The perfect T-shirt?

You’re mad about the classic T-shirt and have loads of them in your wardrobe at home. You love the simple fit, the clean cut, and you want one made from a lovely quality fabric. The most obvious factors you consider are fit and colour, but have you ever thought about weight?

A T-shirt isn’t rocket science! Its simple cut, which clearly forms a large ‘T’ when laid flat on the ground, is unique and can be found in every wardrobe, worn by girls and boys, young and old alike. The design is simple, with clean, uncluttered lines, and is most often made from the fabric most widely used in the textile industry: cotton.

The T-shirt is used for virtually every purpose, and as a result never really gets a break from being worn on the upper body of both men and women all over the world. Many people wear it under a thicker top, such as a crew-neck jumper or a hoodie, whilst others also wear it over a thinner long-sleeved top to create a layered look. It is also worn under shirts as a sort of undershirt, and is often worn on its own with a pair of trousers, or, in the case of girls, perhaps a skirt. Indeed, the T-shirt is also worn for exercise and running, as well as an oversized night-shirt; this probably applies most to girls.

The T-shirt has virtually no limits when it comes to its uses, which is why it’s also an essential part of every man and woman’s wardrobe. It’s such an important part of our lives that we don’t hesitate to set high standards for the short-sleeved version. We want it to have a good fit, be made to a really high standard (i.e. soft and comfortable to wear), and we’d rather not spend too much money on it.

At TEESHOPPEN, we love a classic T-shirt. We’re therefore taking a close look at the T-shirt in this article, where our aim is to delve deep into its history and really zoom in on the familiar cut and the lovely soft cotton it’s often made from. Might we just find the perfect T-shirt style?

The history of the T-shirt, in brief

The T-shirt dates back to the 19th century, when it was worn as underwear – initially as a ‘one-piece’ with buttons and later as two separate pieces. The style we recognise today emerged sometime between 1898 and 1913, when the US Navy gradually began wearing them as undershirts beneath their uniforms. Soon afterwards, it became popular in many industries, such as agriculture, where the T-shirt was used as a work shirt. It quickly became ‘the shirt of choice’, as it had a fit that suited everyone, was easy to wash and was inexpensive.

Fun fact: The word ‘T-shirt’ was officially adopted into the American language in 1920, when it first appeared in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Since then, the T-shirt has taken the world by storm and is now one of the most widely worn items of clothing worldwide. T-shirts are seen everywhere, worn by both men and women, young and old alike, and they’re used for everything from everyday wear to fitness clothing – indeed, even for marketing purposes by businesses, as they are cheap to produce and therefore also cheap to buy.

An affordable yet lovely material: cotton

When you go to buy a T-shirt, you’ll most likely find it made from 100 per cent cotton. Cotton is the most widely used material in the textile industry, as it’s inexpensive, hard-wearing and highly absorbent, and is particularly well-suited to the production of T-shirts, as the fabric wicks heat away from the body and is comfortable to wear.

Cotton is a natural fibre and has a very good structure, which makes it easy to spin and thus turn into fabric. There is a vast range of cotton qualities, which are determined by factors such as colour, degree of purity and fibre length. People often choose between two different types of cotton: carded and combed cotton. Here, it is usually the price that reflects the quality, as carded cotton is significantly cheaper than combed cotton. Carded cotton is characterised by the fact that the fabric is not as even. With carded cotton, the fibres stick out, giving the fabric a rather rough surface. Combed cotton is characterised by a more even and smooth texture, which is why this type of fabric also has a much softer surface.

The completely unique, plain-coloured and simple T-shirt

When you buy a T-shirt, there are bound to be more factors at play than you realise. Without giving it a second thought, you’ll often run your palm over the fabric just to gauge the quality and how it feels against your skin. At the same time, you’ll also take a small but discreet breath through your nose as you pull it over your head – because the smell also has a lot to say. The easiest way to describe it is that, without even realising it, you care just as much about the quality of the fabric as you do about the fit and the colour. We all want to wear clothes that are soft and comfortable to wear, have a good fit, and should ideally smell as neutral as possible, so that only the scents (e.g. your perfume) that we add ourselves can be detected in the fabric.

However, the issue of quality is a little more complicated than that and can easily be misunderstood if you don’t have your facts straight. T-shirts come in many different cotton qualities, and the fabric is often categorised according to its weight in grams per square metre and how it has been finished.

The lightweight T-shirt

We’ve all experienced that feeling of standing in a clothes shop, running the palm of your hand lightly over a garment to feel the quality, and immediately thinking: “WOW, how soft – I simply MUST have this”. It is particularly the big, expensive brands that evoke this feeling in their customers, and it is often a decisive factor in their high sales figures. Unfortunately, however, there is also a downside. These companies are well aware that their customers are easily influenced by how the fabric of the clothing feels, and that this plays a major role in whether their customers will buy their products. These T-shirts are therefore often made from a very lightweight fabric (around 145 g/m²), which has been treated with enzymes and softeners designed to create that ‘WOW effect’ for their customers. The lightweight fabric isn’t a problem in itself, but unfortunately the numerous softening treatments also mean that the quality suffers, and your T-shirt will therefore often be see-through and hang limply on your body.

The heavy T-shirt

Instead of one that’s see-through and hangs limply on your body, you’d surely much rather have a T-shirt made from a fabric that lasts a really long time, which is why you might think that a T-shirt made from a heavier fabric is the way to go. It isn’t… always! How much the fabric weighs depends on how thickly it has been woven, which means that the heavier the quality in which it is produced, the heavier it will feel against your body. This might be all well and good, but who wants a T-shirt that weighs down on your shoulders and is really hot to wear because of the very thick fabric? At the same time, it’ll never drape nicely and will actually just look bulky. This T-shirt will certainly last a very long time, but unfortunately you’ll probably end up wishing it didn’t.

TeeShop’s T-shirts

At TEESHOPPEN, through extensive research – including listening to our customers’ wishes – we’ve discovered that the perfect T-shirt should ideally meet certain criteria that lie right in the middle between these two extremes. We hate the see-through, lifeless style, and we’re not particularly keen on the heavier style either, which never really feels comfortable to wear.

Some of the things we’re particularly keen on when it comes to producing our T-shirts are that they’re lovely to wear, look great (they should drape beautifully on the body), and, at the same time, are made from a lovely cotton fabric, which is why all our T-shirts are made from 100 per cent combed cotton. We’re also keen to ensure the fabric has just the right weight, so that it looks neither limp nor bulky. This means that the vast majority of our T-shirts are made from fabric with a weight of 165 g/m² – a lovely, lightweight material that drapes beautifully and naturally, with a soft, luxurious surface that feels lovely against your skin. We also have styles in 220 g/m², which are slightly more expensive and made from a slightly thicker fabric, making them a sort of ‘winter version’ of the standard T-shirt.

Just as much as we care about quality, we also always place great emphasis on the fit, as we know that the same fit doesn’t suit everyone. We’ve therefore spent time developing different cuts for our tees, so that whether you’re tall, short, curvy or slim, you’ll leave our shop with a stack under your arm that you feel great and comfortable in – everyone deserves a T-shirt that fits perfectly!

Our sole aim is for our customers to have a great experience wearing our T-shirts; this is far more important to us than simply making a profit. That’s why our T-shirts are always made from the very highest quality materials; they’re all OEKO-TEXⓇ certified, which assures our customers that our products contain no harmful substances, and we always offer them at rock-bottom prices.

How do you find the perfect T-shirt?

That brings us straight round to you! We’ve now spent over 1,500 words discussing the history of the T-shirt, different qualities and fits, but that’s no use at all unless you can now easily and conveniently go out and find the very right T-shirt that suits you perfectly and makes you feel comfortable. Which one you should choose depends, of course, entirely on your personal style and body type. But there are still some very basic dos and don’ts that are worth bearing in mind.

The perfect T-shirt for men

Depending on your body type, the most important thing is to choose a style you feel comfortable in. If, for example, you’re a very slim man, you’d be well advised to choose a slim-fit style so it doesn’t hang limply on your body – you’ll want a T-shirt that moves with you. If, on the other hand, you’re on the heavier side, we’d definitely recommend choosing a basic T-shirt rather than the obvious oversized style. The reason you should be careful with an oversized style is that it can quickly make you look bigger than you actually are. An oversized T-shirt is definitely the way to go if you like the distinctive look it creates – namely the streetwear look – where you might also pair it with a pair of baggy trousers.

If you’re a very tall man, an extra-long T-shirt will be the perfect choice. With a longline T-shirt, you’ll avoid the top riding up when you stretch your arms above your head or bend down. Be careful with this style if you’re not particularly tall, as it can easily make you look shorter than you actually are. On the other hand, if you have a very muscular upper body, a close-fitting T-shirt will really suit you. A muscle T-shirt will highlight your muscles in all the right places – it’s fitted around the armholes and across the chest, amongst other places.

Take a look: Find your favourite from the men’s range here

The perfect T-shirt for women

For women, more or less the same ‘rules’ apply as for men, though with a few exceptions. For women, the close-fitting style is ideal if you want to show off your feminine curves. You could opt for a close-fitting style with a V-neck to really highlight your feminine features. If you want to follow the latest trends and go for a slightly street-style, trendy look, an oversized T-shirt is ideal for you – pair it with your favourite skinny jeans and a pair of cool boots, and you’ll quickly have a look that can’t be overlooked. You could also be bold and choose a cropped style that shows off a bit of your toned tummy – pair it with a pair of your favourite high-waisted trousers and you’ll quickly achieve a really cool look.

Take a look: Find your favourite from our range for women here

But all in all, it really is just a matter of taking the plunge, for both men and women. Essentially, it’s all about feeling comfortable in whatever style you choose – find your favourite T-shirt and get it in several colours so you can always create a fresh look every day. Once you’ve found the style that’s just right, stick with it – it’ll never go out of fashion and you can wear it for the rest of your life!

Set out in search of the perfect T-shirt – you can’t start too early!

/TEESHOPPEN