the product in advance of its official market release, if possible.
Thanks for your time!
Tug
Although I was disappointed, I received no response. I touched base with them again in late January 09′, in March 09′, and then again in July 09′. It wasn’t until late July when I received the first response!
Hi Tug,
Thanks for checking back in. SPANX for men is still very much in the works, but I still don’t have much info. to share at this point. Please know that as soon as I do, I will give you a buzz and share it with you.
Congrats on the success of the site!
I’ll be in touch, M
After a few more email exchanges, they were kind enough to let me break the exciting news to the world.
Now, a little over a year and 250k visitors later, I am happily sitting here in front of my computer and lucky enough to be among the one of first people in the world to be wearing the new, just officially released, SPANX for Men Cotton Compression Undershirts as I write this review! I truly am a patient man 
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to reviewing the wonderful new SPANX for Men Cotton Compression Undershirts (S4MCCU or S4M)!!!
Here’s the line up of the SPANX Men’s Collection of products:
- Spanx for Men Cotton Compression Crew Neck. Suggested Retail: $58 USD. Colors: White, Black
>Product Code 8-43953-06191-5. RN 112121. SPX-607. - Spanx for Men Cotton Compression V-Neck. Suggested Retail: $58 USD. Colors: White, Black
>Product Code 8-43953-06171-7. RN 112121. SPX-610. - Spanx for Men Cotton Compression Tank. Suggested Retail: $55 USD. Colors: White, Black
>Product Code 8-43953-06161-8. RN 112121. SPX-611.
Fit – As with other men’s slimming / shapewear undershirts, the SPANX for Men CCU take a little effort to get into, but if they weren’t, they probably wouldn’t offer enough slimming/shaping benefits. The good news with these undershirts is that they are not too difficult to get on or off by yourself where you wouldn’t want to go through the effort on a daily basis. When I first took the v-neck undershirt out of its packaging and put it on, I immediately recognized that these undershirts were going to be very different from other men’s slimming undershirts. First of all, since the entire undershirt is made from the same material, consisting mostly of cotton with just enough spandex, it stretches to conform to your upper body area (shoulders, arms/sleeves, back) without being too tight to be uncomfortable or limiting your movement in any way. Second, if you look at the pictures above, or at the measurement table below, you’ll notice that the bottom width is a whopping 4″ narrower than the underarm-to-underarm chest measurements (which I have not seen before)! This design approach allows the wearer to have a more comfortable fit in the upper torso area, but still get a very good amount of slimming/shaping effects around the midsection and hip area – it’s a very good combination. Also, while the overall length measurements seem a bit on the short side, since the fabric stretches both horizontally and vertically, I was able to pull the bottom of the undershirt down beyond my greater trochanter area, which is where I think all undershirt bottoms should be cut to (look for an upcoming article about that too!). Another great attribute about the fabric content is that it not only allows you to pull it down far enough to stay tucked, the fabric kind of sticks to your hips and doesn’t roll up like other compression undershirts. One final thought, when I first put on the v-neck and crew neck, I did notice a little bit of “push down” effect on my shoulders where it felt like my shoulders were being pulled downward a bit. However, that only lasted a short while and I was fully comfortable wearing the undershirt all day long.
Crew Neck notes – same fit as the v-neck. Collar has about average “drop” (not too low, not too high).
Tank Top notes – same general fit mid section. good fit in the torso area. looks really nice on too (i’m kinda digging the tank top)
Here are the fabric blend and measurements of the 3 undershirts (laying flat):
| SPANX for Men (Medium) | Crew & V-Neck | Tank Top |
| Fabric Contents | 81% Cotton / 19% Spandex/Elastane | |
| overall length | 26″ | 25″ |
| width (underarm to underarm) | 18″ | 17.25″ |
| width (bottom) | 14″ | 13.75″ |
| shoulder strap length | 5″ | 1.75″ |
| sleeve length | 8.5″ | NA |
| Notes | 4.5″ front drop on v-neck 3″ front drop on crew |
NA |
Feel – I can sum up the feel characteristic in one word – Amazing. There are so many wonderful things to say about the way this fabric feels, I’m not exactly sure where to start. Since the SPANX 4 Men Cotton Compression undershirts are made mostly from cotton, you know they’ll be soft. I did notice that these undershirts are made in Egypt and from my past experiences, I’ve found egyptian cotton to be a lot softer than cotton made in many other foreign countries. The combination of cotton and spandex really feels nice on the skin and the folks at SPANX have made a good decision on the weight of the fabric as well. It’s thick enough to give you the function, but equally as breathable so the wearer won’t get overheated wearing it all day long. The fabric blend feels very similar to the Echelon from Jockey, which is still one of my favorite undershirts to date. I comfortably wore the v-neck and crew neck all day long over a two day period.
Function – I’ll talk about two aspects in the function department since I think they’re important to address.
- How does S4M CCU function as a regular undershirt alternative?
- How does it function compared to how it’s marketed?
One thing that sets this slimming undershirts apart from others in its category is that it looks more like a traditional undershirt than any of the other men’s shapewear undershirts I’ve tried so far. There are no distinctive markings or construction approaches (mixture of fabrics, stitching techniques, or fabric patterns) that make this undershirt look any different than any other standard undershirt. From a few feet away, this slimming undershirt pretty much looks like any other standard undershirt. That’s a really nice feature from my point of view. Also, the fact that this undershirt is made mostly from egyptian cotton, you get the absorption characteristics that are critical in keeping a guys outerwear clean and dry. Many other compression undershirts are made from synthetic fabrics which by design, are more geared to transfer moisture to the outside where it could be more prone to come in contact with the person’s outer wear. That’s not to say that it’s better than those others, it’s just an attribute to consider when you’re making a buying decision.
As for how the SPANX for Men Cotton Compression undershirt compares to how it’s marketed, there are seven bullet points on the attractive retail packaging. 1) firms chest, 2) narrows waistline, 3) flattens stomach, 4) improves posture, 5) supports lower back, 6) eliminates bulk under clothes, 7) breathable compression cotton. I would say, for me, these undershirts really performed well in the firming and flattening categories. I fully enjoyed how the undershirt flattened my chest and smoothed my stomach. Although I did not notice any measurable difference in my waistline, I did notice a visual streamlining as the shirt did a good job in pulling in my love handles so they didn’t stick out as much as they do when not wearing an undershirt. I really didn’t see and improved posture or lower back support, but honestly, I’m not buying one of these slimming undershirts for those reasons, so I’m not disappointed. Of course, it does well in areas #6 & #7, but that’s already expected.
Affordability – At $55 for the Tank Top and $58 for the v-neck and crew neck, they are priced well below Equmen and Sculptees, but priced comparably to RIPT Fusion (although RIPT doesn’t offer a tank). For every day wear, I really do still think that paying that much for a single undershirt is a little unrealistic, but that being said, if you’re looking for an undershirt that will smooth/slim/flatten you and actually look like a regular undershirt, I don’t think you’ll ever be sorry you dropped that kind of cash on a SPANX for Men Cotton Compression Undershirt.
Summing it all up – I think the best way to sum up this review is to share a blurb from an email I sent the folks at SPANX a couple of weeks ago after wearing the undershirt for a short while:
I would say that if I were looking to wear a slimming undershirt for a “night out on the town”, I would probably reach for my spanx CC undershirt first over some other of the slimming undershirts because it looks more like a regular undershirt. also, not taking anything away from the v-neck or crew, even though I don’t wear them very often, I really like the spanx compression tank and I think that will be a big hit with guys! love the packaging too – that will definitely stand out in the retail stores!
2/11/2010 Update – Ok, for fun I took some pictures of myself wearing the white v-neck spanx for men. Hopefully this will help show how the undershirts fit a “regular” guy.
You can click on the photos to enlarge them.
2/18/10 Update – Here’s video I found on bossip.com of Sara Blakely pimping out the new s4m product and having it modeled by Jamal Anderson (former NFL player). Man, does Jamal have some big guns.
03/13/2010 – Update – Spanx for Men’s News Segment from 3/12.
Category: Undershirt Reviews
[...] Undershirt Review: SPANX for Men Cotton Compression Undershirt [...]
Looks interesting, too bad the price is too high. I’ll probably order the ones from Slix, since that is a better price point for these types of undershirts. I guess these companies are aiming to sell their products to celebs and the wealthy and not the average guy. That’s too bad.
[...] Undershirt Review: SPANX for Men Cotton Compression Undershirt Tug Exclusive! The REAL SPANX for Men Product Launches on SPANX.com February 4, [...]
Making the assumption that you can buy these at the local target when marketed, I think I’ll wait til they go on sale. $50 is a lot to pay for an undershirt
hey pat! as far as i know, SPANX has no plans to sell S4M at Target. $50 is a lot to pay for an undershirt, but the slimming undershirt from SPANX is priced less than other major men’s shapewear undershirts and the same as RIPT Fusion. of course, there are other lesser-priced slimming undershirts (like bodymax, undergear, slix, manshape (tank)). so if you’re definitely interested in trying out a slimming/shapewear undershirt, but don’t want to drop the bigger bucks, you might want to try out those other ones. of course, i have no doubt that in the not-to-distant future we’ll start seeing even more less expensive men’s slimming undershirts – it’s just a matter of time.
hey matt. i’ll be doing my review of slix soon, so stay tuned! as far as the price is concerned, it is a little much to spend for an undershirt, but i really don’t see slimming undershirts as being a replacement for all your regular undershirts. that’d be a little crazy (assuming some guys might do that). think of buying a slimming undershirt like buying a nice suit, or a nice pair of dress shoes – you typically spend more money for those items, but you wear less often & on special occasions so they’ll last a long, long time. while i do like men’s slimming undershirts and think they have their place in the male wardrobe, i still can’t see wearing them every day of the week.
Tug, very informative and well written post, though it would have been even better if you had included a picture of yourself in a regular white undershirt and then in the SPANX compression undershirt so we could really see the difference.
Just have one question for you (and your readers): Who is the target audience/demographic for these products? I know “men,” but which men? Having done my own (informal) research and written about Spanx for men/compression underwear for men it seems the people (i.e., men) who would benefit from Spanx most either a) don’t like/wear undershirts; b) don’t like anything tight; or c) don’t see the benefit. And the buff young guys who are into trends/looking good don’t really need Spanx or compression underwear. But maybe I am just a clueless female (being a) female and b) not needing to wear Spanx or the like).
Answer?
I too would LOVE to se a real photo of these shirts in action. I am a graphic artist & the photos on the SPANKS website are not real. They are rendered in 3D design software. I don’t mind digitally “cleaning up” an image for a website, but I’d love to see a photo of the actual product before I buy!
hey talon, even though i’m a little shy, i’ll dig out mrs. tug’s digital camera and take some pictures wearing the s4m ccu. check back here tomorrow and i should have something for you to look at!
LOL! Thanks Tug! We’re all looking forward to the pics!
You can see a before and after shot of an average guy (not saying you are “average,” Tug) in a compression undershirt at http://www.thefrisky.com/tag/spanx+for+men/
Thanks J, but that is the BodyMax Shapewear in that photo. I was looking for real pics of the SPANX for men. My credit card is burning a hole in my wallet, but I’m trying to do my research before I impulse buy. LOL!
hey j – yeah, talon is totally right about those pics of being of the Bodymax shapewear undershirts from UK retailer marks & spencer. not sure if you saw the initial post i wrote about that product, but i’m a little suspect of that photo’s authenticity. i’m definitely an “average” size guy – i’m 5’9″ and have been floating around 172-175lbs for some time, just haven’t been working out very regularly so things are getting a little “soft”. but, i’m pretty excited because mrs. tug just bought us gym memberships (am I a kept man?) so once i get my head back in the game, maybe we’ll be able to see my abs sometime soon
i’ll be getting to those pictures a little later this morning. just got up, wiping the sleep out of my eye, drinkin’ my morning joe, and getting ready to start my day. be back later today with some undoctored photos.
Thanks for directing me to that post, Tug. I knew the image I linked to was not a Spanx compression undershirt but figured the result was similar. Looking forward to a “real man” demonstrating the benefits of Spanx for Men, especially as my spouse is 5’9.5″ and has a bit of a gut and could probably benefit from a little high-tech compression around his mid-section. (And a compression undershirt is probably less painful than spin class.)
Thanks Tug! Those are helpful pics. It looks a lot like a regular undershirt, but just more tapered & stretchy at the waist. I like how the chest area & shoulders isn’t really tight. Thanks for the help!
Tug…I LOVE my equmen vneck. was Spanx similiar in difficulty to get on and off? the spanx for men also looks loose on your arms. is it not form fitting in the biceps?
hey dan! to be honest, after you start wearing these men’s slimming undershirts, you kinda get used to them being a little tougher to put on. i wear my equmens (tank & short sleeve) during my work-outs and i really don’t find them very hard to get on and off any more. that being said, the spanx4men cotton compression undershirt is about the same to get on and off as my equmens – maybe slightly easier. also, the arms were a little more form fitting when i first put it on, but i’ve worn them several times and haven’t washed them yet, so while they are a little loose in the arms in the photo, i fully expect the arms to shrink back down after i put them through the wash. hope that helps.
so, dan sent in an additional question, so i thought i’d add in the email exchange we had here:
[dan]
just saw it. thanks for the reply. i wanted to ask you if you think it breathes better than equmen under dress shirts? my equmen doesn’t breathe that well so i only wear it to work out it.
spanx looks like it has less compression, but i’ve noticed other pictures on the internet of spanx and the sleeves still look loose around the biceps on some other site i noticed so i’m still a little skeptical. will probably check them out in neimans when they come out first
thanks again…love your website!
[my response]
what I’ve found is that the breathability factor is pretty subjective. s4m feels a lot more like a regular undershirt, but offers a good amount of shaping and flattening. equmen probably fits a bit tighter and may offer a bit more slimming, but looks and feels a bit more like a sports undershirt (kinda like under armor) than spanx 4 men. when I wore my equmen under regular clothes, it had a sort of cooling feeling when I wore it so I didn’t find any issues with it being breathable for me. although, due to it’s fabric content and design, the equmen rolled up a bit at the bottom. comparatively, since s4m is made out of a large percentage of cotton, it does breath pretty well, but I didn’t get the same cooling effect. as for the sleeves not being as form fitting as the equmen, well, some people may prefer that slightly looser fit in the arms/biceps. if you carry a little more fat around your bicep, a tight fitting sleeve could cause a bulge effect where the sleeve opening wraps around your bicep, actually making your bicep look a little fatter. thankfully, my biceps are a bit more toned (unlike my midsection) so both the equmen and s4m arm fits work good for me.
as for which one is better – well, that’s pretty subjective too. I assume that if you took 100 guys, gave them both to try on, half of them would like equmen more and the other half would like spanx for men more.
I would definitely recommend giving s4m a try when you can. thanks for reading!
I want to see The lady from Fox in a SPANX t Shirt
I came across this page while researching Spanx compression T-shirts for men to see what others had to say. I ordered the medium tank top, which I just got in the mail today. I am in good shape except for a pooch I have trouble working off. The Spanx shirt was pretty uncomfortable to try on; like trying to fit in a shirt that is two sizes too small. That being said, if it could make me look like some of the models they show wearing them, I’d suffer the squeeze for a night out on the town. I was squeezed mainly at the chest and abdomen, but there was not much of a difference that I could see in the stomach area. It did feel tighter, but overall, not much help. The shirts might work better for a heftier body, but I don’t think anyone would enjoy wearing Spanx T-shirts for more than a couple of hours. I will be returning the shirt ASAP. Gotta run do more crunches! No easy fixes with Spanx for me!
that’s too bad keith. i wore my spanx 4 men for nearly an entire day (for the review) and felt comfortable overall. that said, i would normally wear slimming undershirts for special occasions, for shorter periods of time, and not for every day wear.
if the shirts didn’t help your mid-section, you might want to try out the shapewear briefs from Manshape and/or 2(x)ist. They have wide waistbands that wrap around your stomach/love handles and are designed to shape up the midsection.
I received my Spanx tank this past Saturday. So far so good. It’s very effective in hiding the slight “belly” I have. I’ve been a jock all my life and have not slowed down even though I’m in my mid-50s. I’m on a low-fat diet with my wife and son. And I’m not over-weight. But, according to my doctor, “age and gravity takes over” regardless of diet and excercise. So if I can’t do anything “natutal” about it, I feel there’s no crime in hiding it. I’ll be wearing my Spanx tank to work (desk job) and to social functions, but NOT when I’m in the gym or playing softball. Tug, I know there are instructions for washing the Spanx, but what do you find works best for you? I would not want it to shrink.
hey cj, i’m a pretty no-nonsense guy when it comes to maintaining my undershirts. i prefer to buy undershirts where i don’t have to think or care about the care instructions provided, plus i’m not really allowed to do any laundry because mrs. tug doesn’t let me near the wash!! in saying that though, s4m is made out of cotton & spandex, so because of that, you’re pretty safe in washing it warm water and drying it on warm. of course, if you want to play it safe, then you’ll want to dry your s4m undershirt on a lower temperature setting or lay it flat to dry. personally, prefer to dry my undershirts in the dryer as opposed to laying them flat because i have found that they feel a little softer when tumbled dry plus they usually come out of the dryer fitting a little closer which i like.
I’m a late 50′s aged guy, a bit heavier than average at 6’2″ and 225 but nothing out of proportion. Not trying to be Fabio but I play in an Oldies Band… Just want something to corral the jiggle when I wiggle so I ordered two of the V necks just now. I’ll send you guys a report from a real guy. I’ll get some pictures too!
Thanks Undershirtguy… I took your advice and went for it. Also in the $58 V-neck Spanx does free ground shipping. Two of them was about $125 with tax.
I bought a tank version (large) this afternoon and could only wear it for a few minutes it was so uncomfortable. I have a 44′ chest and 38″ waist. Usually buy large t-shirts and I hesitate to try an xtra-large spanx, assuming it will be too loose to be effective.
Plus, I can’t imagine wearing this on a day that I am going to the gym, Putting it on, and taking it off, is so laughably difficult, it would be impossible in a crowded locker room!
hey cal! my pleasure. look forward to hearing the report!
hey rock, you ought to try looking at the sizing chart because at a 44″ chest and a 38″ waist, i wouldn’t think a spanx 4 men large would fit you best. i have a 38″ chest and a 34″ waist and I wear mediums very comfortably. but based on your size above, i’d think you’d be on the cusp of the extra large size.
even though you wear large t-shirts, that isn’t necessarily an indicator that you should wear the same size in a slimming undershirt, especially if you’re in between sizes. normally a large shirt is set for chest sizes 42-44, so looks like you could size up in a slimming undershirt.
i’ve worn nearly every slimming/men’s shapewear undershirt made today and while i agree that they are a little more difficult to get on and off then regular undershirts (expectedly), i wouldn’t find it too difficult or weird putting one of these guys on in a locker room with other guys.
the difficulty you’re experiencing is likely more due to getting a large instead of an extra large. of course the real trade off in fit is how much compression/ smoothing you want. if you want more and can fit into the large, the struggle of getting into it will be greater
but hopefully the results would be worth it.
i wear all my compression undershirts to the gym. in fact, sometimes i stack them – that means to wear two to three of them.
[...] Marcus is reporting that Spanx for Men are selling incredibly well. In some cases, they are sold out waiting for more [...]
Hi Undershirtguy, I’ve been following this Spanx thing since it started, I’m interested in tryining one, but I’m not sure what size to get (especially at $58 each). I have a 41 inch chest and a 34 inch waiste, I want a good slimming look, don’t care how hard it is to get into as long as when it’s on it’s comfortable and not trying to rip my arms off from the shoulder down. I’m thinking a medium? what do you think?
hey ma4! thanks for stopping by the site and posting your question. i have a 38-39″ chest and about a 34″ waist. i wear a size medium and it feels pretty good. i think a medium would fit you pretty good too, but would give a little bit more chest compression. but, i still think it would be comfortable. give that size a try, and if it doesn’t work out, email me and we’ll try to sell your medium here so you can buy a replacement.
Did Cal ever respond as to how his 2 V-neck Spanx worked out? He mentioned 0n 05/29 that he’d let you know and send some “real” pictures from a regular guy…..Thanks!
hey brian, i just sent an email out to cal to find out. stay tuned here for his update in the coming days.
[...] on May 29th, a reader by the name of Cal stopped by the site to read my Spanx for Men review and decided to post this comment: I’m a late 50’s aged guy, a bit heavier than average at [...]
Hello all, I purchased a Spanx v-neck black size Large undershirt at Neiman Marcus the other day at $58.00, tax not included. I’m a 27 year old 5’9″ 158lb guy. I normally wear medium-sized shirts when I go out anywhere (I used to be able to fit into small). I’m not quite the gym rat, and I do have a belly and not-so-hard pecs. I attempted to try on a Medium Spanx undershirt and I struggled extremely. I couldn’t even put it on in the dressing room! It was halfway overmy head with my arms up. Embarassed enough, I gave up trying (my arms got a bit sore after successfully removing the undershirt) and went a size up. I managed to put on the Large (it took me about a minute or two to put it on) and I was surprised to see the results. I look/feel like I’m wearing a corset! I’m not uncomfortable with the feeling, it’s just something to get used to. I’m wearing it right now and have been wearing it since this morning. Does anyone know if the shirt will shrink after washing the first time? Also, with frequent use, will it get looser?? I suggest for those who are considering to purchase a Spanx shirt to get a size up from what you normally wear, otherwise you will need someone to help you put the undershirt on each time you want to wear it. Definitely try it on first before you select a size to purchase. Don’t purchase an undershirt assuming that it will fit you!
hey mr. c! thanks for posting your comments about the new spanx for men sizing. i have washed my spanx4men several times and haven’t noticed any shrinking. also, I normally wear medium-sized undershirts, and the medium spanx 4 men fits me just fine, so I’m surprised that you had to size up one.