Buying a gift for someone is tough, especially the men in your life. Everyone’s tastes are different, but there are always great gift giving staples like *ahem* a new shirt (#shamelessplug). The trick is, you want to get him a shirt that fits...but you don’t want to let the cat out of the bag by outright asking him what size he is.

So, what’s the best thing to do when you’re just getting to know each other, but a gift card just won’t do?

Here are six tips on finding your man's shirt size without losing the element of surprise along the way:

Be a Borrower



You're probably eyeing up his big, comfy T-shirts already. Not only do they make great jammies, they're also the best tool you can have when shopping for your guy!

Not 'there yet?' A strategic spill of some wine or ice cream will give you everything you need to go shopping.

"Oh no! Let me throw that in the wash for you!"

*manically writes size info in concealed notebook*

Get Some Intel

Suggest a night out with his friends. When he finally makes a trip to the washroom (definitely remind them to keep hydrating), hit up his friends for any clues to the right size. With any luck they’ve borrowed clothes or gone shopping together, and will open the doors to the info you’re searching for.

Be warned that his male friends may not be the fountain of information that you need them to be. The male species tends to be oblivious to these sort of things.

Sneak a Look When He's in the Shower

For this one to work you need to be a little bit *serious* already (don’t make me spell it out for you). Suggest a couple’s shower, but before you hop in, tell him you’ll be a second. You’ll have all the time you need to check out any label you want on any of his clothes. Just don’t get caught, you’ll find yourself in hot water! #puns

Find a Comparison

Ever go to the store and think “holy crap, that's my boyfriend's doppelganger!” Use those evil twins to your advantage and ask them what size they are. Chances are they’ll be more than happy to share the info.

The “Let Me Fix That For You”

This one is pretty easy with some finesse. Just walk around behind him and tell him that his shirt tag is flipped up – with cat like reflexes and a quick grab you can pull the collar tag out, take note of the size, and voila! You just put it back into the shirt, and he won't even notice. +1 to Sneak.

If your guy is too tall, you’ll want to try this out when they’re sitting down to get the angles right.

Compliment + Squeeze

Sometimes you have to bait a hook to get a bit of info. Start up a conversation with your man and feed them a bit of misdirection – say “Whoa, have you been cutting carbs down? You’re looking real lean!” or “That work out you’ve been doing looks like it’s really working to bulk up!” The real info squeeze comes in when you follow up with “so have you needed to buy new clothes? You can’t still be the same size!” and boom – he will answer your question thinking it's plain old conversation. Very subtle.

Buying for your guy can be tough, but don’t be afraid of investing in a personal item like a hoodie, or a pair of shorts. All these tricks can work for you if you do them right – and they’ll put you one step closer to giving a gift that doesn’t need a gift receipt.