My Hunt to Find the Perfect Black V-neck T-Shirt

This V-neck unfortunately made me feel like I was at an eighth-grade bowling party, uncomfortably pulling at my shirt so no one would notice how awkward I felt. The bottom quarter of the top clung to the waistband of my jeans, tugging the torso down in an unflattering manner, and the dimensions of the wide open V felt somehow at odds with the sleeves. If I looked too long in the mirror I’d see a big MarioMemerge where the Vmet the angles around my shoulders. It just wasn’t the shape I was looking for — Jungmaven’s hemp-and-cotton-blend fabric is lovely, and I think if I’d gone up one size it would have been a great oversize option for a different search. This test was an important reminder of why I believe length is the most make-or-break detail in a T-shirt (and why it’s such a personal preference, given how height and torso shape vary so vastly from one person to the next).

Well, “cheesecloth” is in the name, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that my bra was on full display underneath this Los Angeles Apparel tee. It’s supremely soft, but with a sheer composition and a V that plunges confidently into sternum territory, it’s not very wearable for the day-to-day. The gauzy fabric is a combination of cotton and elastane that suctions to the body with vigor, like the shirt comes pre-drenched in club sweat and a good time. The one is decidedly more “Party Rock Anthem” than CBK.

This J.Crew tee is a loose 100 percent cotton option that falls at the hip, and I went one size down for a fit that was relaxed but not oversize. What I like most about the tee is its wide, rounded V — it leads the eye slowly from the shoulder down the chest and meets into a curve right before the view gets risqué. But the material was thinner than most others I tried, and while it was a perfectly fine T-shirt paired with jeans, I wouldn’t be eager to wear it anywhere fancier than the grocery store. It’s a few rungs above a drugstore three-pack T-shirt but not particularly memorable.

The design details of this Madewell top are very similar to the Flore Flore option below. Just like Flore Flore, it features a high tight V, taut short sleeves, a just-above-the-hip length, and even has a similar center-back seam — only it retails for much cheaper. At first touch, it felt like it might be a promising dupe. The fabric is luxuriously thick with an impressive amount of stretch for its 100 percent cotton makeup. But when I put it on, the price difference felt immediately noticeable. The fit was just okay: The hem bunched a little awkwardly at my jeans, and at least on my own T-shirt, the V was wonky. It jeered toward the left side of my chest by a millimeter or so, and while I’m sure no one else would notice, it’s something I would think about every time I put it on. Following the advice of the reviews I went one size up, but I think my normal size would have been fine too.

The second-place T-shirts turned out to be the cheapest and priciest of the bunch, including this Uniqlo option. Though the shirt leans more casual, this V can go anywhere — deep enough to bare some clavicle but high enough to be appropriate for school pickup. It’s a tad longer than my preferred length, but it didn’t pucker uncomfortably over my jeans like some others. The hem rested gracefully over my belt loops with no torso-tugging in sight. I’m already a big fan of Uniqlo’s never-pretentious and always-efficient T-shirts, and I’m an even bigger fan of when the brand uses 100 percent cotton fabrics for its pieces, as with this one. A natural-fiber T-shirt at this price point thatalso looks goodis like a needle in a polyester haystack.

I’ve been lusting after Flore Flore’s cotton basics for a while now, so I had the highest expectations for this one. It’s a really good shirt — made with a weighty 100 percent organic cotton featuring a gently rounded V — but it pinched a bit in the armpit area despite me going one size up. I think this is a model V-neck for so many others on the market, but as the most expensive piece in the lot, I needed it to fit perfectly to be the winner. I also ended up trying on its sleeveless sister in my pursuit, theJill Tankin my regular size, and was shocked at how much I preferred it over the T-shirt. The T-shirt dropped me in V-neck limbo — the tank lifted me up to V-neck heaven. It wasn’t what I was looking for, but it gave me a new V-shaped rabbit hole to climb down.

This is Leset’s V-neck version of its cult-favorite Margo tee. It’s got a boxier relaxed fit, a 100 percent cotton makeup, and one of the lowest V’s of the bunch. It might even show off a flash of cleavage in the right push-up bra (I don’t own one, otherwise I would’ve thrown it on in the name of journalistic research). I went one size up from my usual and couldn’t have loved the fit more. It has a true short sleeve (not a cap or a drooping arm tube) and hits at my ideal length, showing a sliver of midriff when paired with low-rise pants and offering perfect modesty against mid- to high-rises. The fabric is so dreamy — by far the softest of the lot — and it’s got me fantasizing about replacing all my ratty pajama T-shirts with Margos in every color and silhouette. Of course, if I had a drawer full of Margos, I’d never dare delegate such coveted tees to a life of house arrest. Guess I need doubles of them all.

This Kotn number is the closest I got to the curved V, form-fitting, hip-hugging cotton T-shirt I was looking for. The length feels just right, there’s no pinching in the armpits, and it’s made with a medium-weight 100 percent Egyptian cotton that’s not too thick for a sticky summer day. With the proper swap of bottoms, this tee is as well-suited for aMichelin-starred dinner as it is for hot yoga with Christy. The V is high, slightly rounded, and not too in-your-face — an approachable starter V for those who remain only V-curious. It too feels very similar to the Flore Flore and Madewell tees, but I much prefer the fit of this one, and it’s priced low enough to justify owning one in every color.