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The humble T-shirt is now wardrobe royalty. Every stylish person — no matter their profession, personal style, or body type — is likely on a perpetual hunt for the perfect tee. The best T-shirts can be worn with everything from shorts and sandals to jeans and sneakers to slacks and loafers, but it can’t just be any old tee.
At a Glance: The Best T-Shirt Brands 2024
Since the T-shirt’s rise to superstardom, every major brand has thrown its hat in the ring with at least a few tees. As any seasoned shopper knows, all of these options are surprisingly different — and not all of them are worth your dough.
The Best T-Shirt Brands of 2024, Tested
To help you find the best T-shirt brands, our style editors did the leg (er, torso) work of testing dozens of tees from top brands. We’ve tried workout tops from Rhone, budget-friendly beaters from Uniqlo, higher-end picks from Todd Snyder and Reigning Champ, and everything in between.
Editor’s Pick
Buck Mason Pima Cotton Tee
I’ve spent over a year with Buck Mason’s Pima cotton tee, and it’s my favorite T-shirt in my closet. It sits right below my hips, and the fit is roomy but still slim enough to wear under button-up shirts. The neckline is also just right: not too thick or too flimsy, and always laying flat on my collar, despite dozens of washes. The brand’s other tees are great too — check out their slub tee for a more soft, vintage feel.
Editor’s Pick
Abercrombie Premium Heavyweight Tee
Riding the Nineties/Oughts wave, heavy, boxy fit tees have come back into style over the last few years. One tee that nails that look is Abercrombie’s best-selling Premium Heavyweight Tee, which is tied for the No. 1 spot in my book. The 275g fabric and oversized fit combine for a slouchy, relaxed look, and the shirt feels thicker and more substantial than most. I also like the thick neckline to match.
Also Great
Gap Original T-Shirt
Gap’s tees offer some of the best value around. I’m also a big fan of their plain T-shirt categorization — heavyweight, classic (slim), and original (relaxed) — which makes it easy to shop. My personal favorite is the Original tee, which feels soft right off the rack, hangs nicely, and isn’t too long.
Budget Pick
Uniqlo Supima Cotton T-Shirt
Uniqlo is another great source for budget-friendly tees. My favorite is their Supima cotton tee, but many shoppers like their lightweight AIRism shirts. I love the Supima T-shirt’s unique thickness and weight, which is somewhere between a typical cotton tee and a heavyweight one. One note: It’s slightly on the smaller side, so if you’re generally between sizes (like me) go up.
Best Undershirt
Hanes Essentials Crewneck T-Shirt
I’ve kept a stock of fresh Hanes undershirts in my closet since I was a teenager. They’re slimmer and longer than most others on this list, but that’s what you want from an undershirt that’s tucked in and covered with a button-up, polo, or other shirt. The neckline is also dependably flat, which is another key for good undershirts.
Most Comfortable
Alex Crane Sun Tee
Made of 100% European linen, Alex Crane’s Sun Tee is aptly named. It inspires thoughts of beach days and vacations, hanging softer and more casually than even thread-bare vintage tees. The ultra-comfy tees are on the large side, however, so you may want to go a size down.
Classic pick
Todd Snyder Premium Jersey T-Shirt
For regular dudes just looking to be extra put-together for everyday life, Todd Snyder has some of the most lovable, stylish, and high-quality pieces out there. Among those pieces are their tees. This Premium Jersey tee is perhaps my favorite. It’s soft and a little thinner than some, which I actually love. It feels more like a vintage tee and works as an undershirt as well as a standalone piece.
Premium Pick
Reigning Champ Lightweight Jersey T-Shirt
Reigning Champ has nailed elevated basics. If I close my eyes and fumble around my pile of tees, I can pick out the Reigning Champ tees because they just feel so nice. The brand’s thicker tees are their most popular, but I’m partial to this Lightweight tee because it feels more versatile and cooler in the warm months.
Best Workout Tee
Rhone Atmosphere Tee
I think the best workout tees should be able to do more. Yes, they should wick sweat, avoid chafing, and provide maximum range of motion, but they should also be able to stop by the coffee shop, walk around the neighborhood, or keep me comfy on a long flight. Rhone’s Atmosphere tee is one such versatile pick, offering stellar performance in and out of the gym.
How We Chose the Best T-Shirt Brands
I’ve personally tested dozens of T-shirts over the years (even before becoming a fashion editor). To make this list, I drew from those years of personal experience but also amassed 25 of the internet’s most-loved Tees, all in one place, so I could test them side by side. I washed them (warm wash, regular dry cycle) to see how they changed, wore them during my day-to-day activities, and took some to the gym to see how they handled excessive sweat and movement.
Oscar Hartzog
While doing all this, I considered these key factors:
Fit: These days, T-shirts can be anywhere from tight to boxy, and it can be hard to figure out which is which sometimes. I compared the tees’ tightness in all areas, including the chest and shoulders, waist, and arms. I like having tees of different fits for different looks but go with the fit you reach for the most.
Length: T-shirt length is a battleground. Right now, the Team Cropped is winning with the style-savvy dudes. By a cropped tee, I don’t mean one that shows the midriff (although that is cool), but rather a tee that sits around your beltline. Longer tees are still good for tucking in (as an undershirt), but you don’t want your T-shirt to go past your butt.
Feel: Even though most of the best tees are made of similar fabrics, they feel very different. Softness, weight or thickness, and stretchiness all change from shirt to shirt. You can check a shirt’s material makeup, but the only way to really know is to feel the shirt in person.
Durability: The only way to truly test a T-shirt’s durability is to wear it for years. That wasn’t really possible for me, so I had to dig through reviews for this portion of my research. I looked for reviews that mentioned years of use and how the tees held up. Some deterioration is normal with heavy wear, but shouldn’t be severe in the first couple of years.
After finding my favorite tees, I made sure that all were available online with sufficient stock and had an average customer rating of at least 3.7/5 stars.
