This is a question I get more than any other: "I'm 5'5", what size t-shirt should I wear?" The honest answer is that size — XS, S, M — is almost the wrong question. The right question is how the shirt fits in specific places. A medium from Abbreviated fits differently than a medium from Gap. Same label, different garment.
Here's what to actually look for, and how to evaluate whether a t-shirt fits the way it should on a shorter frame.
The four fit points that matter
Shoulder seam. This is the most important one and the easiest to check. The seam where the sleeve meets the body of the shirt should sit right at the edge of your shoulder — not drooping down your arm, not pulled toward your neck. If the shoulder seam is off, nothing else will look right no matter what you do. This is also the fit point that alterations can't fix without essentially remaking the shirt.
Chest width. The shirt should lie flat against your chest without pulling across the front. You want enough room to move without excess fabric bunching at the sides. For most guys a slim fit achieves this at the right size — the issue is usually that the right chest width comes with the wrong length.
Torso length. The hem should land at or just above the hip bone — roughly where your waistband sits. Too short and it looks like a crop top; too long and it hangs past the hip and shortens the visual leg line. For shorter guys the "too long" problem is almost universal with standard sizing. A medium in most brands falls 2–3 inches below where it should sit on a shorter torso.
Sleeve length. The sleeve should end around mid-bicep. If it's creeping toward the elbow, the shirt was designed for someone with longer arms. This is usually the second thing that goes wrong after torso length, and it's what makes a shirt look generically "too big" even when the chest fits fine.
What the numbers actually look like
Abbreviated publishes garment measurements for the Standard T-shirt, which makes this concrete. The shirt comes in two body lengths — Short and Shorter — specifically because "short" means different things for a 5'8" guy versus a 5'4" guy.
The Short length is proportioned for roughly 5'6"–5'9". The Shorter length works for guys at the lower end of that range or anyone who carries their height more in their torso than their legs. If you've historically bought smalls because mediums are too long even though the small is a little snug — the Shorter length in a medium is likely your answer.
One customer at 5'4", 150 lbs described it as a "perfect fit." Another at 5'6" noted it was "perfect through the shoulders and chest without being too long in the torso." A third at 5'8", 185 lbs bought two, then came back for five more — specifically calling out that the hem falls at the belt line rather than lower. That's what the right torso length feels like once you find it: obvious.
The slim fit question
The Standard T-shirt is cut slim — trim through the chest and shoulders, relaxed through the midsection. "Slim" in this context doesn't mean tight. It means the shirt doesn't billow. For shorter guys excess fabric at the sides creates visual width, which reads as horizontal and shortens the apparent frame. If you have a broader build or prefer more room, sizing up one achieves a more relaxed fit without sacrificing the proportional sleeve and torso length.
How this is different from what most brands offer
Most brands that offer a "slim fit" or "XS" as their answer to shorter guys are solving the wrong problem. A slim fit removes fabric from the sides. It doesn't change the torso length or the sleeve length. An XS fits snugly but still lands at the wrong hem and elbow. The proportions don't change — the shirt is just smaller overall.
The Standard T-shirt is designed from the ground up for shorter proportions. The 60/40 cotton-poly blend at 180 GSM is light and breathable. Bound, top-stitched collar holds its shape over time without stretching out. Eight colors: Black, White, Dark Grey, Heather Grey, Navy Blue, Chicory, Olive, and Shale.
For context on how a well-fitting tee works within a broader outfit, the how to dress taller guide covers proportion and vertical line across the whole wardrobe. The broader t-shirt guide covers what brands get wrong in general. And if you're building the full wardrobe around it, the wardrobe guide shows where the tee fits relative to jeans, pants, and outerwear.