11 Best Long-Sleeved T-shirts for Women | The Strategist

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The Strategist’s carefully chosen and rigorously vetted flagship shopping guides. Learn about our methodology here, and find all our Best in Class guides here.

Like its counterpart the short-sleeved tee, the long-sleeved tee is a must-have basic. But as with all T-shirts — black, white, or otherwise — the Perfect One often proves elusive. And even though the idea of the “perfect” long-sleeved tee is subjective, that didn’t stop me from trying to find it. I set out on the hunt the best way I know how, as the Strategist’s style writer: by asking stylish, opinionated people (including artists, newsletter writers, brand founders, and fellow Strategist staffers) about their favorites. I lent my own expertise as well; our best-overall is a personal pick. The following list features an array of fitted and layerable options, as well as looser and boxier cuts, and one described as showing off “a totally appropriate amount of clavicle.” So there’s really something for everyone. And, relatedly, we have a guide to the best turtlenecks too.

If you regularly read our Best in Class series, you know how much we try to feature essentials that come in more than the standard small-to-large range. It sometimes seems impossible, even when we’re talking about the most basic of basics, the T-shirt. As much as I could, I tried to include ones offered in a selection of sizes.

Most of the T-shirts that were recommended to me are made from cotton. It’s comfortable, breathable, and usually not terribly expensive — unless it’s organic cotton, which goes through a growing process that uses less water and fewer synthetic fertilizers and often comes at a higher price. Additionally, cotton threads can be woven into different textures, such as slub. Then there are the cotton blends, like cotton-hemp. You might also come across modal, which is part of the rayon family and especially stretchy. I’ve indicated the fabric makeup for each shirt.

Broadly speaking, there are three categories of cuts when it comes to T-shirts: fitted (but not too tight), loose (which sways away from the body), and oversized (that’ll usually fit as if you’ve sized up). Then there are a few in between, like boxy. I judged the fit of each tee below and asked my sources to share as many details about their favorites as they could.

I think of the weight of a T-shirt as synonymous with thickness (there are actual measurements for a fabric when talking about cotton tees in particular, but I won’t get so technical here). Most T-shirts fall into one of three categories: lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight. Lightweight tees are wispier and sheerer (and likelier to form tiny holes).Heavyweight tees are thicker, sturdier, and will do well in the washing machine. And midweight is somewhere in the middle. Each of the people I talked to for this story told me which category their shirt was closest to.

Sizes: XS–L | Fabric: Organic cotton | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Heavyweight

Cos often makes an appearance in “perfect tee” hunts, in competition with familiar names like Old Navy and Gap. It introduces new T-shirts regularly (the High Line, 24/7…). The Clean Cut might be the one with the biggest following. It’s a favorite of our friends at the Cut and of our own Strategist Hunt headliner, Mya Gelber, who says “this Cos shirt belongs in its own category.” There’s both a short-sleeved version and a long-sleeved version. I own one from a few seasons ago that was made under a different name but is essentially the same — made from 100 percent heavyweight cotton with a fitted silhouette and ribbed collar. The selling point of the T-shirt is its thickness. It’s much weightier than, say, J.Crew’s Tissue Turtleneck, and closer in feel to a Hanes sweatshirt. For that reason, it’s less of a layer and better left on its own. Because of the weight, it feels more solid than most mass-market tees, not like something that’ll come out ripped after one round in a washing machine. The quality is even comparable to the most expensive tee I own (from Minnesotan company Maria Stanley). And while much of Cos’ stock turns over quickly, this T-shirt is reliably stocked (and restocked). I only wish it came in a wider range of sizes.

Sizes: XXS–XXL | Fabric: Polyester, acrylic, rayon, spandex | Fit: Loose | Weight: Between lightweight and midweight

Uniqlo, known for its excellent basics, is deservedly all over the Strategist archives. This shirt features the brand’s ultrawarm Heattech fabric — a blend of polyester, acrylic, rayon, and spandex — that makes it a great base layer. From trying a Heattech turtleneck myself recently, I can say Heattech is tremendously effective in keeping your body heat in and cold air out. “It keeps you warm while still being very thin,” says Café Forgot co-founder Lucy Weisner. Because it’s so layerable, she’ll wear it for outdoor “winter sports of all sorts,” like running and skiing. But even when she’s indoors, it works just as well. “Sometimes if I have an itchy sweater that I want to wear and need some skin protection, I’ll layer Heattech underneath,” she says. Unlike much of the Heattech line, this T-shirt doesn’t have such a tight fit. “They’re closely fitted without being tight at all,” says digital content creator Carrie Carrollo. “It’s almost like a second skin, like I’m not wearing anything, in a good way.” Carrollo owns five that she washes after each wear, and says they’ve held up well — an assurance confirmed by Weisner, who’s had one for over a decade. “It lasts, like most Uniqlo things, a suspiciously long amount of time,” she says.

Sizes: XXS–XXL | Fabric: Cotton jersey | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Midweight

“I have to hand it to Kotn: They really know their way around a long-sleeved T-shirt,” says Wall Street Journal art editor Alexandra Citrin-Safadi. Citrin-Safadi, who once described the brand’s Fitted Turtleneck as the “turtleneck you’ll demand to be buried in,” says the Fitted Longsleeve is “another banger.” Even after first telling me about the long-sleeve years ago, she calls it trusty to this day. It reminds her of the long-sleeve T-shirts (that were technically long underwear) she grew up in. These “set the baseline” for what Citrin-Safadi still looks for in a long-sleeve T-shirt: fitted, done in a crewneck, with sleeves that hit at the wristbone, and a hem that cuts off at the waistband of a mid-rise bottom. This one checks all those boxes. It’s made from a micro-rib, with what F. Miller founder Fran Miller says is “a snug fit” that’s easy to move in without ever stretching out.

Sizes: XS–XL | Fabric: Cotton (organic) | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Midweight

Flore Flore’s three-figure T-shirts have earned a loyal following. (It’s especially impressive seeing that the brand’s only been around since 2021.) And while $111 is, objectively, a lot to spend on a cotton T-shirt, there’s an argument for spending more for incredible quality. Its Steffi tee is, as Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo says, “the kind of T-shirt I imagine rich people have in multiples but I save for the days I want to look rich.” (It has three-quarter sleeves that count for me!) The well-fitting tee has a double-stitched cut-off seam on the back and boatneck that “shows off a totally appropriate amount of clavicle.” (“I have narrow shoulders so boat necks are a friend,” she mentions to me.) Or you could go for the crewneck Max that Miller owns. Like the Steffi, the Max has a center back seam. Unlike the Steffi, the Max has a banded collar and cuffs. Miller thinks it’s an updated version of the undershirts she wore as a child.

Sizes: XS–4X | Fabric: Cotton jersey | Fit: Loose | Weight: Lightweight

Strategist writer Emma Wartzman describes this loose-fitting long-sleeve from Old Navy as “like a shirt you borrowed from someone and never gave back.” Wartzman has an“embarrassingly large” collection of them, after buying her first one close to a year ago and going back for (many) more. The T-shirt comes in in the widest range of sizes of any of the shirts on this list, XS to 4X. Wartzman owns a mix of petite smalls (she’s five-foot-four, for reference) that are layered under sweaters, and petite larges, which give her a much boxier look. “They’re on the lightweight side for sure, but not in a thin or dinky way,” she tells me. They’re already cheap at $17 and regularly go on sale for closer to $10. “I don’t expect them to last forever and ever, but the ones that are a year in are still in top-tier shape — and I wear them all the time,” she says. She most recently wore them during a week in midcoast Maine.

Sizes: XS–XL | Fabric: Hemp and merino wool | Fit: Loose | Weight: Heavyweight

What do Carrie Brownstein of Sleater Kinney and Amanda Seyfried have in common? Neither can live without Jungmaven. The company made a name for itself with its high-quality hemp apparel. As seen in the Tatoosh T-shirt, which features hemp and merino wool — the natural fibers are supposed to be renewable and biodegradable. Because of the blend, it’s temperature-regulating too. “I’ve worn it on super cold days as a layer and on its own on some of these warmer days,” says Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens. It’s not overly cropped or clingy, either — and still looks great even after going through the dryer. It’s a do-good, feel-good tee. “I can just tell it’s the kind of shirt that’s going to be in about the same condition in like, five years,” Kitchens says. So I think it’s worth the higher price tag.

Sizes: 0–20 | Fabric: Modal and elastane | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Between lightweight and midweight

This T-shirt’s modal fabric sent artist Melly Wirtes down a textile research rabbit hole, where she was wowed by its ability to be simultaneously “stretchy, breathable, drapes well, doesn’t pill, doesn’t shrink, and doesn’t crease.” It “makes you think, Huh, this is what textile innovation looks like,” she says. Just note it’s more form-fitting than the product photos on the model show — though Wirtes likes her long-sleeves tighter, because they’re easy to layer and stay put, so as not to “introduce the hazard of flashing everyone when I raise my arms,” she explains. “It’s a slinky little thing, kind of sexy,” she tells me. Best of all, it’s soft: “Lululemon uses the word ‘buttery,’ in the product description, and I can confirm, this is not false advertising.”

Sizes: XS–XL | Fabric: Lyocell | Fit: Boxy | Weight: Lightweight

This Baserange is another well-worth-it splurge, if you’re looking for a super-lightweight tee of exceptional quality. The brand (another longtime Strategist staff favorite) made a name for itself with its ethical production practices and use of sustainable materials: “I find that is totally evident in the clothing itself,” Wirtes explains. Its Long-Sleeve Tee “feels handmade” to her. “It is tissue-thin, very soft, very sheer with delicate stitching,” she says. It’s made from bamboo lyocell that’s a close cousin of modal. The material is lightweight and thin enough “so as to not be too hot to layer,” she says. It’s less form-fitting and looser through the torso. “You get what you pay for,” she assures: “a responsibly-made, sumptuous, wispy-thin basic from an it-brand.”

Sizes: XXS–XL | Fabric: Nylon and elastane | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Midweight

“If you would have told me ten years ago I’d be shopping at Abercrombie again, I’d laugh in your face,” brand consultant Lucia Litman tells me. But Litman liked this slim-fitting, seamless T-shirt so much that her apprehensions quickly vanished. She now owns four of the shirts, which are smoothing so as not to “see every bump of your body.” Thanks to the double lining and light compression, she doesn’t need a bra underneath. More pluses: It’s layerable and tuckable. Just know that it’s meant to keep you warm. “I wouldn’t wear it on a super-hot summer day,” she suggests.

Sizes: XS–XL | Fabric: Organic cotton and elastane | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Midweight

Colorful Standard reminds Wirtes of the early days of American Apparel: “a standard line of silhouettes, reproduced in a wide range of colors.” Its Organic Rib T-shirt is stiffer than the Lululemon Hold Tight she recommends above, with a closer fit and a close-knit rib. “For me, this top is approaching too thick to layer, but it’s not a no,” she says. Quality-wise, she believes it’s “’90s L.L. Bean-coded.”

Sizes: XXS–XXL | Fabric: Cotton, modal, spandex | Fit: Fitted | Weight: Midweight

When Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin, author of the newsletter Corner Booth and content director at Kule, isn’t wearing Kule’s Modern Long, she’s wearing Gap’s Modern Boatneck. It’s been a reliable layer for over a year. Carrollo is another devotee of this shirt for the neckline, which is cut to show a sliver of collarbone (enough to look sexy, but not so much that your bra straps show). It’s super-stretchy and super-soft to boot. “I wear it almost weekly and wash it every time and it seems to only be getting softer,” she says. The T-shirt often goes on sale for less than $15 and also comes in a linen-blend that’s cut to be looser too.

• Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin, author of the newsletter Corner Booth and content director at Kule• Carrie Carrollo, digital content creator• Alexandra Citrin-Safadi, Wall Street Journal art editor• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer• Simone Kitchens, Strategist senior editor• Lucia Litman, brand consultant• Fran Miller, founder of F. Miller• Emma Wartzman, Strategist writer• Lucy Weisner, Café Forgot co-founder• Melly Wirtes, artist

Additional reporting by Hilary Reid

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