I've talked about it before, and I will continue to mention it, but concealed carry takes practice and experimenting. I make every attempt to keep with my overall style and make adjustments where I see fit. One of those adjustments are the shirts I wear. I am a die hard t-shirt and jeans kind of girl but have come to realize that expanding my shirt game outside of a plain black tee has made concealed carry that much easier. As women, we don’t have to completely change our wardrobe to fit this lifestyle.

This doesn’t mean you can’t carry in a plain t-shirt or top, you absolutely can, and I still do. As I’ve always said: it’s about having options. Below you’ll find four shirt styles, some of which you probably already have in your closet, that will work for concealed carry. Some may have been relegated to the back of your closet so it might be time to pull them back out and give them a second look.

Where you might have overlooked some of these shirt styles in your pre-carry life, start paying closer attention to what a shirt has to offer in terms of details. The foundation of a good concealed carry shirt is one that will conceal your firearm, minimize printing (the outline of the gun on the shirt), and allow for ease of access. However, the latter can be mitigated with training and practice in the shirts you wear.

What makes these four shirt styles the best for concealed carry is they all have one thing in common, well actually two. First, the details of these shirt styles help distract the eye from what could possibly be underneath and allow for much easier concealability. Even if there might be minimal printing in a shirt, it's easily waved off because it’s not expected that as a woman you would be carrying, and the details trick the eye. And second, they are cute!

patterned & printed tops

The simplest of all shirts to consider is a printed top. Something with a pattern like stripes (as you can see is my preference), floral, plaid, or whatever it may be they are all great options for carrying.

— Concealed Carry Details —

{LOOK ONE} Self-Defense Tool: TASER Pulse*| Holster: Sticky Holster | Knife: CRKT Cobia
{LOOK TWO} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: Can Can Concealment
{LOOK THREE} Self-Defense Tool: TASER Pulse*| Holster: Sticky Holster | Flashlight: SureFire Stiletto

{check out the discount codes page for holster discounts}

— Outfit Details —

{LOOK ONE} Top: Nordstrom | Jeans: Paige Denim | Shoes: Christian Louboutin ‘So Kate’ Pump | Bag: Chanel | Lipstick: Bite Beauty in ‘ Tannin’
{LOOK TWO} Shirt: Gap | Shorts: Nordstrom | Shoes: Soludos
{LOOK THREE} Shirt: Rails | Jeans: Topshop | Shoes: Saint Laurent | Bag: Leather Couture | Necklace: Bauble Bar | Lipstick: YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-in-Stick Lipstick in 84

button down shirts

I love the versatility of button down shirts as they can be worn a number of ways to suit your look. Whether you like a more structured and polished look or something more relaxed, it’s a style that suits everyone. And a great tip for making a button down shirt work for concealed carry is to try the partial tuck.

— Concealed Carry Details —

{LOOK ONE} Self-Defense Tool: Heckler & Koch VP9SK | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone
{LOOK TWO} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone
{LOOK THREE} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone
{LOOK FOUR} Self-Defense Tool: Heckler & Koch VP9SK | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone

{check out the discount codes page for holster discounts}

— Outfit Details —

{LOOK ONE} Top: Nordstrom | Jeans: Paige Denim | Shoes: Christian Louboutin ‘So Kate’ Pump | Bag: Chanel | Lipstick: Bite Beauty in ‘ Tannin’
{LOOK TWO} Shirt: Zara | Jeans: AG Jeans | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Shoes: Modern Vice
{LOOK THREE} Shirt: Rails | Jeans: Topshop | Shoes: Saint Laurent | Bag: Leather Couture | Necklace: Bauble Bar | Lipstick: YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-in-Stick Lipstick in 84
{LOOK FOUR} Shirt: Rails | T-Shirt: Gap | Jeans: AG Jeans | Bag: Proenza Schouler | Shoes: Modern Vice

tie-front/knot front shirts

The great thing about shirts that tie or knot in the front is that you don’t necessarily have to purchase that style, you can achieve the same look with a regular button down shirt or a longer t-shirt. With a button down shirt, leave the last one or two buttons unbuttoned and tie the two tails of the shirt together. With a t-shirt, you can knot the excess material in the front to create a center knot or side knot. And having the knot/tie in the front creates a small "pocket" so-to-speak around the front of the waist that your self-defense tool can sit behind. You'll have to do some adjusting with how tight or high you want the knot but you can still achieve this same effect, which is a great concealed carry option.

— Concealed Carry Details —

{LOOK ONE} Self-Defense Tool: Heckler & Koch VP9 | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone
LOOK TWO} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: Blacksmith Tactical | Flashlight: SureFire Stiletto
{LOOK THREE} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone

{check out the discount codes page for holster discounts}

— Outfit Details —

{LOOK ONE} Top: Nordstrom | Jeans: Blank NYC  | Shoes: Vince Camuto | Bag: Balenciaga
{LOOK TWO} Shirt: Nordstrom | Jeans: Rag & Bone {similar} | Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff | Necklace: Bauble Bar
{LOOK THREE} Shirt: Nordstrom | Jeans: Rag & Bone {similar} | Shoes: Gucci | Bag: Givenchy

peplum/ruffle hem tops

The peplum/ruffle hem tops was a style that I didn’t really like in my pre-carry life. However, as I started shopping with a new eye I realized that this style shirt was a great option for carrying. This style shirt tends to be more fitted through the upper body and as it hits your waistline the shirt flares out. This makes for easy accessibility to your self-defense tool and almost no printing.

One thing to keep in mind when opting for a shirt style like this is be mindful of those windy days especially if the fabric of the shirt is lighter. A big wind gust might blow the hem upwards revealing what you are concealing. Similar to how wind can sometimes cause our skirts to expose our derriere, the same can occur with this style top.

READ MORE: The Women’s Ultimate Guide to Dressing for Concealed Carry

— Concealed Carry Details —

{LOOK ONE} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone
{LOOK TWO} Self-Defense Tool: Heckler & Koch VP9SK | Holster: Blacksmith Tactical | Belt: Rag & Bone
{LOOK THREE} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: StealthGearUSA | Belt: Rag & Bone
{LOOK FOUR} Self-Defense Tool: Glock 43 | Holster: Blacksmith Tactical | Belt: Rag & Bone

{check out the discount codes page for holster discounts}

— Outfit Details —

{LOOK ONE} Shirt: Nordstrom {similar} | Tank: Commando | Jeans: Paige Denim {similar} | Bag: Chanel
{LOOK TWO} Sweater: Treasure & Bond | Shirt: Caslon {similar} | Jeans: Rag & Bone | Bag: Chanel
{LOOK THREE} Shirt: Nordstrom [similar} | Jeans: Blank NYC | Bag: Chanel
{LOOK FOUR} Shirt: Nordstrom {similar} | Jeans: Blank NYC  | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff