We've found the best white cotton t-shirts now - from £9.50 at M&S

There is nothing more classic, chic, useful and failsafe for your daily spring and summer style rotation than a well cut white T-shirt. Make it freshly ironed, and in the kind of just right shape to tuck into barrel jeans, striped trousers, a drop-waist skirt or bias cut satin midi skirt and you're winning at 2025 style in an effortless way.

And, you know, there's something uplifting about a clean, bright white T-shirt, like your skin tone just got a mini facial and your style IQ jumped a few points. Don’t ask me how it works, just trust that it does.

Now, let’s talk cut, because the phrase “just right shape” needs decoding for now. It starts with a few non negotiables: it must be a crew neck, and it must have short to mid-length sleeves.

From there, it’s a sliding scale between fashion-forward and foundational, with just two options. If you'd like your T-shirt to feel in tune with fashion now choose a boxy fit with mid-length slevees. If you want a more foundational piece that plays nice with layers, go for a more fitted shape with shorter sleeves. There! Easy.

The edit below talks direct to these two options, and each one is built to last. We’re talking grown-up cotton, clean construction, and none of that see-through nonsense - M&S, Hush, Cos, Boden and Arket all deliver here.

One of my new go-tos? British brand Asket, (not to be confused with Arket), who make traceable, affordable organic cotton white tees built to last provided you show them a little love (read: 30 degree machine wash, air dry, and yes, the occasional spoonful of whitening Vanish). And if you do get a stain? Channel your inner Virgo and tackle it immediately. Do this, and your white T-shirt will make it to 2026 perfectly ready to go again.