In Search of the Perfect White Tee

No, I Haven’t Seen The Bear

The white t-shirt. It’s the one piece of clothing most people don’t even think twice about.

You just throw it on because you need something basic, not because you’re trying to make a statement. But, honestly, I think there’s more attitude in the white tee than people realise.

Once upon a time, it was an undergarment. Wearing one out in public would’ve been like walking around in your underwear. Then came James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and everything changed. But let’s be honest—you’ve probably heard that story before. You don’t need me to repeat menswear history that’s been told a thousand times.

This isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s just a short piece on something that, for me, is quietly essential. A few white tees I’ve come across that I think are worth having, and why I think they matter more than people give them credit for.

And no, I haven’t watched The Bear.

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We’ll start with the Whitesville 2-pack.

I bought one recently and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s become a proper love affair. I already own a pack, but I know I’ll end up with more — a few here, a few there, then probably some just for weekends.

Whitesville is the one I always come back to.

Picking a white T-shirt feels a bit like picking a sports team. You find the one that makes sense to you, and you stick with it. You root for it. Whitesville is mine. Whitesville is my New York Mets.

I think with a T-shirt, the key detail is the collar. That’s the part that either makes it or throws it off. The Whitesville collar is exactly how I like it — it sits high, but not too high. Holds its shape, doesn’t stretch out, and frames the neck in a way that just feels right. Some collars go floppy after a few washes, or sit too low and start looking like sleepwear. Not these.

They’re made from ringspun 100% natural cotton — spun in a way that makes the yarn smoother, softer, and stronger than standard cotton — so they’ve got that soft, proper cotton feel that still holds up after washing.

And they’re tubular knit — made in one continuous loop, with no side seams. That means less twisting in the wash, and a cleaner, more comfortable fit overall. There’s a simplicity to it, but it’s the kind of simplicity that’s been thought through.

There’s something about the way they sit that just works. It’s the kind of T-shirt that doesn’t try too hard. And maybe that’s why I like it so much.

Like many Japanese garments, they go the extra mile — and then there’s an extra mile after that. The quality is there, sure, but even the packaging feels considered. Will you use it forever and put the T-shirts back in when you’re done? Probably not. But they’re too good to throw away.

They look like some sort of military-issue pack — or something you’d find in a general store somewhere in the States. In the ’50s. Stamped, folded, and stacked like they’ve been waiting for someone to come along and wear them in properly.

Every detail has been thought through. And the packaging… who remembers packaging normally? Well, I do. And this one really sits above the rest.

The Whitesville, for me, is the perfect underlayer. A flash underneath your Oxford shirt, or simply worn on its own. You can look like Don Draper when he’s putting up Sally’s playhouse in the garden. Or at least try to.

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Then there’s 3sixteen’s heavyweight two-packs.

Cut from a 260 gsm jersey cotton — that’s grams per square meter, basically a way to measure fabric weight — custom-knit in Canada and sewn in San Francisco, they strike the right balance of substance and flexibility.

The tubular knit means the fit stays consistent, and the triple-needle collar holds its shape wash after wash. The white stays crisp without ever feeling stark.

They sit at a mid-range price point — more than your average high-street pack but well below designer basics — yet they deliver real value for money. You’re paying for the confidence that they won’t shrink, warp, or fade into a shapeless shadow of their former selves after a handful of cycles. Over months (and years), that adds up to pennies per wear, versus constantly replacing cheaper tees that lose their shape or turn grey.

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Merz b. Schwanen 215T.

This is the one a lot of people hail as the quintessential T-shirt. And I get it. The Merz b. Schwanen 215T is beautifully made — slim-cut, heavyweight, loopwheeled organic cotton.

Loopwheeled means it’s made on vintage circular knitting machines — slow, old-school, rare. The result is soft, sturdy, seamless cotton with a bit of character built in.

There are details I appreciate. The cuff on the sleeves, for one — it’s subtle, it fits nicely on the arms, and gives the tee a bit more shape. But then there are things I’m less keen on. Like the collar — it’s slightly too wide for me. I prefer them a little tighter, a bit more snug around the neck. And while I do like how the triangular underarm inserts look, they don’t quite work for me in practice. I wish they did, but they don’t.

I also found the fit a bit too tight across the top half of my chest, while it sat fine over the belly. It’s just one of those things — the technical details might say it should fit better, but in reality, it didn’t feel quite right on me.

With Whitesville, it was kind of the opposite. It’s a less-is-more approach. No fancy inserts or design tweaks claiming to improve fit — just a clean, classic shape that, for whatever reason, suits me better. But that’s the thing. Everyone’s different. We’ve all got different body shapes, so not everything is going to work the same way for the next person.

Yes, this is the one featured in The Bear. It’s received a lot of praise in the last year or so. And no. I still haven’t seen The Bear.

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The Flat Head’s Extra Heavyweight T-Shirt.

Now this one’s a little different to the others, but that’s exactly why it deserves a mention. The Flat Head’s Extra Heavyweight T-shirt is a proper unit — 20oz of loopwheeled cotton that feels more like a sweatshirt than a tee. For context: most standard tees sit around 5–7oz. This one’s in a league of its own.

It’s not something you throw on under a shirt (unless you’re feeling bold), but worn on its own, it’s got presence. The fabric’s dense and textured, the kind that breaks in over time and only gets better the more you wear it. Triple-stitched collar, seamless body, and that no-sag neckline that’s built to last. Even the packaging hits all the right notes — stamped, folded, and straight out of a mid-century general store in small-town America. Built in Japan, but the spirit is pure Americana.

I found the fit boxy, but that’s how I think it should be. Something this heavy needs a bit of room to breathe — 20oz isn’t for the faint-hearted. I haven’t picked one up yet myself, but I get it. I can see exactly why you’d want one.

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The UES Slub Nep No.8.

A solid white tee if you’re after something with real texture but don’t want to go full heavyweight like The Flat Head. At 11.3oz, it’s still got a bit of heft to it — but it’s not quite as beastly. I wouldn’t wear it as an underlayer — it’s a touch too heavy for that — but honestly, why would you want to hide the texture anyway? That’s the whole point.

And if you’ve never come across “slub” or “nep” before — that’s just texture. Tiny irregularities in the yarn that give the fabric a slightly nubby, vintage feel straight out the door.

These tees fit nicely too — once you get your head around UES’ numbering system (which is actually pretty straightforward), you’ll land on the right one. The fit hits that sweet spot: not too tight, not too loose. Just right.

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So which one’s the perfect tee?

Honestly, that depends on who you are and what you’re after.

If you want something that works as an underlayer but still looks great on its own, go for a Whitesville. If you’re after something with a bit more texture, something that’s made to stand alone — yeah, go for a Whitesville again. Or the UES Slub Nep. They’re both beautiful in their own way.

Whatever you choose, try a few. Mess around. Try them on. Find the one that feels right for you.

No, I haven’t seen The Bear.