What Makes a Good T-shirt? - Topic of the day 7/9/25
A surprisingly complicated question for a relatively straightforward item of clothing, what does make a good t-shirt to you and who makes it? If it's quality, what specific things are you looking for (resistant to wear or to wrinkling, etc)? If it's visual interest, what is interesting (silhouette, cutouts, etc.)? If it's something else, then what? Looking for direct advice on what t-shirt to buy? Search
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19 Replies
Anyone have $1000 on hand so we can figure this out?
But really for me lately it's a mix of cut and fabric weight. Summers where I live are pretty humid. Unfortunately I acquired a merz b schwanen shirt for pretty cheap and now I'm spoiled by it
Cut matters over all and everything else is secondary for me, but in order of importance
Feel - Does it breathe, is it soft on skin, cooling, warm, etc. Really important this time of year
Texture, drape, visual interest, dye, etc - is it neppy, does it drape well or is it stiff, etc
Last is probably some sort of "quality"/construction characteristics. I care, but only a little and only if I actually like the other things about a shirt
im fine cheaping out on tees but the biggest difference ime is sillhouette 95% of the time. usually nicer tees i try have a length that feels intentional compared to whatever random target hanes tee, which is sized for anyone wearing a medium who is between 5'8" and 6'5"
not that its all about length, but thats the part im the most picky about (pause)
ime most of the time the material is pretty much consistently passable above like $30. sometimes something really impresses me like arpenteur tees, but id have a hard time justifying prices above $75 on a tee generally
If it's 100% cotton and thick it is probably durable and can get washed countless times
A good print.
p much all my tees are prints, and if the blank sucks ill at least hem it
i love rawburtohs list and for me the cut is super hard to pin down- how does the neckline hang, and how tight... how long are the sleeves and how do they "terminate" (idk the right term, basically what the hems look like), the cut of the chest and waist along with how the fabric drapes between them, how the hem curls up or does not, all are really fickle things which are hard to pin down
For me, a t shirt is a spontaneous thing. I was going to joke that what makes a good t shirt is the price tag, but actually I find myself liking my expensive tees less because I have this *expectation * for them that does not live up when i get picky on details. So either I can get even pickier on details and spend $1000 on white tees, or I can find the middle way and enjoy t shirts for what they are. I feel super comfortable in my shitty cheap tee shirts, they don't look good, but I feel good. For some situations thats what matters, sometimes I want to be more picky on looks.
but right now im interested in finding some big flowy t shirts with a nice crop
Honestly I was really skeptical of them just being expensive t shirts, but my lemaire tees are my favorite shirts by far and are pretty much exactly what I want in a tee right now. Esp the cotton linen ones
Cut is perfect for me, material feels amazing, drape is good. Construction is good enough
I've rotated through all the major t-shirts brands at some point and the only one that does it for me is tezomeya in their largest size, because I like the natural texture, simple boxy-enough cut, and natural dyes
the product pics for tezomeya make it seem like the collar hem is massive, is this the case? And possibly tight around the neck. This has been my hesitation, otherwise they look great for the reasons you mention
I don't think so personally - the knit on these is super loose so some of the stitching/hems are a bit more natural looking/less structured. But I don't think I've ever thought it was too large
thanks
i like some of their designs too I'll keep an eye out
Does length matter that much when you can hem?
Yeah, I think there is a beauty in t shirts as "cheap, uncomplicated garments".
Some of my fave tees are bsnd tees that are by now almost 10 years old, full of lil holes and slightly threadbare and they feel "right" this way in a way that a patchy, threadbare suit would not.
The lightest non fine cotton t shirts have worked the best for me with flowy textured fits
My criteria: fits well, 100% cotton, $25 or less.
want
kapital gauze t is my favorite but i can’t find them anywhere and haven’t looked that hard on proxy
so soft
good cut
Do you tuck your lemaire tees in?
Usually yeah but I like them both tucked and untucked