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.
This is most of why we print on a garment-dyed blank rather than a standard one. It arrives soft instead of stiff, because it has effectively already been through a wash before it reaches you. A shirt that feels good on the first wear has a chance of becoming a regular.
Size up rather than down
For an older recipient in particular, err roomy. The 1717 already runs 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: 2–3 business days on the press, then 7–9 in transit, so 9 to 12 business days in total. For a birthday or a holiday, place the order about three 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. On a change of mind or a wrong size, the return shipping is yours. If we misprinted it or it arrived damaged, everything is on us including a prepaid label. The detail is in the returns policy.
The designs most often bought as gifts are grouped under gifts for parents.