The Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt: A Complete Guide (2024)

When you're looking for something to wear on your upper body, there's two obvious choices: A shirt or a T-Shirt.

But what's the difference, and which should you wear?

The difference between a shirt and a T-shirt is the construction, the dress code formality, material and patterns.

The most obvious difference is front. A T-shirt is a pull over style of top, while a shirt has a button placket for you to button up.

Next comes the collar. A shirt will have a collar, whereas a regular T-shirt does not.

A shirt is often viewed as a more formal option, with a t-shirt being casual.

Both a shirt and T-shirt can be long sleeve or short sleeve. But a short sleeve T-shirt is more often worn, whereas a long sleeve shirt is often preferable, and is more formal than it's short sleeve version.

Shirts vs T-Shirts Comparison Table

FeaturesShirtT-Shirt
AboutA button up garment worn on the top half of the body.A casual piece of clothing pulled over the head and worn on the top part of the body.
FabricDifferent weaves of cotton including poplin, twill, flannel, and others.Cotton, Polyester and a mix.
DesignUsually plain or a patterned fabricPlain or printed via vinyl, screen printing, embroidered or digital
ConstructionA shirt has a button placket to the front, a collar and cuffs.A T-shirt is collarless, has no placket and pulls over the head.
SleevesShort or long sleeved with long sleeved being more formal and popular.Short sleeved far more popular with long sleeve options available.
Dress CodeA shirt is usually worn as a formal, semi-formal or smart casualoption.A T-shirt is usually worn as a sports, casual or smart casual option.

What Is A T-Shirt

The Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt: A Complete Guide (1)

A T Shirt is often seen as a casual item of clothing for men and women. Typically it's a short sleeve garment worn over the head made from cotton.

It's a wardrobe staple, meaning that it's an essential piece of clothing that we all have in our wardrobe.

The style of a T-shirt can be either plain or decorated usually with print. Printed t-shirtsinclude logos, slogans, graphics, embroidery or all over prints.

A basic T-shirt is so versatile. You can wear it on it's own, as part of a casual outfit. You can wear a t-shirt as a layer, with a shirt, jumper or something else over the top.

You can also dress up a T-shirt. This is usually done with a smart plain T-shirt with a blazer or suit jacket over the top.

There are several necklines of T-shirts. The most common are the V-neck T-shirt and the round neck T-shirts, also known as a crew collar.

T-Shirts are usually made of cotton for every day wear, with active and sports t-shirts being made from polyester.

There's so many different types of t-shirts, suited to everyone young and old, casual and smart as well as having many different uses.

What Is A Shirt

The Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt: A Complete Guide (2)

A shirt is a button up piece of clothing with either short or long sleeves worn by men and women.

Shirts have a button up front, collar and cuffs. The collar is can be a button-down collar which is seen as less formal, or not have buttons.

Shirts are usually made of cotton fabrics, with different weaves including twill, poplin, flannel and more. These weaves give the shirt a different feel to a t-shirt, and are usually thicker and heavier and a T-shirt.

Dress Code

To differentiate between the two, a shirt can be viewed as more formal while a T-shirt is more casual. But this is not always the case.

For example a short sleeve patterned shirt can be viewed as a casual shirt. This would not be worn for a formal event.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, you could wear a smart plain T-shirt with a blazer turning your outfit into smart casual.

Dress For The Occasion

If you're deciding whether to wear a t-shirt or a shirt, the most important thing is to dress for the occasion.

As we've discovered, a shirt is usually seen as a more formal choice. This is what you'd pick for formal events such as weddings, funerals and when you want to dress up.

For casual events especially in the summer, a T-shirt is the perfect choice. Going to the beach, going to the local pub or just to a friends house, a T-shirt is going to be a good choice.

Verdict:Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt

The biggest differences between a shirt and T-shirt is the formality and design of the shirt. Button up vs pull over, and smart vs casual, they're two basic essentials that you'll want to have in your wardrobe.

You can learn more about this in our T-Shirts blog where we talk about everything to do with T-shirts and clothing so you know all there is about the humble garment.

The Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt: A Complete Guide (3)

The Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt: A Complete Guide (2024)

FAQs

The Difference Between A T-Shirt And Shirt: A Complete Guide? ›

The difference between them is lies in formality and structure: T-shirts are casual, usually made of stretchy knit fabric with no collar, while shirts are more formal with a collared, button-up design that provides a more formal silhouette.

What is not considered a t-shirt? ›

T-shirts do not have collars or buttons; shirts have collars and buttons. T-shirts are often informal and casual; shirts are somewhat more formal. T-shirts are typically made of cotton or polyester; shirts come in more diverse fabrics. T-shirts and shirts can both be short-sleeved or long-sleeved.

What makes a t-shirt at a shirt? ›

A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a crew neck, which lacks a collar.

What is the difference between a t-shirt and a crew shirt? ›

The main difference between crew-neck t-shirts and round neck t-shirts is the neckline. Crew-neck t-shirts have a high, round neckline, while round neck t-shirts have a lower, V-shaped neckline.

Are shirt and tshirt size the same? ›

No. The measurements of the same-sized formal shirt and T-shirt are different.

What is the difference between a T-shirt and a shirt? ›

The difference between them is lies in formality and structure: T-shirts are casual, usually made of stretchy knit fabric with no collar, while shirts are more formal with a collared, button-up design that provides a more formal silhouette.

Can I say shirt instead of T-shirt? ›

T-shirts generally don't have buttons and collars (there are exceptions where a more casual shirt has a few buttons or even a collar and might be called a t-shirt). You can call a t-shirt a shirt, but you would never call a button-up formal shirt a t-shirt.

What does the T in a t-shirt stand for? ›

The T in T-shirts stands for Tee, but the letter T were used for T-shirts in its name creation, because when you flatten a T-shirt on a surface and pull the arms out to the sides of it, you get a shape in the form of a T.

What is a shirt with no sleeves called? ›

In the United States and Canada, any casual sleeveless shirt can be called tank top or tank shirt, with several specific varieties. It is named after tank suits, one-piece bathing suits of the 1920s worn in tanks or swimming pools. The upper garment is worn commonly by both men and women.

What is classified as a shirt? ›

In British English, a shirt is more specifically a garment with a collar, sleeves with cuffs, and a full vertical opening with buttons or snaps (North Americans would call that a "dress shirt", a specific type of collared shirt). A shirt can also be worn with a necktie under the shirt collar.

What does size guide mean? ›

A sizing chart in retail lists apparel product sizes and how they correspond to body measurements to help customers select the right size while shopping online (though they may also be referenced in-store). There are two types of size charts: internal and external.

What is the difference between a normal shirt and an oversized t-shirt? ›

The oversize t-shirt is an Anglicism meaning an oversized t-shirt, and goes against the fashion for slim-fitting t-shirts, which are intended to be worn close to the body. The oversize t-shirt is therefore a loose-fitting t-shirt that gives the impression of wearing a "too big" t-shirt one or two sizes larger.

Should I wear S or M? ›

Size guide
SM
Hips90-9596-101
HEIGHT (small) S (172-183cm)172-173174-175
HEIGHT (regular) R (180-191cm)180-181182-183
HEIGHT (tall) T (190-201cm)190-191192-193
2 more rows

What classifies a shirt as a shirt? ›

Typical shirt characteristics include a collar, sleeves with cuffs, a full-length front opening from the collar to the hem, and pockets. Shirt varieties include shirtwaists, poet shirts, T shirts, polo shirts, casual shirts, amp shirts, dress shirts, sweatshirts, and nightshirts.

Is a long sleeve shirt a T-shirt? ›

Long sleeve T-shirts are as the name suggests,T-shirts with their sleeves extended to cover the entire arm up to the wrist. These shirts combine the casual and comfortable feel of a T-shirt with the full covering of a business/dress shirt.

What is not considered clothing? ›

Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn normally are considered accessories rather than clothing (such as Handbags), items worn on a single part of the body and easily removed (scarves), worn purely for adornment (jewelry), or items that do not serve a protective function.

What is an unbranded shirt? ›

/ˌʌnˈbrændɪd/ ​(of a product) that does not have a brand name. The website sells cheap, unbranded clothes and accessories.

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