What does the perfect T-shirt look like? It’s a question menswear writers, stylists and clothing enthusiasts have pondered for decades. But ponder as they might, they will never reach a conclusion.

Why?

Because the perfect T-shirt is nothing but a myth.

Outfit, setting, personal preferences on fit, fabric and weight – all of these things play their part in determining the best T-shirt on any given day. Sometimes, the perfect T-shirt for the job is slim, fitted and low profile. Other times it’s big, slouchy and boxy. Today, we’re here to discuss the latter.

Oversized T-shirts are a key part of the modern casual wardrobe. They’re loose, relaxed and comfortable – great for creating heavily layered looks in the winter, or for improving airflow and staying cool in the summer heat. But how should they fit? What size should you buy? And which brands are making the best ones? Scroll on to find out.

How Should An Oversized T-Shirt Fit?

Well, oversized! But that doesn’t necessarily mean baggy. That’s the thing – an oversized T-shirt is designed to still fit well in terms of overall length, but with slouchy shoulders, longer arms and a little more breathing space in the torso.

That said, there’s more room for error than with a fitted tee. It doesn’t matter if the fit isn’t bang on because this is supposed to be a relaxed piece worn in an easy, breezy manner. As long as it’s not drowning you, don’t sweat it too much.

What Size Oversized T-Shirt Should I Buy?

A common mistake when buying oversized T-shirts is to buy a size too big, or even a size too small. The ‘oversized’ part has been done for you, so just take your usual size, and you should be fine.

Oversized Vs. Heavyweight

CDLP

Oversized tees are often heavyweight and vice versa. But heavyweight tees are not always oversized, and oversized tees are not always heavyweight.

If you’re unsure, you should check the label or product description for a number followed by either ‘oz’ or ‘grams per square metre’ (gsm). The higher this number is, the heavier the fabric will be.

As far as T-shirts go, we’d say anything over 6oz or 180gsm is beginning to enter heavyweight territory.

The best men’s oversized T-shirt brands

Pangaia

Innovative and eco-minded, Pangaia does oversized tees in just big enough proportions and regeneratively farmed cotton or bamboo-based lyocell.

All of its oversized designs come with a drop-shoulder design, but there’s variety on the sleeve length and how boxy they are across the body.

Exceptional softness and a bold range of colours round out the appeal, making them our go-to brand for loose tees without the purchasing guilt.

Shop now at Pangaia

Uniqlo U

Headed up by Parisian designer Christophe Lemaire, Uniqlo U is THE place to go for affordable, fashion-forward basics. The Japanese retailer’s most successful collaborative project offers seasonal collections that include an ever-changing assortment of outerwear, shirting, knitwear and essentials. But one constant, no matter the season, is the brand’s oversized AIRism T-shirts.

In our opinion, these are the best oversized T-shirts you can get for the money. They’re £19.90 a pop, and they’re just the right amount of slouchy, with dropped shoulder seams, a high crew neck, a boxy fit and plenty of room around the body.

Shop now at Uniqlo

Camber

American basics brand Camber specialises in the roughest and toughest of hoodies, sweats and T-shirts. These are some of the burliest blanks out there, and while Camber itself only sells wholesale, you can find plenty of boutique retailers that carry its tough-as-nails tees.

Camber’s 301 Max Weight T-shirt is a fantastic heavyweight option that features a boxy cut and premium details like taped neck and shoulders and cover stitching inside the collar. Best of all, it’s cut from lovely, thick 8oz cotton, making it perfect for those who like their tees hefty.

Shop now at Blacksmith Store

COS

You can always rely on COS for oversized cuts, unconventional shapes and contemporary silhouettes. The high-street brand is known for selling borderline weird stuff, but done in that cool, Scandinavian minimalist way where it actually looks good.

There are lots of oversized T-shirts to pick from (and we mean LOTS), ranging from £25 for a basic plain version to £65 for those made from more exclusive and unusual fabrics.

Shop now at COS

Fear of God

Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God played a big part in popularising the oversized look. For better or worse, the LA brand was one of the frontrunners in the longline trend that dominated West Coast fashion in the mid-2010s, and it has also been instrumental in bringing big, boxy tees to their current level of popularity.

T-shirts from the mainline collection are made in Italy and come in a range of muted and earthy colours. Unfortunately, they’re priced around the £500 mark, which will put many people off. And rightly so. However, if you want to buy into the look without forking out such a ludicrous sum of money, the brand’s diffusion line, ESSENTIALS, offers similar fits at a fraction of the cost.

Shop now at SSENSE

H&M

Of course, it is entirely possible to pay even less for a decent oversized T-shirt. Because let’s face it, while luxury goods are nice, a T-shirt is just a piece of cotton, and the point of diminishing returns is pretty low. In light of this, we wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to spend more than, say, £8.99 on one… and you won’t have to if you get it from H&M.

Yes, there are all sorts of moral dilemmas that come with buying from a fast-fashion brand that churns clothes out at a machine-gun pace and sells them at throwaway prices. But times are hard, costs are rising, wages are stagnating, and a budget option offers some welcome respite from the financial turmoil.

If you’re going to put it on rotation and not just buy it to bin it a couple of wears later, then go for it.

Shop now at H&M

Our Legacy

Sweden’s Our Legacy is a cult brand famous in menswear circles for its innovative designs and unconventional approach to proportion and silhouette. Naturally, it makes some rather nice oversized tees.

The brand’s aptly named ‘Big T-shirt’ does what it says on the tin. It’s oversized with a nice boxy fit, pre-washed for a faded look, made in Portugal, and available in several tasteful, muted colour options.

Shop now at MR PORTER

FrizmWORKS

Drawing inspiration from military and American casualwear, FrizmWORKS flips the classics and puts its own distinctly Korean spin on them. One key way it does this is by making its cuts wide, baggy and oversized – T-shirts are very much included.

FrizmWORKS’ T-shirts are all made in Korea using high-quality materials. They’re thick and heavy but, considering this, relatively reasonably priced at £50. If you’re looking for a cool T-shirt from a cool label with a solid cost-to-quality ratio, we think you’ll struggle to find better.

Shop now at END.

Colorful Standard

No frills basics in a dizzying spread of colour options. That’s the name of the game at Colorful Standard. You won’t find any logos or graphics here, just plain tees and sweats in any colour you could care to imagine.

Colorful Standard’s Oversized Organic tee is £30 and available in 60 colour options. You can choose from bold and bright to subtle and understated, punchy reds and yellows to muted ivory white and polar blue.

Shop now at END.

Muji

Muji’s clothes are affordable, reasonably well made and have that cool Japanese oversized thing going on in spades. We’d say it’s one of the most overlooked high-street spots for picking up simple wardrobe staples like oversized T-shirts.

For less than £20, you can get a nice, soft cotton T-shirt with a loose, oversized fit. It has dropped shoulders, over-length arms, a boxy torso and a pocket. It’s not available in a huge number of colour options, though, so if you want anything more extravagant than white, black or dark green, you may have to take your search elsewhere.

Shop now at Muji

Goldwin

Japanese performance apparel brand Goldwin is known for its elevated outdoor gear, using cutting-edge tech to create pieces equally at home on the mountain or in the city. But it’s not all Gore-Tex jackets and down parkas. Those familiar with the label know that its casualwear is not to be overlooked either.

These aren’t your average oversized tees. As a performance-wear brand, Goldwin emphasises using technical fabrics, even in its tees. Take the WF Light T-shirt, for example. It’s made using Solotex fabric, specially designed to wick moisture away from the skin, dry quickly and stay wrinkle-free even after washing.

Shop now at END.