A white T-shirt is the easiest thing in a wardrobe to buy badly. They look identical under shop lights, and the difference only appears after three washes, when one has gone transparent and another has a collar that flops forward.
We looked at fabric weight, knit construction, collar attachment, published shrinkage and return policies. No pretence of wearing them for months. Just what the specifications and the owner complaints say.
The short version#
If you want one shirt and a tape measure to check it against, buy Asket The T-Shirt. If you want a tee with actual body, Lady White Co. Our T-Shirt is the one that feels like cloth. The Uniqlo Supima is the sensible drawer-filler, Everlane sits in the middle, and Whitesville is for anyone who likes a dry, dense jersey.
The five, in order#
Asket The T-Shirt
Best for people who want the numbers before they buy
Asket publishes what other brands keep quiet: where the cotton comes from, what the shirt costs to make, and how long the body is. The tee is a mid-weight organic cotton crew with a properly set-in ribbed collar. The short, regular and long lengths solve hems that stop above the belt or bunch at the hip; check the shrinkage figure against a shirt you like.
What works
- Chest, length and sleeve measurements for every size
- Three lengths for different torsos
- Opaque mid-weight cotton
- Traceable mill and published cost breakdown
What doesn't
- Core colours restock slowly
- Softens rather than gaining weight
- No pocket options
Lady White Co. Our T-Shirt
Best for people who dislike thin jersey
Lady White makes the tee that converts people who thought they hated white tees. The jersey is around 6.5 ounces, dense and dry, and held against a window it does not turn into a shadow puppet. The tubular body has no side seams to twist, and the collar keeps its shape. It is not a slim fit.
What works
- Dense 6.5 oz jersey that stays opaque
- Tubular body that does not twist in the wash
- Collar keeps its shape
- Made in Los Angeles
What doesn't
- Sold in packs, not singly
- Warm in a heatwave
- Boxy through the chest and waist
Uniqlo Supima Cotton Crew Neck T-Shirt
Best for drawers that need six of something
Supima is a long-staple cotton, so fewer fibre ends poke out and the surface stays smoother than a cheap carded cotton. The fabric is lighter than the others here, which makes it a good layer under an oxford. The collar is the weak point: by the end of a summer it lies flatter than it did in the packet.
What works
- Long-staple Supima cotton at a low price
- Light enough to wear under a shirt
- Widely stocked and easy to replace
What doesn't
- Collar relaxes within a season
- Thin enough to show an undershirt
- White fades to grey
Everlane The Organic Cotton Crew
Best for one shirt that does everything
Everlane's crew is the shirt you buy when you want better than Uniqlo and cannot justify the Swedish price. The cotton is soft without being flimsy and the body is cut straight rather than boxy. The sleeves run a little long and the white is warm rather than optical.
What works
- Mid-weight cotton with a clean cut
- Organic cotton and a published factory list
- Holds shape better than the price suggests
What doesn't
- Fit shifts between colours
- Hem runs long on short torsos
- Returns are slower than a shop
Whitesville 2-Pack T-Shirt
Best for a denser, vintage-feeling jersey
Whitesville makes basics the way workwear brands do: heavier than necessary, with a dry hand and a collar that stands up. The colour is closer to cream than bright white, so it looks less like underwear. Sizing is genuinely Japanese, so check the chest and consider going up one.
What works
- Dry-handed cotton with a slightly rough surface
- Tubular body and a short, sturdy collar
- Warm off-white that hides minor marks
What doesn't
- Sizing runs small and short
- Limited stock outside specialist shops
- Stiff until a few washes
What decides whether you wear it#
Fabric weight. Under 5 ounces is an undershirt. Around 5.5 to 6.5 ounces is a shirt you can wear alone. Above 7 ounces is a look as much as a garment, and it will be warm.
The collar. A rib that is folded and stitched into a taped neckline holds its shape. A flat strip of the same jersey sewn on will wave within a month. Pull it gently in the shop; if it stays stretched, put the shirt down.
Shrinkage and fit. Cotton jersey shrinks in length more than width. Expect a few percent after the first wash, more on cheap tubular knits. Shoulder seams should sit at the edge of your shoulder, and the body should skim the ribs without pulling.
Keeping white white#
Wash inside out, cool, with other whites. Skip fabric softener, which leaves a film that traps oils and dulls the cotton. Use oxygen bleach rather than chlorine for anything grey or yellow; a warm soak in sodium percarbonate does more than a hot wash.
Underarm yellowing is usually aluminium from antiperspirant reacting with sweat proteins. A paste of oxygen cleaner left on the stain for an hour works better than scrubbing. Direct sun is a mild bleach of its own.
Questions people ask#
Why do white tees go yellow under the arms?#
Mostly antiperspirant, sweat and hot washing. The aluminium compounds react with sweat proteins and leave a residue that ordinary detergent will not shift. Switch to an aluminium-free deodorant, soak the area in oxygen cleaner, and do not iron the stain, which sets it.
Should I size up for shrinkage?#
Only if the shirt is not pre-shrunk and you are already at the top of a size. Most decent jersey is washed before sale and will shrink a couple of percent. Sizing up usually just gets you shoulders that are too wide.
Is an expensive white tee actually better?#
Better cloth, a stronger collar and more consistent sizing are real. Whether they are worth four times the price depends on how often you wear it. Buy the cheap one first, see where it fails, and spend on the part that bothers you.
White tees are a consumable, not an heirloom. Find one that fits, buy enough of them, and treat the collar as the part that decides when the shirt is finished.
