Finding a great fitting T-shirt isn't an easy feat, but thanks to the people over at threadbase we now have some extensive data to help you determine the perfect size.
The NYC-based startup that specializes in organizing clothing data, washed, dried, and measured 800 of the most popular men's T-shirts from online, with the styles spanning a variety of price points, sizes, and fits.
One of its findings was that T-shirts do shorten and widen over time. The chest of a tee actually expands 2X its length after just a couple hours of wear, and as time goes on the stretched out shape only worsens.
When it comes to sizing, there is actually a huge difference in the measurements of tees from different retailers. The data shows that a Zara XL is actually comparable to a J. Crew medium.
If that doesn't make shopping for tees hard enough, the study also found that even if you buy two identical shirts from the same brand in the same exact size, they might not fit the same thanks to basic manufacture variance.
The research also proves that the washer isn't actually responsible for shrinking your clothes, it's the dryer. Even though many people think hot water is a primary culprit for shrinkage, threadbase explains that while it can affect materials like wool, the water temperature doesn't actually matter when washing cotton and polyester. So, if you want to lessen shrinking, make sure to keep your tees and other items away from the dryer. In the future, the company hopes to use the data to create an algorithm that can help recommend brands and sizes for different body types.
To read the the full report head over here.
