Unisex T-Shirt

What You Are Actually Getting

• No shaping at the waist. The side seam runs straight from the armhole to the hem, so the shirt falls from the widest point rather than following the body.
• More shoulder per chest. For the same chest measurement, the shoulder is wider, which is what makes the sleeve sit further out.
• Extra body length. Usually an inch or two longer than a women's shirt in the equivalent size.

How To Size It

If you normally wear women's sizes and want a unisex shirt to fit closely, taking one size down is the standard move, and it works because the chest measurement drops while the shoulder stays proportionate. What you give up is length, which is often the point rather than a cost.

If you want the loose look these are drafted for, take your usual size and let it fall. The mistake worth avoiding is sizing down for the chest and then finding the shoulder seam is now inside the point of your shoulder, which restricts the sleeve and is more uncomfortable than a shirt that is slightly large.

When Unisex Is The Better Choice

For anything printed and worn relaxed, unisex is usually the right answer. A straight body gives a print a flat, undistorted surface, and the extra length means the design sits well above the hem rather than close to it.

For a shirt worn fitted, or under something, a women's cut solves problems that no amount of sizing will, because the shaped seam and the smaller armhole are structural rather than dimensional. The same reasoning in reverse applies to the men's range, which is drafted on the same block and will fit the same way.

Length Is The Thing People Underestimate

The extra inch or two of body is what most often decides whether a unisex shirt works for someone used to a women's cut. It changes where the hem sits, what it does over a waistband, and whether the shirt can be worn out or has to be tucked.

It is also the easiest thing to change. Shortening a hem on a knit is a straightforward alteration, which means a unisex shirt that is right in the chest and long in the body is a solvable problem rather than a wrong purchase.

One Practical Note

Because the block is shared, a unisex shirt and a men's shirt in the same size from the same maker are very often the identical garment. If one of them fits you, there is no need to test the other, and if a size chart for the two looks the same, that is because it is.