Comparison of T-Shirts for Tall Skinny Men: Tall Slim Tees vs Old Navy 5

Tall mens clothing is becoming increasingly common both from mass market brands and from niche tall specific clothing companies. In this post, I’m going to compare two examples of these: Old Navy and Tall Slim Tees (TST).

The two t-shirts TST kindly sent me are medium and large while the Old Navy t-shirt is a large tall. And for comparison’s sake, I’ve included a run of the mill large from Hanes. None of the t-shirts were washed nor dried prior to the comparison.

Clockwise from top left: Hanes, Old Navy Large Tall, TST Medium, TST Large 

Though I have had much better luck with Old Navy in the past, in this instance their shirt was only slightly longer the the Hanes large. In contrast, the TST t-shirts both have more than an extra inch in length as well as longer sleeves. All girths are similar except the TST medium, which is as to be expected.

TST Fitting Guide:

MEDIUM: 6’2″ – 6’7″ & 150 lbs. – 200 lbs.

LARGE: 6’4″ – 6’9″ & 200 lbs. – 250 lbs.

I’m 6’7″ (long torso) and 220 lbs which puts me at the lower end of TST’s large. The large (red) was an OK fit, but I liked the medium (blue) much more. I haven’t worn a medium anything since my early teens, so it sounds a bit odd at first. But it makes sense as, for my height, I’m about average build. How nice it is not to have to opt for an XXL tent just to get enough length!

A challenge that Old Navy faces is that they are a mass market company and hence will always be pressured to reach the largest market. So while tall men by most definitions are 6’4″ and up, Old Navy is drawn to lower this in search of a larger market. From my past experience with Old Navy, I have to say they are a decent option. But for the truly tall men, 6’4″ and up, niche companies like TST will always have the edge. It should also be noted that TST t-shirts aren’t merely scaled up standard shirts, but have gone through 7 design iterations to be optimized specifically for thin men from 6’2″ to 6’9″.

The Old Navy t-shirt is about $10 while the TST t-shirt is a bit more expensive at $20 (5% with the coupon promo code: Tall). But getting a good fit is worth the extra price. Further, the TST t-shirt is softer and just feels like it’s better quality, despite both t-shirts being about 50-50 polyester and cotton (update: and now TST makes some of there shirts right in the US!). Lastly, supporting niche tall clothing companies keeps them around and developing new products. TST, for example, plans to launch more sizes this year as well as getting into long sleeve shirts. In conclusion, Tall Slim Tees wins this match!