A pique tee from a brand that built its name on fabric obsession. Whether it earns $98 depends on how much you care about what's happening at the knit level.
The Verdict
This is a very good t-shirt for someone who wants a proper pique without the polo collar. At $98 it sits at the upper edge of what's reasonable for a cotton tee, but the Supima construction justifies most of that.
The Make
The fabric is 100% Supima cotton in a pique knit, which means a textured, slightly structured weave rather than the flat jersey you get from most basics. Supima is the long-staple American cotton variety known for low pilling and a softer hand over time, and pique adds surface interest without any synthetic shine or stiffness. The brand calls the construction "fully fashioned," meaning the panels are knit to shape rather than cut from flat yardage, which typically results in cleaner seams and less distortion through the torso after washing. The neckline gets rib trim, which holds its shape better than a simple bound edge.
Production is in Vietnam, not Reigning Champ's Vancouver CYC factory. That factory is where the fleece reputation was built, and the t-shirts don't carry the same provenance. Care instructions aren't published on the product page, which is a minor irritant. Machine cold, dry low, or lay flat if you want the knit structure to stay honest.
The Fit
Regular cut, true to size across XS to XXL. This is not a fitted tee and not a boxy one. The silhouette sits squarely in the middle, which reads well untucked over casual trousers or tucked into a high-rise chino. The pique structure gives the fabric enough body that it doesn't cling, so it wears cleanly on a range of builds. Nothing to size up or down for.
The Context
At $98 you're in the same conversation as Sunspel's pique polo (minus the collar), John Smedley's finer-gauge options (at a higher price), and Buck Mason's cotton modal tees (softer hand, lower structure). If you want a t-shirt that reads as a considered choice rather than a default, the pique texture earns that without announcing itself. The versatility score here is high specifically because the texture works in a way plain jersey doesn't: it photographs well, it doesn't look underdressed at a casual dinner, and it travels without looking destroyed after a day in a bag. This is not Reigning Champ's marquee product. Their fleece and loopback terry are why people buy the brand. The Ace tee is a competent extension of that sensibility, not a landmark of it.
The Personal Note
I haven't owned this one. The scores above are research-based. What I'd want to know before buying: how the pique holds after 50 washes, and whether the fully fashioned claim produces a noticeably cleaner armhole seam than the competition. Both require time in the shirt. The price is honest for what it is, and I wouldn't talk you out of it.
