Lady White Co. makes the T-shirt as a finished garment rather than an upgraded undershirt. The six-ounce tubular jersey uses North Carolina cotton and is cut and sewn in Los Angeles, giving the shirt a pleasingly local chain of custody. Its dry, crisp hand softens with washing while the bound collar keeps the neckline composed. The shape is slightly shorter and wider than Velva Sheen’s, so it sits particularly well with higher-waisted trousers or straight denim.

There is enough body to wear it on its own without the fabric clinging or turning translucent. At the same time, the surface remains clean enough to slip beneath an unstructured jacket. The appeal becomes clearer after several weeks, when the cotton relaxes and the shirt begins to feel less purchased than adopted. It is a considered T-shirt, but never a fussy one, and that distinction earns it the second position.

The Real McCoy’s approaches the everyday T-shirt with the seriousness usually reserved for a flight jacket. Its Joe McCoy two-pack is made in Japan from cotton jersey with a tubular body and a reinforced ribbed neckline. The reference point is the packaged American tee of the late 1940s, recreated with more care than the original mass-market object was ever likely to receive. The result feels compact, sturdy and unmistakably deliberate.

It works best when the rest of the clothes are equally straightforward: washed denim, fatigues, a grey sweatshirt or a leather jacket. There is pleasure in the packaging and the historical accuracy, but the useful detail is how confidently the collar and body hold their shape. The price makes this the least democratic choice here, and the pre-packed shirts cannot be returned once opened, so sizing deserves attention. For the wearer who wants an ordinary white or black tee executed with extraordinary discipline, it is difficult to improve upon.