Despite a lotta years working in the fashion world, I’d never found the perfect t-shirt. I’d tried cheap and expensive; I’d laundered on delicate and skipped the dryer. Nothing mattered: Everything looked dingy—fast—and left me feeling deeply unsatisfied.
Then, an editor at a British style site I keep tabs on revealed her favorite: H&M’s linen tee. It was sold out online the first time I searched, but a follow-up proved fruitful. Cautiously optimistic, I decided to order a couple (with a $13 price tag, there wasn’t much to lose if they ended up being, per usual, less than ideal).
Dear reader, my wonderful fashion friend across the pond with the posh accent (who, to be clear, I’ve never met in real life) was not wrong. I was so pleased that I doggedly kept searching to see when new colors would be restocked. When classic white became available, I bought two (one in medium, one in large) and dark gray.
It’s the perfect, basic tee shape.
A t-shirt is never just a t-shirt. I’ve worn some with crewnecks, some with v’s; others have had the sleeves artfully pre-rolled; occasionally the back is longer than the front in a way that’s meant to feel relaxed, but often ends up looking misshapen.
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This guy doesn’t fall victim to any of those tricks. It is what it is, with a rounded neckline, a thicker bit stitched at the sleeve, and a length I can only call “normal” (below the waistband of your jeans, but not bum-covering).
The 100% linen factor means it should age well.
My problem with most t-shirts, no matter the price point or how much I babied them, was they quickly pill and just look…old. Linen’s burnout vibe and thin nature means it doesn’t look or feel quite as thick as the standard cotton tee you likely have in your closet. And, because of that, it doesn’t have as much actual fiber that can roll and bubble and, ugh, pill.
Finding the fit you prefer is easy.
With seven size options, it’ll be a fit for you whether you like your t-shirts to slim or boxy. I’m a fairly standard small in most things, but ordered these as medium because I didn’t want it stuck to my stomach (in my last order, I even opted for a large to try and go a little more oversized-cool).
I don’t exaggerate when I say the perfect t-shirt is worth, honestly, quadruple its weight in gold.
