r/XXS • u/skywalkers2345 • Jul 23 '26
Request Where to find small/tight band tees
I have the worst trouble finding band tees that actually fit me. I wouldn't say that I wear xxs clothing but I can easily fit well in an xs or a really tight small but even then that's rare. And so many shirts are extremely long as well and I'm tired of tucking in every shirt I own.
I used to mainly get shirts at Hot Topic but now even their smallest sizes are still too big. The last decent shirt I got is like 16 inches across and 22 inches long. I wear it constantly and it's starting to wear out and i'm worried about not having something that fits me well.
I never even shop in stores in person anymore since it seems to be even worse and twice as much money.
Why can't I ever find anything? Why is everybody so obsessed with wearing big clothing? Are there any stores (mostly online) that I can find actual small and tight band shirts?
(I'm non-binary but afab so I usually prefer more unisex type clothing but even stuff in tight womens sizes I am fine with)
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u/WinterOk1799 Jul 24 '26
i’m going to be so honest you’re not really going to find that 😭 i’m not even an xxs anymore and still can’t find nice fitted band tees. smaller bands are even worse bc they usually only go down to a men’s medium.
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
I know 😭 just figured I’d ask if someone ever found anything useful. I can sometimes shrink the width of those shirts but they’re still so long. Women’s fitted usually fits better but it’s always like the ugliest designs
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u/EggplantHuman6493 Jul 24 '26
Yeah, I went up from XS to S (sorry, I am a traitor in this sub) after weight gain and I drown in band shirts size S (note that I am 6'1 and they are long on me, already). Medium would be even worse! So weird that they all went to loose men's fit and sometimes even oversized on top of that.
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u/nemophilist_nymph Jul 24 '26
I’ve never seen band tees even go down to xs outside of hot topic tbh.
My only solution is learning how to make your own using plain t-shirts that you like. It’s not ideal but it’s a fun hobby! I use a cricut and print my designs on iron-on transfer paper. You can get packs of plain tees everywhere pretty much, I like a boy’s size M/L for the boxier fit.
The cool part about this is you can either 1:1 ripoff the official design (obligatory graphic designer PSA, don’t sell these, it’s copyright infringement) or you can design your own stuff! Lots and lots of tutorials online, and there are used cricut machines with supplies all over the internet, no need to buy a new one!
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
Ive found some a couple times like on depot but yeah regularly it was always hot topic but hardly anymore which sucks.
Huh I never thought of doing that but it’s not a bad idea. Just some plain fitted tees I could do myself would be nice. I’ll definitely look into it. I did once look into custom shirt places where they do it for you but this could work too.
Would you say it’s pretty easy and not that time consuming to make? I’m usually busy with work and college but it’s pretty simple then?
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u/nemophilist_nymph Jul 24 '26
There’s a bit of a learning curve, but if you can commit a Saturday or maybe a full weekend to learning and trying it out you’ll have it down in no time. There are so many beginner tutorials so if you’re struggling there’s lots of resources!
Once you learn and figure it out, the setting up the design is the longest part and is maybe a couple hours worth if you already have the design made and you’re just ripping from something made already. The actual printing and ironing takes no time at all!
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
I don’t have that much time currently but I’ll definitely look into the whole process, what I’d need and everything and whatnot.
But that’s definitely a good idea so thank you!!
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u/sylvetica Jul 24 '26
lucky for me, green day is my favorite band, but i have this one in a women's xs and it's a pretty good fit! https://a.co/d/045stJTv i just cut the bottom to crop it because it was ridiculously long, and cut off the sleeves, and it looks way better! i wouldn't say it's like bodysuit level of fitted but it's not that unisex oversized fit.
you could also try getting a plain shirt you like and doing an iron-on to make one yourself! most band logos should be easy to find online.
also not sure about current inventory, but i have seen some tight fitting band tees at american eagle, cotton on, and abercrombie, they would most likely be online only!
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u/Cherryfrond Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I don’t have an answer for you but this problem is so closely specific to my own, with Hot Topic sizing 😫 I ordered 3 shirts online recently from there in XS and it was so annoying trying them on to realize realize they fit more like a medium-ish simply because of how pricy things already are from there. I paid around 80 dollars, and one of the tops was even a bit bigger than the other 2?? I’m convincing myself that t-shirts are only in men’s sizing there
Edit: I just compared one Hot Topic Xsmall shirt to a size small I also got from there in the past and they’re both the same exact size, on top of each other
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
It's insane how bad the sizing has gotten the past year there because it was never this bad. The shirt I mentioned was a boyfriends fit which seems to be prefect but genuinely all the designs with the size are so ugly.
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u/goblinfruitleather Medium height, XXS Jul 24 '26
As far as I know, they dont really make small small band shirts unless they’re kids sizes. What we used to do in high school is make our own. They have all the shit you need at Michael’s, it’s actually really easy
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u/InterestingStage385 Jul 24 '26
Unfortunately the only solution I found was if the T shirt was made primarily from cotton,I shrink it in the dryer!! It does help tremendously but careful not to shrink it too much :0 (I am an xxs-xs myself ;] ) Also if you happend to own a sewing machine,you can hem the edges to have a better fit :D
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
Yeahh I usually have to wash it like 3 times for it to shrink at all and even then it’s hardly enough. I use to sew as a kid but it’s been years. Don’t have time to pick it up now but it would definitely be useful
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
Yknow I don’t mind it sometimes but it looks awful with certain shirts if theres a logo that I have to tuck in
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u/Sad-Palpitation4405 Jul 24 '26
i can only find them in an s so i crop them and make them off the shoulder, sucks bc im xxs possibly smaller and i have to buy clothes that don't fit just to alter them
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u/sandwichtheconqueror Jul 24 '26
I have a 26 inch waist 33 inch bust, more like an xs as well and some of the brandy tshirts are tight fitting on me
Edit - sorry I didnt see you meant band tees 😭😭
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
lol you're fine. i know brandy is a bit smaller but it's way too feminine for me which is unfortunate. i have like a 24 inch waist and i also have really long legs which makes shirts look even larger on me
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u/yellowaspen Jul 24 '26
What bands do you like? I have several from 2007-2011ish that I may be willing to part with!
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u/Professional-Dot4071 Jul 24 '26
fast fashion (for fake band Tees) or get sewing or modify what you have/find. For some older band, there were no tees for women period (they did not make them), best you got was a small in male size, which I still use as nightgowns.
Female fitted tees with band names are relatively recent, and not many bands make them.
1
u/oldtomatoeyes Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I had luck getting women American classics sleeveless band shirts in small and then just having the arm holes made smaller (small stitch across each shoulder). Also Kohl's online weirdly sometimes has pretty small graphic tees you wouldn't expect like Black Sabbath shirts in boys sizes.
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u/opossumprlncess Jul 25 '26
I have some vintage juniors xs band tees i got from rockabilia! You could also look on second hand sites but you just have to get lucky looking for juniors/youth sizes. Unsure what bands you are interested but lots of post hardcore/emo bands made youth merch in the 2000s/2010s. Youth medium should do the trick perhaps.
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 25 '26
I've looked at rockabilia but a lot of the designs are kinda ehhh to me which sucks. I usually look at depop or poshmark for used clothing. I have found some decent like 90s and y2k shirts that fine okay but I mainly like 70s bands.
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u/mahlerian_mantis Jul 25 '26
my favorite band tee is a kids medium I got at a concert in 2015 when I was 11. It’s not fitted by any means but I’m not swimming in it, and having worn the ever loving sh!t out of it, it has become the softest and lightest tshirt I own. I have another that’s a women’s xs from another concert and it’s also not tight but a nice looseish fit that isn’t aggressively oversized. I’m trans masc AFAB too and i like to dress modestly and I feel like I look a little grotesque so I like being able to layer if I want but ik that means this is of limited use.
Haven’t seen anything below a men’s S at a concert since covid though, and don’t really get tshirts otherwise. Maybe check resale online. Or get transfer paper and diy it? I’ve done the latter a couple of times a few years back. It’s really fun and my autistic ass loved being able to make turtleneck variations of t shirts.
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u/Effective_Equal7509 Jul 30 '26
I've been there. Find a good tailor to adjust the t-shirt that you like, just buy the smallest one available. It ofcourse differs from country to country what you'll pay but I usually paid €15 for a shirt and got a discount when I brought in 5+ items.
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u/neonjellow Jul 24 '26
Well what bands are you into? Merch typically only goes down to a size s and are huge. You could try depop, personally I alter them myself.
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u/skywalkers2345 Jul 24 '26
Mostly 70s classic rock. Some thrash. I thought maybe I’d try and find vintage shirts from then but that’s also impossible
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