How to size a boxy t-shirt

Buying a boxy tee online goes wrong in a predictable way. You order your usual size, it arrives wider and shorter than you expected, and you are not sure whether it is wrong or whether that is just the fit.

The fix is to stop thinking in S, M, L and start comparing two measurements. It takes about two minutes and it works for any shop.

What "boxy" actually means

A standard tee is cut with a slight taper: wider at the chest, narrower at the waist, sleeves set into the shoulder seam roughly where your shoulder ends.

A boxy tee is cut straight down from the underarm to the hem, so the body is the same width all the way, and it is usually shorter in the body relative to that width. Often the shoulder seam sits slightly down your arm rather than on the bone.

The result is that a boxy tee in your normal size will measure wider and sit shorter than the tee you are used to. That is the intended look, not a mistake. But it does mean the letter on the label is a poor guide.

Measure a tee you already own

Find the t-shirt in your wardrobe that fits the way you want the new one to fit. Lay it flat on a table, smooth out the wrinkles, and take two numbers with a tape measure.

Chest width. Measure straight across from one armpit seam to the other. Do not go around the body. This is the single most useful number, and almost every size guide lists it.

Body length. Measure from the highest point of the shoulder, right next to the collar, straight down to the hem. Size guides call this HPS, for high point shoulder.

Write both down. You now have a reference you can use for the rest of your life, on any shop's size guide.

Then compare, and decide what you want

Put your two numbers next to the size guide and think about the look rather than the label.

• For the intended boxy look, pick the size whose chest width is about 2 to 5 cm wider than your reference tee.
• For a closer, more normal fit, size down. Boxy cuts have enough room that a size down usually still fits comfortably through the chest, it just reads as a regular tee.
• If you are between sizes, go up for the boxy drape and down if you plan to wear it under things.

Length is the one people forget. A boxy tee that is 4 cm shorter than you are used to sits differently at the waistband, which matters a lot with high rise trousers and not at all with low rise.

Two things that quietly change the fit

Shrinkage. Heavyweight cotton that has not been pre-shrunk can lose a little length on a hot wash, and length is exactly what a boxy cut has least of. Washing cold is the simplest way to keep the fit you paid for, and it happens to be what keeps the print intact too.

Fabric weight. A boxy cut only hangs properly in a fabric with enough body to hold the shape. In thin jersey the same pattern just collapses into something shapeless, which is why the two usually go together. There is more on that in what GSM means.

When in doubt, ask

A small shop can go and physically measure the tee for you before you order, which is one of the few genuine advantages of buying from one. A warehouse cannot.

Trials tees are a boxy unisex cut, so size down if you want a closer fit. For the exact flat chest and length of any size, the contact page gets you a reply from the person who printed it. And if it arrives and the fit is not right, the returns page explains what happens next.