The Comfort Colors® 1717 is a heavyweight T-shirt made from 6.1 oz ring-spun cotton that is dyed after it is sewn, with a relaxed fit and no side seams. It runs true to size for that relaxed cut, and one size up gives an oversized look. Hush Hollow prints every tee on it, so here is what the shirt under the ink actually is and how to pick a size without consulting an unreliable omen.
This is an independent fit guide. It is not sponsored or endorsed by Comfort Colors.
What does garment-dyed mean?
Most shirts are cut and sewn from fabric that was dyed beforehand. A garment-dyed shirt is sewn first, then dyed and washed as a finished object. You can feel the result:
- The fabric is soft and broken-in from the first wear.
- The color has a weathered, slightly uneven surface instead of a flat, uniform one.
- Much of the expected shrinkage happens during the factory dye and wash.
That weathered color is why dark artwork sits well on these shirts. The background already looks like dusk, so the print does not seem to float on top of it.
Is the Comfort Colors 1717 true to size?
Yes, as long as you want the fit it was designed for. The manufacturer calls it a relaxed fit with a tubular body. Tubular means the body is knitted as a tube with no side seams, and relaxed means it is cut with room through the chest and waist. Expect a classic, slightly boxy vintage-tee shape.
If you already like a relaxed T-shirt, order your usual size. For a deliberately oversized look, go one size up. Size down only after you compare the chart with a fitted shirt you already own, because size labels vary between brands and a tape measure does not.
How to measure a shirt you already own
Lay a shirt you like flat on a firm surface without stretching the fabric:
- Width: measure straight across the chest, about one inch below the armholes.
- Length: measure from the high point of the shoulder beside the collar to the bottom hem.
- Compare those two numbers with the chart below instead of trusting the letter on the neck label.
Comfort Colors 1717 size chart
The figures below are finished-garment measurements in inches from the 1717 spec sheet. Width is taken with the shirt laid flat, so it is half the distance around the chest. The sizes and colors on an individual Hush Hollow product page may vary.
| Size | Chest width, laid flat | Body length |
|---|---|---|
| S | 18 1/4 in | 26 5/8 in |
| M | 20 1/4 in | 28 in |
| L | 22 in | 29 3/8 in |
| XL | 24 in | 30 3/4 in |
| 2XL | 26 in | 31 5/8 in |
| 3XL | 27 3/4 in | 32 1/2 in |
| 4XL | 29 3/4 in | 33 1/2 in |
Each step up adds about two inches of width and between one and one and a half inches of length. Treat the chart as a close guide. A single shirt can land a little above or below its listed numbers without anything having gone wrong.
Is the Comfort Colors 1717 unisex?
Effectively, yes. It is sold as one adult heavyweight tee with no separate men's and women's cuts, so everyone orders from the same size range and the same measurements apply.
How it looks depends on the frame wearing it. With no side seams and no waist shaping, the shirt hangs straight down from the chest. On a broader frame that reads as a classic fit, and on a narrower one it reads as boxy, which is the look plenty of people buy it for.
If you want something that follows the body, no size of the 1717 will do it, because the cut has no shaping to give. Choose by the flat chest width first and length second, and remember that going up a size adds length along with the width.
Comfort Colors 1717 vs Gildan 5000: what is the difference?
Buyers often weigh it against the Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton. On paper the two are almost the same width. Where they part ways is the fabric, the dye, and the length.
| Feature | Comfort Colors 1717 | Gildan 5000 |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric weight | 6.1 oz, 100% US ring-spun cotton | 5.3 oz, 100% US cotton (some heathers are blends) |
| Dye | Garment-dyed and soft-washed | Not garment-dyed |
| Fit | Relaxed, no side seams | Classic, no side seams |
| Collar | Topstitched rib | Rib, not topstitched |
| Size M, chest width | 20 1/4 in | 20 in |
| Size M, body length | 28 in | 29 in |
Figures come from each maker's spec sheet: the 1717 sheet and Gildan's 5000 sheet. Across S to XL the chest widths sit within a quarter inch of each other, while the 1717 is shorter in every one of those sizes, by a quarter inch at XL and by almost an inch and a half at S. So if a Gildan in your size fits you well across the chest, the same letter in a 1717 will feel similar there and finish a little higher at the hem.
How heavy is a Comfort Colors 1717?
The 1717 uses 6.1 oz/yd² ring-spun cotton, which puts it in the heavyweight T-shirt category. The Gildan 5000, itself sold as a heavy cotton tee, is 5.3 oz, so the 1717 carries about 15% more fabric per square yard.
Heavyweight describes fabric mass, not stiffness. Ring-spun means the fibers are twisted into a finer, smoother yarn before knitting, and the garment wash softens the finished shirt further. The extra weight mostly shows in how the shirt hangs.
The spec sheet also lists a 7/8 inch double-needle topstitched collar, double-needle armhole, sleeve and bottom hems, and twill tape across the neck and shoulders. None of that makes a shirt immortal, but it helps explain why the 1717 feels more like a garment you keep than a disposable blank.
Pigment-dyed or reactive-dyed: why do the colors look lived-in?
The shirt is dyed after it is sewn, and Comfort Colors uses two dye families. It describes pigment-dyed colors as having a vintage look that lasts for the life of the garment, and reactive-dyed colors as having a more traditional dyed appearance with the same softness. Its spec sheet asks buyers to allow for slight color variation in production and washing.
So two shirts with the same color name can differ slightly. Screens, lighting, and photography also shift color, which makes product images a close representation and not a calibrated swatch. Pepper, for example, reads as a softened charcoal instead of a uniform jet black.
Does the Comfort Colors 1717 shrink?
Barely. The manufacturer says its garments are pre-shrunk during the garment dye and wash processes, for almost no shrinkage at home. Wash it normally and it will stay close to the size you bought.
Pre-shrunk does not mean it can never change. Cotton still reacts to high heat, which is why the care instructions keep the temperatures low.
The spec sheet's care instructions are specific: wash inside out with like colors at no more than 30°C (86°F), use only oxygen or non-chlorine bleach, tumble dry on low at no more than 60°C (140°F), and do not iron or dry clean. If the care label on your shirt says something different, follow the label.
Before ordering a Hush Hollow shirt
- Check the size chart on the exact product page, because available sizes and colors can differ by design.
- Measure a shirt you already like instead of relying on your usual label size.
- Expect subtle garment-dyed color variation.
- Read the product-specific care information before checkout.
Why we chose it
Our specimens are drawn like old field plates and printed like archive documents. A bright, plasticky blank would betray them. The 1717 already looks found rather than freshly made, and its heavier fabric gives the artwork somewhere suitable to live.
From the archive
Three of the most often adopted specimens, all printed on the 1717: Werewolf Heart Hands, Krampus Yuletide Fiend, and Baba Yaga: Flight over the Birches. The rest of the collection lives in Field Notes and Bestsellers.
Sources
- Comfort Colors, official 1717 Adult Heavyweight Tee product page. Construction, pre-shrinking, and the pigment and reactive dye descriptions.
- Comfort Colors Heavyweight Ring Spun Tee 1717, spec sheet and measurements (distributor-hosted PDF). Fabric weight, garment measurements, measuring method, color variation, and care instructions.
- Gildan Heavy Cotton 5000, spec sheet and measurements (retailer-hosted PDF). Fabric weight, construction, and garment measurements used in the comparison.