When it comes to classic fashion staples, few pieces can rival the timeless appeal of a well-fitted men’s white shirt. Versatile, sophisticated, and effortlessly stylish, the white shirt is a wardrobe essential that can elevate any look, from casual to formal. In this article, we will explore why the best men’s white shirts are a must-have in every man’s closet.
The Best Dress Shirts
White dress shirts are a classic that you can never have enough of, much like the white T-shirt before it. White dress shirts are pretty much the uniform to every imaginable event in the game of life, from your first day on the job to your last day on the job, your graduation to your wedding day. A decent one, two, or ten to a man’s wardrobe will set the red-carpet heroes apart from the everyday city commuters, much like a well-fitting suit and recently shined shoes.
When it comes down to it, there are just a few guidelines that the ideal white dress shirt must follow. The collar should be strong and tall, unlike on an Oxford shirt, to protrude above the lapels of your suit jacket. The fit is also important. Unlike the summertime fad of huge, billowing men’s shirts, ideal white dress shirts will be slim enough to tuck in without ballooning, but not too tight to be uncomfortable for wearing to work.
How should white dress shirts be worn?
A white dress shirt, the cornerstone of all good tailoring, may be paired with every type of suiting, from black to pastel, from linen to tweed. Despite the fact that it is a simple garment, a white dress shirt can be used to make a statement. There’s more to this wardrobe mainstay than just stiff collars and mother-of-pearl buttons, you know, whether it’s the Harness shirt from Alexander McQueen or the Vintage Check accented choices from Burberry.
The Best White T-Shirts
You might look for the best white T-shirts for men for hours if not days. Or you could take the easy route and simply lean on the shoulders of the hapless suckers who have already gone hunting—er, I mean, the professionals who have already done all the actual fieldwork so you don’t have to. We are those experts on savages. We’ve tried them all like it’s our job when it comes to wardrobe staples like white T-shirts and jeans. (It is.) We all have distinct preferences because GQ isn’t staffed by robots with carbon-copy bodies. Here are our battle-proven, hard-earned opinions on the white T-shirts we live in and wear religiously.
How we chose and examined
The list of 128 T-shirts we used to start this guide was compiled from well-known merchants, reviews, and roundups. We concentrated on shirts that are advertised as “for men” even though they can be worn by anyone for this article. These shirts are tailored differently than those that are “for women” since they have straight seams and are either the same size from chest to waist or have very little taper.
Then, as we wanted to highlight clothes with a simple style, we rejected T-shirts with pockets or loud logos. Although several of the shirts we examined come in a variety of colors, we only focused on the white t-shirts, so this didn’t affect our choice. Prior to the epidemic, we also went to a few retail locations in the New York City region to try on shirts to see how they fit and felt. We steered clear of T-shirts with excessively short sleeves or scratchy fabric. The following criteria helped us further reduce our list:
Key Features
- Price: We looked at a variety of white T-shirts that ranged in price from $6 to $295. (While we didn’t intend to suggest a $300 shirt, we did want to provide an expensive example as a benchmark.) We discovered that the quality of T-shirts that cost $5 and those that cost $15 varied significantly. There was still another price difference between $25 and $50 for T-shirts.
- Comfort: It makes sense that the way the fabric felt against our flesh was crucial. We thought about how the fabric felt—whether it was supple and comfortable to wear or weighty and unyielding.
- Construction: We were seeking long-lasting, high-quality T-shirts with solid construction. We pulled, prodded, and poked a lot, and we carefully sought shirts with even stitching at the seams, no loose threads, and well-built collars that wouldn’t stretch out when you pulled them over your head.
- Fabric: When it was feasible, we tried to buy “medium weight” shirts, although we didn’t see this as a strict need. The capacity of a garment to effectively conceal our nipples, which I personally think is a really important characteristic, was more crucial. We also valued shirts that were 100% cotton but had a little give to them so we could wear them whether or not we intended to have a substantial breakfast.
- Shrinkage: Each white T-shirt was dimensioned, and after two cycles of washing and drying, we noted any shrinkage or stretching. We didn’t view a shirt’s regular size shift as a deal-breaker as long as it fits comfortably both before and after washing. However, we took into account how much the size altered.
- Look: Yes, a person’s preferred aesthetic is wholly arbitrary. But we thought it was nevertheless crucial to inquire, “Does this thing look well on me? Would I pay for it to be worn? We took into account shirts with various necklines, hems, and overall lengths, and we believe our selections all give distinctive, equally pleasing aesthetics.