Buying Guide

The Perfect Summer T-Shirt

They’re the menswear equivalent of a golden retriever: Man's best friend. Reliable, comfortable and adaptable to all situations. Something you're always happy to have around. We're talking about a good pocket T-shirt. And much like their simpler, pocketless brothers, these tees are an essential part of your warm weather wardrobe. The pockets come in a variety of shapes and styles, but one wonders if they're really meant to be used. While pockets have long been added to clothing, the pocket tee didn't really take off until the late 1950s and '60s. T-shirts evolved from merely undershirts and athletic wear to an everyday casual staple. Suddenly they started showing up all over America and then people discovered that those small chest pockets made a convenient spot to store cigarettes, pens and other small items like business cards.

For Summer 2024, the shirts have a throwback quality to them. They're a little boxy and baggy, yet the slightly roomy fit is strangely flattering. And the best ones are cut from crisp, weighty cotton that's anything but sloppy. Wear them with jeans and with your favorite pair of shorts. Pull one on with the tailored pants you wear to work for a relaxed, yet polished summer look. There's no wrong way to wear them. In order to find out who makes the best ones, we tried on countless styles and have assembled a grouping of the best, in a range of styles and price points.

We’ve been working on something really cool behind the scenes. As some of you know, I’ve relocated to Tokyo and part of the reason why is to launch Valet.’s latest newsletter. Dubbed Bandana, it will be a window into the stylish world of Tokyo—highlighting fashion, culture and those unique moments that can only be found in Japan. It’s the next best thing to booking a plane ticket.

Above is the mood board from an early planning session. You’ll see some of our favorite Japanese magazines up there. As you know, they’re so damn cool … the only problem? They’re all in Japanese and Google Translate only gets you so far. Bandana is our solution to bridge that language divide. The first edition is dropping this Thursday, so sign up now to get it sent straight to your inbox. It’s not only got interesting stories direct from Tokyo, but there will also be Made-in-Japan products available to buy along with a hefty dose of style inspiration and a few fun surprises, too.