Form Fitting Not Too Tight Undershirts

Jockey T Shirt, Modern Classics 1x1 Rib - Black - V-Neck - 3 Pack $29.50

There’s a fine line between undershirts that are form fitting and those that are form fitting without being too tight. Wondering what the difference is? Here’s the reader question that inspired this article:

Hi Tug,

I have a question. I am looking for the perfect white crew neck undershirt. I recently bought Polo 3-pack classic crew at Macys, and out of the package they were great, but…after one wash they lost their shape and each shirt fit completely different. I am highly disappointed considering I spent $34 on them.

I have noticed that many of my undershirts lose their shape after one wash, except for the H&M stretch cotton (very slim fit) and express stretch tees. I really like those shirts but I am looking for something not as slim fitting, but still fitted, if that makes sense.

For some reason my shirts always get shorter in the back than in the front and the bottom of the shirt becomes very loose and therefore loses its form fit.

Could you please reccommend a form fitting shirt, that keeps its shape wash after wash, but not too tight and with a longer length? Is “combed cotton” a good option?

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Tug’s Advice

hey j,

thanks for stopping by my site and sending in your question!

i’m pretty surprised you had that experience with the polo classic crews because i read a bunch of reviews about that product on freshpair.com and most people really liked them. one common theme was that guys said they were really soft.

that being said, if they aren’t keeping their shape to your liking and you’re looking for something else, let’s see if we can find something for you.

there’s a fine line between an undershirt that has a form fit, and one that may be perceived as not too tight – and it all depends on the individual. the most common form fitting undershirts are those that are made from stretch cotton, mostly 95% cotton, 5% spandex/lycra. looks like your express stretch tees are on that list too. (question: is the h&m made out of a 95/5 blend)? since i’m not really clear on how the express stretch tees fit, you may find other 95/5 blends that fit a little less tight, but you’ll have to try them out for yourself to be certain.

if you’re looking for something that is slim fitting, you might be interested in the jockey classic streamlined fit, calvin klein slim fit crew, 2xist essentials jersey slim crew, or any other “slim” cut undershirt.

next, you may want to try undershirts that are made out of fine (1×1) ribbing because many of these do not contain spandex/lycra, so while they will be more fitted, they won’t be as “clingy” as undershirts made with spandex. hugo boss makes cotton ribbed undershirt ($16.50), there is the 2xist pima cotton rib undershirt ($18), and also the high-end microrib micromodal/pima cotton undershirt ($29) from ribbedtee.

if you’re looking for something that is still fitted, but slightly less fitted than 1×1 ribbed undershirts, you might want to try out undershirts made from 2×1 ribbing. those include the jockey modern classic ribbed undershirt [tug: actually found out this one is 1x1 rib] or even possibly the classic fit undershirt from ribbedtee.

wrt to your “combed cotton” question – the short answer is that most undershirts are made from combed cotton nowadays. the main differences in how combed cotton undershirts feel is the weight and how the fabric is weaved. undershirts from hanes and fruit of the loom use combed cotton, but the fabric is a tighter-weaved jersey, so they won’t be as stretchy as others.  some jersey undershirts can have a loose-knit weave, so they will stretch more than a tight-weaved jersey. rib combed cotton undershirts (1×1 or 2×1) will have a natural stretch to them due to the weaving style. they will stretch horizontally and fit a wide variety of body styles. i could go on, but that’s a long way of saying that all combed cotton undershirts are not created equal.

take a look at the above recommendations and let me know if you have any additional questions. would love to know what you wind up trying and ultimately choose as your preferred undershirt!

The Response

Hey tug,

I bought the jockey modern classic ribbed that u reccommended..and I really like them alot!! thanks for the advice! The H&M shirts that i was telling you about are called Fine Stretch Cotton 50% Organic Cotton, 45% cotton, and 5% Elastane. Once again thanks for everything and thanks for the follow up. If I try any others I will def let you know, and I will be sure to check back into ur site once in a while for any new updates! Hope all is well.

Update

In trying to track down a link to the Jockey Modern Classics 1×1 ribbed undershirt I recommended to “J”, I came across a couple product pages saying the product had been discontinued. I’m going to check with my friends over at Jockey to see if they have any intel on the product.

Update: I just heard back from the folks at Jockey and they did indeed confirm that the 1×1 rib Modern Classics have been discontinued in all of their sales channels. They also verified they don’t offer any other 1×1 rib undershirts.

Looks like “J” was pretty lucky to snatch some up before they were all gone.

The good news is, there are several other options listed above from folks to choose from!!

Tags: close fitting undershirt, featured, form fit undershirt, form fitting undershirt, not too tight undershirt, perfect white crew neck undershirt, slim fit undershirt

Category: Ask Tug