Best men’s long-sleeve T-shirts for transitional dressing

For the perfect long-sleeve T-shirt, H&M has the best cut, length and fabric for easy wearing and longevity. We’ve been buying long-sleeve tees from the high street brand for years, and they are staples in our wardrobe.

With a budget-friendly price, this tee is light and has a good stretch to it, so it’s easy to move around as you go about your day, without feeling restricted. The only thing to note is the bulky label at the back of the neck, which we lopped off straight away.

We opted for the classic black colour but there are forest green, navy and white versions, too.

A relatively new brand, Plainandsimple creates good neutral basics with a circular policy when it comes to manufacturing. This means once your pieces are past their best, you can return them to the brand, so they can be reused to make other clothes – and you’ll get a 15 per cent discount on your next purchase.

This long-sleeve T-shirt has a great modern, boxy fit and drop sleeves, offering a slouchier, laidback look. The cotton, which is GOTS-certified organic, feels soft to the touch but is substantial, so, it will see you through the chillier days. We are definitely keeping this brand on our radar – and so should you.

This tee from the folklore inspired apparel brand Heresy is made with substantial, heavyweight cotton and features a moss covered statue, or ‘moss brain’. The British brand doesn’t use blanks for its tees, instead creating their own bespoke shapes and cuts.

The washed black is a versatile shade for casual days or to add an unexpected twist to an outfit. The piece works on its own for a warmer day but when layered, feels warm due to its weight, and we love styling this piece during autumn and winter. We sized up for an oversized look.

Another great high street entry, M&S’s pure supima cotton – said to be twice as strong as regular cotton – T-shirt is silky soft to the touch.

The slimmer fit is flattering but we felt restrictions to our movement due to the cut, which, coupled with the strong cotton means we’d recommend sizing up. However, we had several compliments from friends and colleagues while testing the dark olive colour, which is a great autumn shade. The piece washed well and was just as soft after three washes, which bodes well for longevity.

The diffusion line from Hugo Boss is aimed at a younger demographic but this simple tee is great for any age (our tester is in his mid-30s).

With a slightly more premium price, it has a high neck and a contrast logo in the middle of the chest – the kind of subtle branding we love.

We’ve styled it with jeans as well as smarter trousers, for an office look, proving this to be a versatile wardrobe staple.

Affordable Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo needs no introduction. As anyone who’s shopped there will know, the brand is a go-to for stocking up on basics. This ultra-soft long-sleeve tee has an inclusive size range and comes in seven colourways (you’ll want them all), but we tested an autumnal dark brown.

Uniqlo’s quality is fantastic for the price – our tester still has a short-sleeve T-shirt in his rotation from 2012 that seems to only get softer with wear. This long-sleeve tee also washes really well and the label on the inside collar is printed onto the fabric, which means no annoying tickly tags or misshapen necks.

One thing to note is the sleeves are cuffed, which means layering under a jumper and coat can get bulky around the wrists.

Everlane is on the premium end for its basics, but the brand is committed to organic, high-quality materials and what it calls ‘radical transparency’ for its products. You can even see the exact factory in which pieces are made.

The raglan style of this long-sleeve T-shirt – part of the brand’s uniform collection – is our favourite detail, as we’re big fans of off-the-shoulder and more relaxed looks. This thicker, heavy cotton is great for building out an autumn/winter outfit. We tested the tee in a mid-grey but there are several neutral shades to try.

The second entry for Uniqlo comes from the heattech range – an essential for when the weather gets particularly cold. This tee is soft and stretchy but manages to keep body heat in amazingly well for something so light. We wore it with a lighter jacket or coat in winter and felt cosy and warm.

Complete with a longer body, the tee can be tucked easily into trousers, making it a great base layer. The sleeves are intentionally cropped, to allow for layering, but, as a taller man, our tester found it slightly annoying when the sleeves got bunched up or lost under layers of clothing.