12 Boxy T-shirts That Are Surprisingly Versatile For Summer (And How To Wear Them)

By Dan Ahwa

Thursday Oct. 19, 2023

Viva

Turn to a boxy T-shirt for a relaxed, semi-structured look. Photo / Guy Coombes

Trussed up or dressed down, a T-shirt with a strong silhouette is an easy wardrobe update.

There’s something about the virtues of a good quality T-shirt that will forever have a place in my wardrobe, and more recently I’ve invested in boxy-shaped T-shirts as an easy — but still smart — alternative to a shirt.

As dress codes continue to adhere to some level of hybridity, a crisp boxy T-shirt with a decent silhouette is a surprisingly good alternative to a dress shirt or blouse when worn on its own, maybe tucked into a pair of smart trousers or a tidy skirt, layered underneath a tailored jacket or blazer.

Focus on a clean-cut boxy T-shirt here, avoid anything with a busy print or graphic on it. The point of a boxy T-shirt is that it is unapologetically minimalist by design, and often the most basic garments require a very simple approach to dressing. Tucked inside a waistband, a clean-cut boxy T-shirt shape is complemented particularly well by a decent belt and if you so wish, a layer of a beautiful necklace. Try something classic here like a string of pearls or beads, or perhaps a coin pendant or fob chain.

When we explored the arrival of a smart short suit as a spring/summer workwear option, we layered a crisp boxy T-shirt underneath made with a decent-weight GSM. The resulting look was smart but not too formal, which is a pretty good result as we head into warmer days when you need to look professional and pulled together. When the jacket is removed, a boxy T-shirt can still offer a sense of modernity without feeling too casual.

The difference between simply throwing an oversized T-shirt on compared with investing in a boxy T-shirt is that the latter, with its square look, feels much more intentional, softly mimicking the benefits of wearing something tailored without being overly rigorous.

What to look out for when buying a boxy T-shirt

As a general rule of thumb, a boxy T-shirt should be as wide as it is long, and in contrast to other T-shirts that can feel too restrictive, there’s a sense of nonchalance about a boxy-shaped T-shirt that feels modern.
Look out for generous sleeves. Generously sized sleeves make a boxy T-shirt look intentional, so consider a sleeve that’s wide and falls to the elbow — anything shorter won’t look strong.
A boxy T-shirt needs a decent collar. While some of the options below have wider collars, Personally, I find a mock-neck collar on a boxy T-shirt is another way to look pulled together because it has some structure to it.
The great thing about this assortment of boxy-shaped T-shirts is the quality too — here you’ll find a boxy-shaped T-shirt relies heavily on keeping some type of shape with the support of quality cotton.