Where the hem lands changes the whole proportion of an outfit.

Most sizing advice for tees is about the chest. The chest decides whether a tee pulls or drapes, but it is the length that decides how the tee can be worn, and length is the measurement most people never check. A tee that ends two inches too high or too low can be the right size and still be wrong for your wardrobe.

Start With the Rise of What You Wear

Where a tee should end depends on where your waistband sits. Look at the trousers, jeans, and skirts you wear most, and notice whether the waistband sits at your natural waist, a little below it, or down near the hip. That point is the line every tee in your drawer will be judged against.

If most of what you wear is high-rise, you have two useful tee lengths: one long enough to tuck, and one short enough to sit at the waistband untucked. Anything in between tends to bunch.

A Fitted Tee Needs Tucking Room

A fitted tee that is meant to be tucked should reach at least a few inches below the waistband it goes into. Less than that and it will work its way out the first time you reach for something on a high shelf. Around the hip bone is a comfortable target for most high-rise bottoms, since it gives enough length to stay in place without leaving a thick fold of fabric inside the waistband.

A Relaxed Tee Should Meet the Waistband

A relaxed tee is cut wide, so its length does most of the work of keeping it in proportion. When the hem lands at or just above the waistband, the width reads as intentional and your legs keep their full length. When the same width runs down over the hips, the tee starts to read as oversized rather than relaxed. If a relaxed tee is longer than you want, a front tuck or a side knot brings the hem back up to the waistband.

Where the Sleeve Stops Matters Too

A short sleeve that ends midway down the upper arm makes the shoulder look neat and the arm look long. A sleeve that reaches almost to the elbow, common on relaxed cuts with a dropped shoulder, gives a softer, easier line. Neither is right for everyone, so notice which one you reach for first in your own drawer.

Let Your Favorite Tee Set the Number

Take the tee you wear most often and lay it flat. Measure from the highest point of the shoulder, right beside the neckband, straight down to the hem. Then put it on and note where that hem lands against your usual waistband. That one number tells you more about what you like than any size letter, because it describes a result you already know works.

If a tee you order ends in a different place than you expected, trying it on indoors with the tags attached keeps every option open, and our Return & Refund Policy explains how to send it back at no cost.

Thank you for shopping with us, and for choosing the plain tee on purpose.