Remember me
Much like a good friend, the best T-shirts for men should be relied upon for comfort and support. Unlike a good friend, they should also represent a blank page on which to build a 'fit. As the ultimate foundational piece, a reliable stack of T-shirts ought to be the most trustworthy facet of your casual wardrobe, like the best shirts are for your formal one. That's not to say all T-shirts are created equal, however, and there are more than a few styles out there to choose from should you be building your wardrobe form the bottom up or giving it a seasonal refresh.
Here to help you pick your way through the vast selection available, here we've outlined the key styles that should feature in every man's tee wardrobe, from James Dean-approved plain white to the graphic stylings of Justin Bieber, Harry Styles and co., as well as a smattering of our editor's own picks. Below those, you'll find a wealth of knowledge from experts at three of our favourite T-shirt makers: Sunspel Design Director David Telfer, CDLP Founder Andreas Palm, and Arket's Menswear Concept Designer, Erik Schedin.
GQ Recommends testing Abercrombie. Shot by Bowen Fernie
What's in GQ's guide to the best T-shirts?
Whether you're aiming for an under-the-radar look that's as reliable as a vetiver fragrance or you're curating a ‘fit rotation that’s altogether more peculiar, a white T-shirt or ten is a true clothing essential. A crisp cotton top-layer performs exceptionally well with little more than a gold chain and a pair of blue jeans, but it can also act as the canvas onto which a thousand different combinations are painted. A plain white tee goes with chinos, it goes with suits, it even works well with leather trousers, should that be your persuasion. In short, if there's one T-shirt you need, it's a white one.
To paraphrase Christian Dior: you can wear a black T-shirt at any time. You can wear it at any age. You may wear it for almost any occasion. In sturdy cotton, or bamboo, or Tencel lyocell, a black crew neck tee will take you just as many places as white, with the added bonus of better disguising dropped lattes or ragu… and being more forgiving to clean when you do.
Colourful T-shirts
Unless you wear a white long-sleeve underneath, a colourful tee isn't going to make you look like Chris Martin on tour. Instead, opting for something bright but relatively muted will reveal the simple beauty of a cotton weave and add a new dimension to your go-to tee-jacket-jeans combination.
Graphic-print T-shirts
Do you own a band T-shirt of some kind? Congratulations, you've already kickstarted your graphic tee collection. Pray for excellent options the next time you're at a merch stand, and in the meantime, beef out your off-duty drawer with some fun designs from stouts to tennis rackets.
The long-sleeve tee will probably be forever tied up with the 2000's and 2010's, but you don't need to wear yours oversized in the skater mode like Anthony Jr from The Sopranos or Jesse Pinkman off of Breaking Bad (although, to be clear, we do condone this way of wear, too). Choose a well-fitting design — not too baggy, not too tight — in heavyweight cotton and you'll instead have something between a formal shirt and a less formal tee.
Oversized T-shirts
Calling all nostalgics! The impact of an oversized tee is large in both dimensions and aesthetics. Taking cues from the extreme oversized silhouettes of the '90s, this specific cut of tee dates back to the outlandishly large proportions worn by the then-biggest names in hip-hop culture. Fast forward to ‘25, and whilst you don’t need to be familiar with the entire Wu-Tang Clan discography to don the silhouette… we're not saying it wouldn't help.
Breton T-shirts
A T-shirt with serious vintage chops, the Breton stripe — typically appearing in a variation of black or navy on white or cream — was originally worn by French sailors before being repurposed for St Tropez and Martha's Vineyard and worn by everyone from James Dean to Pablo Picasso. Today, it remains a certifiable treat, particularly with slacks or (what else?) denim jeans.
Like the Breton stripe, the ringer T-shirt has a strong vintage history, though these tees — which are characterised by their contrast-colour crew neck — came a little later, first finding popularity in 1970s American youth culture. Today, they are seeing their fair share of exposure in designers' collections, communicating a sense of nonchalant, and often tongue-in-cheek, Americana.
T-shirts GQ staffers are buying this season
Here's an exclusive peek into our editorial team's own favourite foundational pieces. From simple embroidered tees to jacquard knits, this is what you can spot among the crowds at the office, from video and social to writers and freelancers. T-shirts à la team GQ:
Top-selling T-shirts
So, you know what GQ editors are shopping… but this relationship works both ways. Accessing our shopping data, these are the T-shirts that you're loving at the moment. Apparently, you lot can't get enough of plain white or black T-shirts… and who can blame you?
How do we select our favourite T-shirts?
Choosing products that are worth your money is the raison d'être of GQ Recommends, the shopping department at British GQ. Together, our team of menswear obsessives, led by senior commerce writer and part-time stylist Heidi Quill, scour the online and IRL rails in order to find the best in terms of quality, looks, material and value for money.
T-shirts are the bread and butter of everyone at GQ HQ's wardrobes, particularly because we abide by no dress code in the office. As such, the team has far exceeded the 1,000 hour rule when it comes to this fundamental wardrobe staple, having tried every kind from every brand (and plenty of bands, too). In this edit, we've coalesced all of that knowledge and hands-on experience with a selection of the best individual tees from the best T-shirt making brands.
How many T-shirts do I need?
It’s easy to stock up on a design that never feels outdated, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from our experts, it’s that quality should be your preference over quality. “A great T-shirt should hold its shape, feel better with every wash, and last for years,” David Telfer, Sunspel Dresign Director, says. “Most of our customers find the silhouette that suits them and stick to that style in a range of tones, so when you find the right T-shirt for you, I suggest investing in that style.”
Speaking more in numerical terms, CDLP Founder Andreas Palm shares his expertise. “In a modern wardrobe, five to ten well-cut tees in rotation is more than enough. A few for everyday wear, one or two kept crisp for going out, and a couple for travel or layering. Quality over quantity.” We hear (and echo) these thoughts.
How long should a T-shirt last?
Given that it’s one of the wardrobe pieces you probably have most on rotation, you’re probably wondering how long a T-shirt should realistically last. According to Arket’s Menswear Concept Designer, Erik Schedin, it’s way more than a few wears. “With the right cotton and weight, a tee should keep its shape and be part of your wardrobe for years – not just one season,” he says. “At Arket, we always design with this durability in mind.”
What is the best fabric for a T-shirt?
Quality T-shirts are ensured by quality fibres: a point which Sunspel’s Design Director, David Telfer, enlightens us on. “The material of your T-shirt should breathe well, feel smooth, and get better the more you wear it,” he explains. “To ensure this quality, you have to trace it back to the source, checking both the grade of the fibre and how it’s grown.”
Bearing this in mind, Supima cotton is the ultimate choice for Telfer. “We constantly trace this texture back to California where it’s sustainably cultivated. When we shape it into a classic T-shirt at our factory in England, we create a two-fold fabric, taking two very fine yarns and twisting them together to produce a material that is durable yet incredibly soft.”
The perfect combination of traits for everlasting wear, it’s a failsafe choice, but if you’re looking to level up with luxury, Telfer advises Sea Island Cotton. “It creates a fabric of unmatched luxury and softness,” he says.
CDLP Founder Andreas Palm prefers something a little different: “The best material balances comfort, breathability, and longevity. For me, that’s lyocell — a fibre made from wood pulp that’s softer than cotton, naturally breathable, and far more sustainable”.
What are the essential T-shirt weights to carry in your wardrobe?
The weight of a T-shirt is key in taking your basics from being, well, basic, to a solid style layer that paves the way for the rest of your outfit to soar. Mid-range menswear monarch, Arket, provides a premium range of options, and its menswear concept designer, Erik Schedin, shares his favourites. “I personally love our 220 gsm in a relaxed fit or the 270 gsm oversized for everyday wear. The roomier interlock tee also works perfectly as the top layer on its own.”
Sunspel’s Design Director, David Telfer, also weighs in on the weights. “The key with heavier fabrics is balance,” he says. “I don’t think they should ever become too stiff or bulky, because this can feel uncomfortable and compromise elegance. Refined yarns are so important to creating weight without losing the comfort.” This you’ll see through the British brand’s relaxed heavyweight design, which balances its extra long-staple Supima cotton with a carbon-brushed finish for that extra soft handle.
What T-shirt colours and patterns make sense for a modern classic capsule wardrobe?
As one of the finest purveyors of the aforementioned wardrobe, we trust in CDLP Founder Andreas Palm’s advice on the matter. “Stick to clean, neutral tones: white, black, navy, washed grey, and soft earth tones like sand or olive,” he answers. “They age well and transition easily across seasons.”
Sunspel’s Design Director, David Telfer, has a similar mode of thought. “It’s best to always say start with the essentials – white, navy, black, and grey marl – as they work with everything from denim to tailoring. Tones of blues and greens are always the most popular outside of those core colours, but increasingly muted tones of beige, brown and grey are popular to create a dressed up and elegant look under a blazer.”
And what about prints? “I would avoid loudly patterned designs,” Andreas Palm says. “If something doesn’t work with tailored trousers or under a blazer, it’s probably not a capsule piece.” We couldn’t agree more, and neither could David Telfer. “The core idea with T-Shirts is to keep it simple, timeless, and versatile, so you’re not constantly chasing trends.”