The Only T-Shirt You’ll Ever Need Costs $15

I had long desired a T-shirt with the perfect balance of weight and movement, plus a boxy yet shaping silhouette. It had to be long enough for me to tuck it into high-waisted trousers for work but not so lengthy that it would look awkward if left untucked.

I was searching for more than just a good fit. My perfect T-shirt also had to be a machine-washable workhorse that could withstand multiple back-to-back wears in one week.

And it had to cost less than $50.

After years of trying and failing to find the perfect white tee, I somehow still had a shred of faith that I’d find it. So when I tried on the Crew Neck T-Shirt at Uniqlo, it was with both dressing-room fatigue and childlike hope.

The tee felt soft and thick. My hand didn’t show through the white fabric. As I scrunched it, the tee wrinkled, but a quick pat smoothed it immediately. The neckline bounced back beautifully after I stretched it.

Beyond the feel, the fit was exactly what I had long craved. I could tuck it into high-waisted pants without its losing shape. Untucked, it fell at just the right point on my hips, neither a baby tee nor a tunic. And it was hefty enough to feel elevated — I could see myself wearing it with nearly everything in my closet.

I admit, this 100% cotton tee looks boring. It’s a quintessentially classic T-shirt with a pretty unremarkable silhouette. But it really is great.

Since buying this shirt, I’ve worn it, on average, three times a week. (I use it so much, I’m due to buy a second one soon, if only for the sake of laundry and hygiene.) I’ve worn it as part of the usual casual-outfit formulas — a tee and blue barrel jeans or denim shorts, say — and as a blank canvas under work suiting, pairing it with a blazer, trousers, and kitten heels. The high crewneck cut also lends itself to one of my favorite cold-weather styling tricks: a white tee peeking out of a colorful sweater.

And have I mentioned the price? It’s just $15.

That’s on the lower end of the cotton T-shirt price continuum, which ranges from $5 to $150-plus. (And it’s on a par with many of Uniqlo’s other tee offerings, including the Mini T-Shirt, which Wirecutter editor Maxine Builder recommends.) Cost has frequently been an obstacle for me: Too often, high-quality cotton tees sell at three-figure prices, while those under $50 are often blended or fully made with synthetics.

I am not the only one to adore this shirt. It was also beloved by our testers and is a top pick in our guide to the best women’s white tees. “Of all the tees we tested, none of them elicited more sticker shock — the delighted kind — than the Uniqlo Crew Neck T-Shirt,” guide author Zoe Vanderweide writes.

But it’s still not perfect.

First, there’s the shrinkage. In Zoe’s testing, this tee shrank by 6.9% (more than the average across all the tested tees) after a wash in warm water and a tumble-dry on low. Based on Uniqlo’s care notes, I wash mine in cold water, which helps, though the shirt does tighten right out of the wash (and loosens throughout the day).

The slim cut might be another issue. Though I enjoy a snug tee, this shirt’s narrow cut may be a problem for people who have a larger chest or broader shoulders. A size XL, 38G tester, for example, found it constricting.

It is also a thicker material, which means it isn’t the most breathable shirt.

Despite those flaws, I have found myself relying on the Uniqlo Crew Neck T-Shirt as a core building block of my wardrobe. It may not seem like much on its own, but a closer look (and, in my case, a lot of use) reveals a versatile tee that offers more value than its price suggests.

It’s years away from passing on to that dreaded fashion graveyard. But when the time comes, a fresh version will undoubtedly take its place.

This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Ben Frumin.