Women's T-Shirt (Tops & Blouses)

Every t-shirt has three parts that make it one: a jersey body, short set-in sleeves, and a separate ribbed strip sewn around the neck. That neck band is the defining detail. A plain folded hem would stretch out of round the first time you pulled the shirt over your head, so the band exists to snap back.

Fabric weight, printed in ounces per square yard or grams per square meter, predicts nearly everything else. Around 3.5 ounces the jersey is thin, drapes close and goes translucent in sunlight. Between 5 and 6 ounces is the everyday standard. Above 7 ounces the shirt stands away from the body and holds a boxy shape. Yarn counts too: ring-spun and combed cotton feels smooth and resists pilling, while cheaper open-end yarn feels dry and roughens after ten washes. Tubular bodies knitted without side seams cost less and twist as they age, whereas side-seamed bodies keep their line.

Remove the sleeves and you have a tank, trading warmth for airflow. Extend the body past the seat and it becomes a tunic. Run the same jersey to knee length and you get a t-shirt dress. Against a woven blouse, a tee stretches, needs no ironing and never gaps at the bust. It also never reads as dressed up, whatever the price on the label.

Daily wear, layering under everything, and carrying a print are the obvious uses. A heavy white tee under an open shirt is close to a uniform for good reason. Thin white jersey is the case to avoid if you need opacity, since a pale color plus a low weight equals a visible bra in any daylight. Anyone who runs hot should stay with cotton, because polyester blends hold odor after a warm day.

Turn a tee inside out and inspect the shoulder seam: a strip of tape running across it stops the shoulder stretching over years. After the first wash, see whether the side seam has migrated toward the front, which is the twist that never comes out. Dry on low, since shrinkage in cotton jersey shows up in body length first and can take two inches before you notice.