White T-shirt season is upon us. These are the very best (from £19.90)

Telegraph

14-04-2025

Few wardrobe items are more deceptively simple than a white T-shirt. While it may seem like a basic staple, there are all manner of factors to consider and, for the sartorially inclined, a certain amount of geekery in which to indulge. While some swear by a boxy cotton crew-neck, there are others for whom only a closer-fitting slub scoop-neck will do. After all, if a white tee is going to be the basis of your look it needs to be perfectly on point.
Alexa Chung recently wrote of her own quest to find the perfect white T-shirt in an Instagram post dedicated to Lee Radziwill, style icon and sister of Jackie Kennedy. According to Chung, Radziwill's favoured tees were 'tight and timeless', and styles that meet her aesthetic standards can today be found at Flore Flore, Hanro and Petit Bateau, where Chung found a £29 number that hits the spot.
Contemporary purveyors of the power of a great white T-shirt include Jeremy Allen White, who famously wears a version from German brand Merz b Schwanen in high-octane comedy-drama The Bear. Given that Allen White plays a tempestuous chef in the programme, his otherwise exemplary tee is often stained, but the look nevertheless emulates the irresistible Americana of James Dean and Marlon Brando.
The Holy Grail T-shirt will look slightly different for everyone. It might be a scoop, crew or v-neck. It might be off-white, rather than brilliant white. It might be slightly cropped as opposed to longline. It might even have a slogan or logo. Whatever the subtle variations, the perfect tee needs to maintain its shape and opacity, avoiding unwanted shrinkage and show-through. And, unlike chef whites, it absolutely has to be pristine.
In honour of that and the arrival of white T-shirt season, we've rounded up the best cult white pieces rated by our fashion team.
Sarah Bailey, Acting Fashion Director
Best for: Subtle texture
While I love colour, texture, print, sparkles… so many of my outfits begin with a white tee. My preference is always 'slub cotton' (woven from shorter twisted pieces of yarn, which gives a subtle, nubby texture). I fell in love with Anthony Thomas Mellilo tees when I worked in America. They're so breathable and comfortable. They wash and wear brilliantly – even when you can't be bothered ironing them – and somehow always spring back into shape. No dreaded cauliflower sleeves! I always have a couple of Anthony Thomas Mellilo schoolboy tees in my wardrobe. They aren't the cheapest, but I wear them in constant rotation for a good three years before they start to look tired.
Cotton schoolboy slub tee, £72, Anthony Thomas Mellilo at Bloomingdales
Sonia Haria, Beauty Director
Best for: A quirky slogan
When I have no time to plan an outfit, my go-to look is a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Sounds exceedingly simple, but that's the point of easy dressing, I think? A well-cut pair of jeans with a crisp, white T-shirt and a good jacket takes me from the office to school pickup to evening dinner. If said white T-shirt has a slogan on it, all the better: that's why I really like the 100% cotton ones by Le Mot, a brand whose basics are designed in Paris and manufactured in Portugal. I have a couple of their T-shirts and they suit me to perfection: I wear a size small and it offers the perfect slim fit for my 5ft 3in frame, without being too form-fitting.
Chouchou T-Shirt, £48, Le Mot
Stephen Doig, Men's Style Editor
Best for: Lasting power
My personal white T-shirt go-to is the best example possible of the old adage 'buy cheap, buy twice.' Sunspel T-shirts are not cheap by any stretch (although they do go on sale), but they last for years. I've been fortunate enough to visit the brand's Long Eaton factory and see how the T-shirts are handcrafted, and I'd rather buy something knowing it's part of an industry that sorely needs support and creates local jobs than something mass produced in China and pumped with plastic. The cotton's incredibly soft, the seams are robust and the neckline doesn't sag and pucker the way a cheap T-shirt does. It also means that you can wear it with a suit jacket and feel smart enough, which doesn't happen with one that's on its last legs.
Classic T-shirt, £90, Sunspel
Sophie Tobin, Junior Fashion and Beauty Editor
Best for: Boxy shape
I wear a white T-shirt more than anything else in my wardrobe and favour a boxy cut with just-above-the-elbow sleeves. I wear a lot of skirts and love the ease of throwing a simple T-shirt on top to balance out a more feminine bottom half. As I'm not tucking them in, the length has to hit just right on the hips and the fabric needs to be thicker to retain the boxy shape. I love Uniqlo's Airism collection (the T-shirt I'm wearing is from their collaboration with Sofia Coppola) and they have a range of fits in their breathable material to suit whatever your T-shirt preference may be, at purse friendly prices.
Oversized cotton crew neck T-shirt, £19.90, Uniqlo
Hansveni Dave, Fashion contributor
Best for: Layering
While I used to strictly aim for a classic thick white T-shirt, I've recently opted for a more sheer option. Layering a simple vest top underneath and having the outline exposed lets me elevate a simple jeans or skirt outfit. This & Other Stories tee had been collecting dust in my cupboard for years while I opted for a more opaque look, but I've returned to it for the layered sheer look this spring. It's my way of feeling like I've put effort into a basic outfit, or at least I tell myself that.
Linen blend T-shirt, £37, & Other Stories
Jessica Burrell, Acting Fashion Editor
Best for: Stain removal
I'm ashamed to say that I have not treated my beloved Cos white T-shirt with love. Nevertheless, it has persisted, surviving coffee stains and industrial quantities of Vanish. I've had it for years and it still looks fresh, striking, for me, just the right subtly boxy shape and slightly cropped length. I also have an oversized version, but this one is perfect for layering under blazers, jumpers and anything in between.
Cotton T-shirt, £30, Cos