![](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/b1b/b7e/8c438b1d97d9043624e1d551196ea69fe4-8-2-BlackT.rsquare.w400.jpg)
Picture-Illustration: Courtesy of the retailers
In comparison with a traditional white tee, a well-made black T-shirt is a wardrobe staple that may punch approach above its weight. Very similar to your favourite black denims or that go-to little black costume, black T-shirts can simply be dressed up or dressed down, and on the very least they nonetheless look put-together for those who throw one on in a rush. They’re ever-reliable, and I might go so far as to say they’re just about universally flattering.
Since there are a gazillion choices to select from and all types of sizing and sleeve variations, I tapped trendy girls to listen to in regards to the black tees they personal and covet. Whereas reporting this story, I additionally heard about just a few manufacturers we all know and love, together with Buck Mason, Everlane, and Madewell, after which uncovered some picks from impartial (and sustainable) designers like Minnesota-based Maria Stanley. Beneath, you’ll discover the perfect girls’s black T-shirts, out of your typical crewnecks and scoop-necks to cropped and further boxy ones. If you happen to’re seeking to refresh your fundamentals much more, be certain to take a look at my different purchasing guides on jean jackets and bodysuits and our Womenswear 100.
In terms of reporting on clothes fundamentals, I all the time prioritize manufacturers that provide an inclusive vary of sizes. I’ve listed dimension ranges right here so you possibly can store extra simply.
Whether or not you’re on the lookout for one thing boxy and cropped or slinky and barely clear, the fabric will influence how comfy you’re feeling in a T-shirt. Like our information to one of the best girls’s white T-shirts, nearly each decide on this record is constituted of breathable cotton, aside from just a few that characteristic a mix of supplies. Beware that sure materials will probably be pricier; for instance, some T-shirts under are product of natural cotton or incorporate hemp or elastane for stretch, each of which may imply a better price ticket.
I’ve listed every T-shirt’s relative weight class under, starting from light-weight to medium weight to heavyweight. Most people favor a light-weight tee for its breeziness and ease of layering, however I’m an enormous fan of heavyweight T-shirts, as they really feel extra-sturdy (nearly like a hug) and higher stand as much as common each day put on and washing.
There’s no proper or mistaken reply relating to match and neckline, so I sought to seek out a wide range of choices that can assist you store based mostly in your private choice. The most typical black T-shirt is the usual loose-fitting crewneck, which you’ll discover under. I additionally discovered some oversize, boxy, cropped, and baby-tee picks. As for necklines, there are crew and scoop ones and even a mock neck.
![Buck Mason Slub Easy Crew](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a22/401/946e0da1207eaef5a417e5fd880b700c6b-BUCK-MASON-BlackSlubEasyCrewL.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XS to XXL | Material: Slub cotton | Weight: Light-weight | Match and neckline: Free crewneck
Over time, Strategist writers have interviewed many trendy folks about their favourite T-shirts, and no model has come up greater than Buck Mason. With tons of backing from consultants (our staffers included), I got down to check the model’s Slub Straightforward Crew for myself. After sporting it persistently for six months, I now perceive why it has everybody’s seal of approval: It’s a regular-fit crewneck — probably the most all-around common type — and constituted of gentle, breathable slub cotton, which makes it simple to layer and tuck in.
“I’ve beloved Buck Mason T-shirts for years now and fortunately wore the lads’s ones, saving them for particular events in order that they wouldn’t get worn out,” says our senior author Liza Corsillo. After the model launched its womenswear line, Corsillo began to put on this type and by no means appeared again. “It’s simply nearly as good as the lads’s with one exception: It matches my physique accurately.” One other of our writers, Dominique Pariso, is a loyal fan, calling Buck Mason’s tees “superior.”
![Everlane The Organic Cotton Box-Cut Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a84/321/9235a96a129e2c7c2415ea37366f7535f5-womens-organic-cotton-box-cut-tee-black.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XXS to 4XL | Material: Cotton | Weight: Light-weight | Match and neckline: Free crewneck
Everlane tees have been advisable to us typically (and by all types of individuals) as a result of they’re a reliably whole lot for the cash. The model’s box-cut tee is a favourite of Taylore Glynn, a senior editor at VinePair, who informed me this black T-shirt completely matches her physique form. Glynn says she has “a big bust and smaller ribs, so sure tees can find yourself trying wonky on me: Too unfastened and the shirt balloons out beneath my bra cups; too comfortable and I get that overly tight stretch throughout the chest.” However the Field-Lower Tee is excellent. Our author and resident style skilled Ambar Pardilla agrees. “I’ve all the time had bother discovering T-shirts as a result of I’ve a bigger-ish chest and I’m petite,” she says. However Everlane’s field reduce “hits my shoulders with out the dreaded drooping, and the size simply skims the highest of my denims.” She’s impressed with the development, saying Everlane’s T-shirts “wash so properly with no shrinking or saturation loss in any respect, which is tremendous necessary relating to black tees.” The boxy type additionally seems nice with high-waist pants, based on Corsillo.
![Everlane The Air Scoop-Necked Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/ab9/d7b/7f0a5f927506db344da72d4c24cc52bf90-womens-air-scoop-neck-tee-black.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XXS to XXL | Material: Cotton | Weight: Light-weight | Match and neckline: Free scoop-neck
I’d take into account this the scoop-neck model of the boxy Everlane tee above. One other one among Pardilla’s favorites, she says the Air Scoop-Necked Tee doesn’t cling whereas nonetheless being figure-hugging. It’s constituted of ethereal cotton that makes it “the best tee to throw on on the most popular of days,” Pardilla informed me. However the standout characteristic is the inside track neckline, which exhibits some tasteful collarbone and pores and skin throughout the chest. It additionally comes advisable by photographer and content material creator Ashleigh Reddy, who calls it “simple to type and simple to look after” because of its one hundred pc cotton materials, which, she provides, holds up over time.
![Buck Mason Pima Cropped Easy Crew](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a94/d1e/6573b5f2781dfe72add9589763f53421c3-BUCK-MASON-WOMENS-CROP.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XS to XXL | Material: Supima cotton | Weight: Light-weight | Match and neckline: Cropped crewneck
A earlier model of this story listed the Pima Cropped Straightforward Crew as our favourite cropped black T-shirt, however a model consultant informed me that the tee has since been rebranded to the Pima Boxy Crew. This type from Buck Mason received nods from two consultants: Aishwarya Iyer, the founder and CEO of olive-oil model Brightland, describes it as “gentle, comfy, and excellent for hanging at residence or sporting out and about in.” In the meantime, our senior editor Simone Kitchens provides that the form is the “best mixture of boxy and cropped: It doesn’t really feel too tight wherever, particularly beneath the arms — it simply hangs on this cool, simple approach.” Each prefer to put on it with high-waisted denims; Kitchens notes that it “seems particularly good with pale black Levi’s.”
![Organic Basics Core Baby Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/23d/69b/c3d3274d4ad0c9d72e57af52b2a3007ccf.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XXS to XL | Material: 95 p.c cotton, 5 p.c elastane | Weight: Light-weight | Match and neckline: Cropped crewneck
Child tees may be hit and miss, however this one from Copenhagen-based model Natural Fundamentals options light-as-air cotton and stretchy elastane materials, which makes it best for layering or sporting by itself. I’ve been testing it for greater than a month now, and I love that the material is semi-sheer, which I discover to be extra fascinating appearance-wise than an everyday solid-color child tee. It’s so gentle that I commonly throw it on whereas lounging round at residence and since it’s extra-lightweight, it’s nice for sporting beneath a sweater or over a bikini prime. In response to the product description, the Core Child Tee runs small, so I like to recommend sizing up one or two sizes because it’s form-fitting. (This may even make sure the hem sits nearer to your waistline.)
![Jungmaven Jung Pocket Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/cc0/58b/25e28249bb6ad014717e4870b0ec58fa57.rsquare.w600.jpg)
Sizes: XS to XXL | Material: 55 p.c hemp, 45 p.c cotton | Weight: Medium weight | Match and neckline: Free crewneck
Carrie Brownstein of Sleater Kinney owns this crewneck T-shirt from Jungmaven in a number of completely different colours — together with black. “The form is slim, nevertheless it’s not tapered. It’s additionally not boxy, which I like. And it’s not cropped. So it has nice proportionality,” says Brownstein. And even after placing it by way of the dryer week after week, these T-shirts have maintained their form. “You don’t need one which turns into threadbare. You don’t need one which shrinks excessively.” That sturdiness might be as a result of Jungmaven makes its shirts from a mix of cotton and hemp, and based on Brownstein, they are surely a sustainable possibility. “I’ve not needed to donate or eliminate any of them.”
![Madewell Northside Vintage Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/cff/fb7/e3b77f2d733fdb35f694e8f67f732ddfdb-madewell-northside-vintage-tee.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XXS to 3XL | Material: Cotton | Weight: Light-weight | Match and neckline: Free crewneck
If you happen to’re on the lookout for an easygoing but fitted silhouette, take into account this vintage-inspired Madewell tee, favored by Megan McCarty, a style and e-commerce editor. McCarty says it checks all of the packing containers: “My closet is filled with many (many, many) white tees of all types of silhouettes, weights, and supplies. I solely want a few black ones although, in order that they have to be simple to put on, simple to wash, and simple to layer. This one does all of it.” Even after constant machine washing, her Northside Classic Tee has maintained the richness of its black coloration. And at beneath $25, the value is sort of not possible to beat, McCarty provides.
![Maria Stanley Mockneck Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/806/4f3/5b87762ea77ed90499d299cb050c159fad-mariastanley-mocknecktee.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XS to L | Material: Cotton | Weight: Heavyweight | Match and neckline: Free mock neck
“Maria Stanley’s Mockneck Tee is the least fundamental fundamental I personal,” McCarty informed me. That’s as a result of the mock neckline and boxy match elevate the highest, making it dressier and extra refined than an ordinary crewneck T-shirt. “Past the match, which is in contrast to another black tee in my closet, its material — a sturdy, gentle natural cotton — is a stunner, too,” McCarty says, including that she’s owned hers for years and it nonetheless seems nearly as good as new. One other fan is Pardilla, who owned three long-sleeved tees from Minnesota model Maria Stanley, earlier than shopping for this short-sleeved model, which she says is simply as nice. “The sleeves are like bells in probably the most flattering approach, so that you get actually rounded-out shoulders,” she says. Pardilla likes that the mock neck is face-framing, with the highest of the neck developing proper beneath the chin, and the hem is cropped however not too cropped. “Primarily, it’s one of the best you are able to do for a fundamental. It makes me really feel like Jackie O,” she explains.
![Cozy Earth All Day Tee](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/7f3/320/ace78ccb0de6c466ff32e637242afaa868-cozy-earth-all-day-tee.rdeep-vertical.w245.jpg)
Sizes: XS to XXL | Material: 50 p.c Pima cotton, 50 p.c cotton | Weight: Medium weight | Match and neckline: Boxy crewneck
Cozy Earth is understood for its luxuriously gentle bedding and sweaty-sleeper-approved pajamas, however the model additionally has some unbelievable fundamentals because of the current launch of its All Day Assortment. I examined the All Day Tee, which is constituted of 50 p.c Pima cotton, an extra-long staple cotton that’s naturally breathable, and beloved how the mid-weight material is gentle and cozy even on sweltering sizzling summer season days. The reduce is barely boxy however because it’s extra of a relaxed match, this tee doesn’t cling to your midsection. The hem hits proper under the waist, and the sleeves finish about midway down my biceps. Although the value tag is on the upper finish, the All Day Tee is likely one of the sturdier and extra structured choices on this record, so I feel it would maintain up higher over time.
• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior author
• Taylore Glynn, senior editor at VinePair
• Aishwarya Iyer, founder and CEO of Brightland
• Simone Kitchens, Strategist senior editor
• Megan McCarty, style and e-commerce editor
• Ambar Pardilla, Strategist author
• Dominique Pariso, Strategist author
• Ashleigh Reddy, photographer and content material creator
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