Shirt vs T-Shirt: Difference and Comparison

Since the mid-19th century, the availability of T-shirts or shirts amongst men’s wear has been imponderable. However, to date, these garments are two of the most worn clothing in the menswear section.

Key Takeaways

1. Shirts have collars, buttons, and cuffs, while T-shirts are collarless, pullover garments with short sleeves.
2. Shirts are made of woven materials and are more formal, whereas T-shirts are made of knit fabrics and are considered casual wear.
3. Shirts can be dressy, casual, or workwear, while T-shirts are primarily worn for leisure or sports activities.

Shirt vs T-Shirt  

In menswear, a shirt is a formal garment that consists of a collar and buttons. It comes in different sleeve sizes and materials, such as cotton, silk or polyester. A t-shirt is a casual and informal garment without collars and buttons. It comes in different patterns and necklines, such as crew neck, v-neck and u-neck.

A shirt is a clothing garment for the upper body exclusively worn by men for any formal occasion. In Britain, a shirt is a garment with a collar, sleeves with cuffs, and a full vertical opening with buttons.

On the other hand, a T-shirt is also known as a tee-shirt, a type of shirt, but casual wear rather than formal. T-shirts don’t have either collars or buttons.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Shirt	T-Shirt
Meaning	A shirt is a formal menswear, which has a collar or necktie that can be worn in any important meeting.	A T-shirt is an informal shirt unisex wear that comes with a T shape of its body and sleeves. The T-shirt can be worn at home or during any causal event.
Etymology	The term shirt was evolved back in 3000 BC, which is discovered as the oldest shirt in the first dynasty Egyptian tomb.	In the 19th century, a T-shirt was invented as undergarment wear. Later in the 20th century, the T-shirt was recognised as causal menswear.
Material used	A shirt is made up of fabric. Shirts are either made of natural fibre – Cotton, hemp, wool, silk and ramie. While for man-made fibre- polyester, viscose and Tencel.	T-shirts are of ring-spun cotton whereby thinning, twisting and spinning the fabrics to yarn for a worthwhile T-shirt material.
Types	There are a plethora of types of shirts such as shirtwaist, a poet shirt, T-shirt, polo shirt, casual shirt, amp shirt, dress shirt, sweatshirt and nightshirt.	There are three types of T-shirts such as V-neck, U-neck T-shirts and tie-dye T-shirts.
Designed	A shirt is normally designed with a formal collar, sleeves with cuffs, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem, and some with pockets.	The T-shirt is designed with dyes, spray, paints, markers, followed by techniques to make it even more creative like sponging, spanking crayons,  screen printing, daubing and bleaching.

What is Shirt? 

A shirt is formal menswear worn during meetings or any important event with a necktie or suit. Shirts are originally invented as a wide variety of upper-body gannets or undergarments for men. 

According to the reports, Flinders Petrie is the one who has discovered the oldest shirt, which is from a first-dynasty Egyptian tomb, dated to 3000 BC.

They are designed for formal purposes, such as collars, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem, and sleeves with cuffs and rarely come with pockets.

What is T-Shirt? 

A T-shirt is an informal or casual menswear, with the T shape of its body and sleeves. They don’t have either collars or buttons but are categorized for their stretchable, finely affordable knitted fabric, easy-clean, cotton material, and short-sleeved garment. 

T-shirts were originally invented for undergarments wear in the 19th century, and in the mid-20th century, they turned out to be famous casual wear among men’s clothing.  

T-shirts are short-sleeved, collarless, and undershirt, plus regarded for their reasonable prices, comfort, and hygiene, and have become an essential basic wardrobe item worn by people of all classes and ages. 

Moreover, there are a few types of T-shirts worn by men around the market, starting from V-neck T-shirts to tie-dye T-shirts. People have fallen in love with shirts, especially T-shirts. 

T-shirts are known for their designs, including paints, markers, dyes, spray, and fabric transfer crayons, followed by techniques like stencilling, sponging, screen printing, daubing, bleaching, and many more.

Main Differences Between Shirt and T-Shirt

1. Notwithstanding, T-shirts come in three types- V-neck T-shirts and tie-dye T-shirts.
2. When it comes to design, then a shirt is designed with a formal collar, sleeves with cuffs, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem, and some with pockets.

References

1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/026870300401405
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344915300434

Last Updated : 21 August, 2023