One engineers quest for the perfect t-shirt

In school, I moved a lot. And by a lot, I mean 3-4 times per year. Throughout the process, I discovered what I valued, and what I could live without. As I whittled away my stuff, I noticed my life improving. Cleaning became faster. I stopped buying junk. I stopped wasting time.

I found there was a name for this: minimalism. A bunch of these “minimalists” also wore the same outfit everyday. The benefits claimed were:

• Always wearing their favorite shirt/pants
• No time deciding what to wear
• Little temptations to buy new clothes
• Always looking great (or at least consistent)

Hell yeah! So I did what any reasonable person would do. I picked the first grey t-shirt in sight. Looked good. Felt great. Bought 8 of them. Ditch all my other shirts¹. Done. That was easy.

The shirt was perfect in the winter. But as summer began, I realized my mistake. The super soft cotton proved hot and heavy. Leaving the house for 5 minutes left me drenched in sweat. Over time, the shirt started stretching and shrinking in weird ways. My once perfect shirts become uncomfortable and unflattering. Maybe I should have done some research…

Aspects of a t-shirt

Material type

Material is the first and most important part of a shirt. The fabric makes a huge difference in how the shirt feels.

• Cotton is your typical t-shirt material. Looks like a shirt. Feels like a shirt. But, it tends to shrink in the dryer. Once it gets wet, it holds onto moisture.
• Polyester solves these shortcomings, but has its own. It’s commonly used for sports appearal because it handles moisture well. However, it looks and feels like a gym shirt. Unfortunately, gym shirts are not fashionable, despite what 10 year old me thought.
• Elastane, sometimes called Spandex/Rayon/Lycra, is a stretchy material mostly used in compression gym gear. It’s wrinkle resistant and very stretchy.

Material weight

An often overlooked property is the material weight. In the US, it’s measured in oz/yd^2 (thanks imperial), though often called oz. As one would expect, heavier shirts (6+ oz) are warmer than lighter shirts (3-4 oz). They also look different. Heavier shirts tend to hold their shape, while lighter shirts tend to drape closer to the body.

Cut

There are three main features of cut: size, fit, and length. All three factors vary from place to place but generally:

• Size: S/M/L etc. Usually refers to what the shirt size is around the chest.
• Fit: Regular/Athletic/Slim etc. Usually refers to the size around the waist.
• Length: How long is the shirt? It’s rarely listed so the only way is trying it on.

Other considerations

In addition to being a good shirt, I also considered the following:

• Price: I don’t want to buy buying $100 shirts
• Availability: The world is experiencing supply chain issues. Am I able to buy 10 today?
• Longevity: Will the specific shirt exist in 10 years? If it’s fulfilled from a fast fashion firm, probably not.

My new shirt

I ended up buying 14 unique t-shirt from 5 different brands. After 6 months of testing through 3 seasons, I finally found my new standard shirt: The Bella-Canvas 3415. It’s works for me because:

• Material: a blend of Cotton, Polyester, and Rayon. The best of all three.
• Weight: 3.8oz. On the lighter side, as I tend to be warm.
• Cut: I think it looks good. I have yet to have someone tell me otherwise. (In fairness, I don’t think anyone actually cares)

I’m not suggesting anyone go out and buy this exact shirt. Each person is different and what works for me might not work for anyone else. I hope this post is helpful in understanding what will make a shirt work for you.