GQ associate commerce editor Tyler Chin gives Tracksmith’s singlet major props for its ability to stay cool, even during the hottest, most humid days of the summer. Plus, as someone who actually cares about what his running fit looks like, he thinks it makes him look like an ’80s-era collegiate Olympian—gold medal not guaranteed.
Best Slimming Tank Top: Skims Rib Tank
Skims burst onto the scene like a supernova with the help of its eye-catching marketing materials, but its unmitigated success is due, in no small, to the product itself. And that includes the men’s stuff. We’re particularly partial to the Rib Tank, which is crazy comfortable, super light, and manages to hold its shape all day long, even if your shape is in a little bit of flux—which means that it’s not so much form-fitting as it is form-boosting. It manages to do the last part without feeling constrictive or limiting in any way, or sticking out underneath a thin shirt, making it an easy year-round go-to.
More Tank Tops We Love
Calvin Klein Cotton Classics Tank (3-Pack)
Buck Mason Pima Rib Tank
Russell Athletic Cotton Performance Sleeveless Muscle T-Shirt
Todd Snyder Silk Cotton Muscle Tank
Sunspel Cellular Cotton Underwear Vest
Abercrombie & Fitch Ribbed Tank Top
What Makes a Good Tank Top
Tank tops are straightforward when it comes to design consideration, and we’re not pretending otherwise, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of variance between them. In fact, when there’s only a couple of panels and zero sleeves, every choice—from fabric to fit to seam construction to knit-pattern to intended use—becomes exponentially more important. Here’s what you should be looking out for:
Intended use. Might be obvious, but if you’re looking for a tank top to do a specific thing, you should buy one that excels at that thing. An undershirt that won’t be visible under a button-down, for instance, should have a lower scoop neckline. If you’re looking for one to wear in a more outward-facing capacity—on its own or under an open shirt—then you’d want a tank that offers more heft or a touch of drape.
Quality of construction and materials. There are only two panels on a standard tank—one, if it’s tube-knit—which means that what it’s made out of becomes important. Details like fiber quality, fabric content, construction details, and knit-pattern are all things to consider. For example, is the fabric a blend or is it all cotton? If it is a blend, is that blend serving a purpose, like providing elasticity, or is it a cost-cutting measure? The rubric might not look exactly the same for every tank—some require different strengths—but the standards are.
Fit. We care (deeply) about the way any shirt fits, so tank tops are no exception. Because they tend to be both more revealing and form-fitting, fit is as important as any other factor. For tanks that promise to lay flat and stay snug, pay close attention to just how flat and how snug. For those that promise versatility, we made sure they actually delivered on multiple fronts. And while we don’t have a hard and fast silhouette requirement—we don’t think you should either—we did want to make sure everything was as advertised.
How We Tested
To kick off the process, we enlisted a who’s who of GQ staffers to wear-test our contenders. Some of them have worked in retail; others have toiled for small-batch labels; some have seen hundreds of tanks come across their desks in their time writing; all have a deep appreciation for both the utility of tank tops and the preservation of shirting. We leaned on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrowed down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price. Finally, the heavy-duty wearing began.
As tends to be the case, our testers owned some of the tanks on this list already and a few were completely new to us. After some intensive wear, however, we recorded our deeply scientific observations and rejiggered our selections accordingly. Based on those evaluations, we ran the numbers, collated the anecdotal evidence, and emerged with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best tank tops for men right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the super affordable to the moderately expensive—tanks, perhaps more than other items, do have a price ceiling. But whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be one for you.
Our Testers
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographs by Bowen Fernie
Grooming by Melissa DeZarate for A-Frame Agency
Special thanks to Trinity Boxing Club, New York
