In menswear’s hierarchy of needs, the T-shirt lies at the base of the pyramid. The best T-shirts for men, though, are more than foundational basics—just add a pair of rugged blue jeans à la Marlon Brando (or, for that matter, Jeremy Allen White), and the right one can be a big fit in and of itself.
Under normal circumstances, the sheer abundance of tees on the market would make narrowing down the options to a compact list kind of tricky. Thankfully, these are not normal circumstances. Because over the course of the last few years, the GQ Recommends squad trekked across the vast, overgrown T-shirt landscape and returned home with the booty: an infallible list of the 14 absolute best tees for men, regardless of style, budget, or situation. And if you're chasing for the perfect plain tee, our guide to the best white T-shirts has you covered.
The Best Men’s T-Shirts, According to GQ
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Best T-Shirt Overall: Uniqlo Supima Cotton T-Shirt
Naming an overall best T-shirt is difficult, particularly when there are so many different kinds of tees with different purposes, materials, silhouettes, colors, and price points. But for most people, our simple, straightforward “just get this” answer is Uniqlo’s Supima Cotton T-shirts. They’re a step and a half above the brand’s more affordable options, sure, but they squeeze more value out of that extra investment better than every other tee we’ve seen.
The fabric is the star and is made of a 100% Supima cotton, a highly sought-after material that’s both more durable and silkier than the regular cotton you’ll find on most other styles. It’s knit into a middle-weight jersey that’s perfect for year-round wear. And it’s cut into a classic fit that’s long enough to tuck, but short enough to leave untucked (plus, it’s easy to size up or down to achieve a tweaked fit). Do we wish the best overall T-shirt was a little cheaper. Yeah. Do we wish it was a little nicer? It’s difficult to see how much better it can already be.
| Material | 100% Supima cotton |
| Weight | Mid-weight |
| Fit | Classic |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | XXS-3XL |
Best Budget T-Shirt: Gildan Hammer Tee
Gildan is a household name that’s been churning out some of the best basics at the best prices for decades. It’s a go-to brand for anyone who needs to stock up on the foundational style elements or for folks trying to make merch or jumpstart their budding streetwear label. Gildan’s Hammer T-shirt is among its best products for its hefty all-cotton jersey fabric, solid construction, and timeless fit. They come to about half the price of Uniqlo’s Supima cotton competitor, and if you’re not really worried about whether or not you can describe your tees in terms of silky-ness, then you’ll be glad you saved the extra dough.
| Material | 100% U.S. ring spun cotton |
| Weight | Mid-weight |
| Fit | Straight fit |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | S-4XL |
Best Upgrade T-Shirt: Lady White Co. Our T-Shirt
I’ve been chasing The Perfect White T-shirt for as long as I can remember. But after poring through dozens and dozens of plain white tees, my favorite comes from Lady White Co. The LA-based brand has an intense hyperfixation on all things jersey and knits which has resulted in a gang of killer sweaters, sweatpants, and yes, tees. Their flagship tee, the ‘Our T-Shirt’ has been with the brand since the very beginning thanks to its deft combo of American cotton, tube-knit design, next-level quality, and pitch-perfect fit.
From the cotton seeds to the final product, the tees are all made within just a few miles of each other in Southern California. And while $55 might be a lot to spend on a single T-shirt, I can vouch for its durability. It took me nearly a decade to wear out my Lady White tee before I finally bought another—but to this day, it’s the only tee that I’ve ever gone back and bought twice.
| Material | 100% US cotton |
| Weight | 6-oz., midweight |
| Fit | Straight |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | S-XL |
Best Heavyweight T-Shirt: Buck Mason Field-Spec Cotton Heavy Tee
Buck Mason's Field-Spec tees are fast becoming a favorite for menswear lovers thanks to the weighty feel, soft hand, and slightly cropped length. Sure, it costs $62, but you can bet you'll be wearing it for at least a decade. I have a feeling you'll like them so much you won't wait that long before you re-up. Unless you’re a nerd like me, you probably won’t get many compliments on your T-shirt. But more people have called out this T-shirt than any other in my wardrobe by a long shot.
For more options, check out our complete guide to the best heavyweight T-shirts for men.
| Material | 100% cotton jersey |
| Weight | 310 GSM, heavyweight |
| Fit | Classic, slightly cropped |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | XS-XXL; tall |
Best Undershirt: Calvin Klein Cotton T-Shirt
Advancements in undershirt technology have infused T-shirts with sweat-wicking and odor-blocking properties and Stretch Armstrong levels of elastane, but nothing quite compares to a plain ‘ol cotton T-shirt like the ones from Calvin Klein. They’re plain, simple, uncomplicated, and just classic. They're made with super soft 100% cotton and are cut long enough to tuck into your pants as a supporting role or stand on its own as the lead with a pair of blue jeans and boots.
GQ senior commerce editor Avidan Grossman prizes Calvin Klein's riff for its simple, pared-down design and blessed lack of modern-day frills. “Fellas, not every shirt needs to moisture wick or odor block,” he says. “If you just want an undershirt that gets the job done, don't overthink it.”
For more options, check out our complete guide to the best undershirts for men.
| Material | 100% cotton |
| Weight | Lightweight |
| Fit | Straight |
| Neckline | Loose crewneck |
| Sizes | S-XXL |
Best Cropped T-Shirt: Abercrombie & Fitch Vintage-Inspired Cropped Tee
Our favorite cropped T-shirt right now comes from Abercrombie & Fitch. With vintage details like reversed seams and a lived-in faded wash, it feels like a shirt you would hope to find in a well-curated vintage store. The fabric itself is double-hefty and has a beautifully structured drape while maintaining a soft hand. And the boxy fit, roomy sleeves, and hip-grazing length are in a golden ratio all their own. Now all you have left to do is choose your favorite color.
GQ contributor (and noted cropped-tee enthusiast) Jake Woolf put us onto Abercrombie's version, and he touts its dense, premium heavyweight cotton and range of colors, each of which looks perfect with the brand's shockingly affordable line-up of jeans, cargos, and pleated trousers.
| Material | 100% cotton |
| Weight | 210GSM, Mid-heavyweight |
| Fit | Boxy, cropped |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | XS-XXL; tall |
Best Vintage-Like T-Shirt: Levi's Vintage Clothing 1950s T-Shirt
The reproduction arm of Levi’s is known for making some of the most wildly accurate revivals of archival designs on the market. While that mostly goes for its unparalleled stock of jeans and denim jackets, Levi’s Vintage Clothing is also known for its retro-soaked T-shirt. The 1950s tee jumps straight out of the black-and-white television set with an unhinged sex appeal that can be summed up as Jeremy Allen White before Jeremy Allen White.
It’s got a slightly wide crew neck with a slightly cropped sleeves and a sveltely tailored body—just like they used to make ‘em. We wouldn’t hold it against you for trying to haggling your local vintage dealer into selling you their authentic one (we’ve been there), but the good news is that you don’t have to sour your relationship with your vintage plug.
| Material | 100% cotton jersey |
| Weight | Midweight |
| Fit | Classic, slightly slim |
| Neckline | Crew |
| Sizes | S-XL |
Best Graphic T-Shirt: Stüssy Basic Graphic T-Shirt
Graphic tees can be a highly personal experience. But if you’re not looking for a vintage graphic tee that hits you in the gut with nostalgia and just want one that looks cool without having to dig through piles of secondhand clothes, Stüssy's array of styles is infallible. The graphics are always slick, always subversive, always cool—in other words, timeless. And they’re not some janky screenprint on generic blanks, either. The fabric is a solid mid-to-heavyweight cotton jersey and the graphic quality is top notch and ages well. You don’t have to be a diehard Stüssy fan or even know how to ride a skateboard to get into it either.
| Material | 100% cotton jersey, 220 GSM |
| Weight | Midweight |
| Fit | Relaxed fit |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | S-XXL |
Best Dressy T-Shirt: Stòffa Cotton and Silk-Blend Pique Tee
In 2025, tees have reached heights that they were never meant to reach and Stòffa is our favorite example. Of course, it starts with the fabric which is almost half silk. Yes, silk. But it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a going-out shirt, ready for a spate of nightclubs. It’s breathable, structured, and still decadently smooth because it’s knit into a piqué fabric—the same kind of material used for classic polo shirts. Add to that the elegantly relaxed silhouette (because why would you wear this tucked in and hidden underneath other layers?) and you’ve got a tee that’s meant to be seen and flexed. Of course, you’ll pay out the nose for such a lavish gift. But you already knew that.
| Material | 56% cotton, 44% silk |
| Weight | Midweight |
| Fit | Oversized |
| Neckline | Wide crewneck |
| Sizes | 4-56 |
Best Merino Wool T-Shirt: Outlier Ultrafine Merino One Cut Tee
Merino wool, as it turns out, is a perfect material for performance fabrics. It regulates temperature, is moisture-wicking and odor-blocking, all totally naturally. So when you get the mad scientists at Outlier to use it for a T-shirt, you know it’s going to be great. They’ve opted for some of the best merino wool they can get their hands on which is an ultrafine two-ply, 16.5 micron merino wool that’s soft, lightweight, and buttery smooth. While other merino tees cut the fabric with synthetic materials, Outlier’s uses no filler. The result is a tee that’s unbelievably lightweight, luxurious, and gorp-y. If it we could describe it as a car, it would be a sportscar, SUV, and luxury sedan all in one.
| Material | 2-ply, top-capped, tight spectrum 16.5micron merino wool |
| Weight | 190 GSM |
| Fit | Classic |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | XS-XXL |
Best Sustainable T-Shirt: Everybody.World Trash Tee
The world truly does not need any more clothes, let alone another T-shirt. But if you’re gonna buy a new T-shirt and want to do your best to minimize your carbon footprint, Everybody.World’s Trash Tees are the way to do it. As the name implies, each tee is made from upcycled cotton fibers collected from factory waste. The material that results is a jersey that’s surprisingly lofty with a comfy slightly brushed hand. Each one is knit on tubular knitting machines which means they come without side seams for a vintage fit and better comfort. And each product from its Trash collection is knit, cut, and sewn in Los Angeles for an even lower environmental impact.
| Material | Reclaimed waste cotton jersey |
| Weight | 6.5oz, midweight |
| Fit | Relaxed fit |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | S-XXL |
Best T-Shirt for Sensitive Skin: CDLP Midweight T-Shirt
Fabric is crucial when it comes to T-shirts and the softer they are, the better. A good amount of that softness will come over time through wears and washes, but you can have a nice head start with a box-fresh tee that’s buttery from the get-go. CDLP’s is probably the silkiest, smoothest tee we’ve encountered and that’s saying a lot because, well, we test so many tees. The secret is its hefty helping of lyocell, a synthetic facsimile of silk made from wood pulp. It’s lightweight, breathable, and naturally anti-microbial, too. Mixed with some extra-long staple cotton and it feels like a regular tee while other similar competitors still feel like a tech-y tee.
| Material | 67% Tencel lyocell, 33% pima cotton |
| Weight | 220GSM, midweight |
| Fit | Classic |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | XS-3XL |
Best T-Shirt for Aspiring Movie Stars: Merz B. Schwanen 215 T-Shirt
Yes, this is the shirt from The Bear. No, it will not automatically turn you into Carmy levels of hotness. What it will do is give you an appreciation for ultra-nice T-shirts that you did not think was possible. On all levels, Merz B. Schwanen’s flagship tee caters to vintage fashion nerds and it all starts with the rare machinery behind its luscious fabric. Each tee is made on restored vintage loopwheel knitting machines which produce cotton jersey at an excruciatingly slow pace by modern standards and using the tension of gravity to make a dense yet soft material.
As a bonus, you’ll also get a T-shirt that doesn’t have side seams. While our inner fashion nerd is more than satisfied, our wallets have to make the sacrifice. This tee is a smidge over a hundred bucks and all you get is one tee in a fancy box that you have to throw away.
| Material | 100% organic cotton |
| Weight | Midweight, 245 GSM |
| Fit | Classic fit |
| Neckline | Slightly wide crewneck |
| Sizes | S-XXL |
Best T-Shirt for Repro Fiends: Velva Sheen Pocket Tee
Vintage fiends may recognize the Cincinatti-born label Velva Sheen as one of the many sought-after forgotten brands of yesteryear. Thanks to a Japanese conglomerate, it still exists today and produces its goods in Los Angeles using US cotton to produce its retro tees on tube-knit machines. They’ve got a great year-round, midweight feel and are cut like a tee you’d see in The Sandlot. That’s to say, a slightly higher sleeve cap, shorter sleeve, and classic straight silhouette. The cotton itself isn’t the softest, but it’s obviously a few notches up from the ultra-value multipacks you’d find at big box stores. They come in regular and pocket tee iterations and are served up in vintage-style packaging.
| Material | 100% US cotton jersey |
| Weight | Midweight |
| Fit | Classic |
| Neckline | Crewneck |
| Sizes | S-XXL |
How Should I Style a T-Shirt?
Back in Brando’s day, of course, the T-shirt was largely considered an undergarment at best, and an emblem of ne'er-do-well rebel style at worst. These days, a good tee can still protect your starchy button-ups from pit stains, but the vast majority of reasonable folks wouldn’t think twice about wearing one on its own. What we’re trying to say is that no matter who you are—a budding menswear enthusiast with an empty closet, an expert-level dresser with too many grails to count—or what you’re doing—lounging around the house, powering through a one-rep max—T-shirts aren’t just basics: they’re essentials. (Einstein had to master his multiplication tables before he could solve for “E”, right?)
The classic and easiest way to style a T-shirt is the classic blue jeans + white tee combo. It's as timeless as it is stylish. The real fun comes when you play with proportions and layering, like a cropped tee with low-waisted trousers, or a tee layered with a cardigan. When you're styling a performance T-shirt, lean into its inherent sporty-ness and trot it out with swishy short-shorts and slick runners. But remember: the greatest style icons will think outside the box.
What Types of T-Shirts Do I Need to Know?
There are several kinds of T-shirts within the larger tee umbrella, each one uniquely suited for a particular situation. The styles below are the ones we keep coming back to time and again and are the reason why we determined which T-shirts to cover.
- The Plain White Tee: Do we really need to elaborate?
- The Undershirt: Kind of like a plain white tee, but one that’s long enough to tuck into your pants. This one’s more for keeping your outer shirts safe from sweat.
- The Workout Tee: Some people wear their old college tee to the gym. Others wear a hyper-advances, sweat-wicking, oder-blocking, stretch-giving tee for maximum performance.
- The Heavyweight Tee: They’re beefy, they’re heavy, they’re not suited for summer time. They’ll hang a bit stiffer than your everyday tee, and they’ll last you a hell of a lot longer.
- The Oversized Tee: The oversized look has been en vogue for years, enough to wear it gets its own category on retail websites sometimes.
- The Cropped Tee: For the dudes who are really on menswear TikTok and follow the golden ratio of dressing.
What to Look for in a Great T-Shirt
- Material: For most T-shirts, it's best to look for 100% cotton with a knit that's dense enough to be opaque. Supima cotton are among the softest and most durable variety. Heavier T-shirts will last longer but will run hotter. If you're looking for performance T-shirts, synthetic materials like polyester will help wick away moisture and keep you cool while elastane will help for range of motion.
- Construction: Solid materials won't get you far if you have shoddy construction. Look for tees with even and straight stitches, nonobtrusive flat seams. Seam tape at the neck will prevent irritation and chafing while extending durability. Some brands will also use tube-knit construction which results in a T-shirt with a smooth, seamless torso. Even more high-end brands will use loopwheel machines which also produce seamelss torsos, but are extremely rare and are impressively dense and soft.
- Fit: Although fit is ultimately subjective, it's an important factor that determines whether you'll even wear a T-shirt. Generally, shoulder seams should line up with your shoulder bones and that's pretty much it. As for sleeve length, roomy versus slim silhouettes, and higher or lower necklines, that's all up to you. But if you do plan on layering your T-shirt under other garments, you should consider how they may or may not bunch up.
- Length: The length of a T-shirt is also subjective and depends whether or not you want to be able to tuck in your tees. Classic tees will fall around the hip and are great for wearing untucked.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)
Production Credits
Photographs by Bowen Fernie and Natalie Piserchio
Styled by Tyler Austin
Grooming by Laramie using RéVive and Oribe