The 90's Layered T-Shirt Trend to Pair With Jeans in Winter

By Kim BrowneOctober 19, 2025

As I sifted through my T-shirt collection the other day, deciding what to keep and what to store away for now, I realised my carefully curated selection is second to none. From fitted long-sleeves to graphic prints and the fresh white tees, you could say I have more than a few options. In a slightly disoriented haze, I looked up and saw a clip of Friends on my TV screen, and there was Jennifer Aniston asRachel Green in the layered T-shirt trend I’d been overlooking this whole time.

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green wears the layered t-shirt trend in friends in the 90's. She wears a green graphic cropped tee. A black long sleeve, black tracksuit bottoms and a nike trainer. This mage was taken from Getty.

In the episode, Rachel wears a simple black long-sleeved top underneath a bright green graphic tee. Basic to the untrained eye, but to me, it lends her tracksuit bottoms and chunky “dad” trainers an undeniably cool edge, and I was hooked. Sure, the look has an inherent retro ’90s aesthetic, which has very much come back around lately, but with the image firmly in my mind's eye, I was surprised to see a whole host of fashionable people on my feed styling the layered-tee trend in winter 2025, which is why I needed to tell you about it!

Fashion person Monikh wears the layered t-shirt trend. We pairs two white tees with brown cordaory jeans and a brown tote bag. She finishes the look with The row flip flops in a recent image take from her Instagram

The beauty of this styling hack lies in its simplicity: a short-sleeved crew-neck tee layered over a longer one. Instantly, your favourite T-shirt is given an undone, slightly preppy refinement, which, when paired with jeans or relaxed trousers, makes your outfit feel 100 times cooler than just a tee alone. Plus, the options are limitless when it comes to colour combos; from green and black like Aniston’s Rachel, to fresh white on white, which still feels timeless, you can go as maximalist or pared-back as you like.

Image of the Valentino autumn/winter 2025 show. The model wears a blue shirt with a graphic t-shirt layered on top. This image was taken from Launchmetrics.

Now, not that it needs to be said, but layering is a big trend in autumn/winter 2025. From the Valentino show, which featured a vibrant blue shirt layered underneath a red-and-white graphic tee, to Sandy Laing’s baby-pink striped shirt with a graphic tee layered on top, the runways were filled with this once-dated top trend this season.

Fashion person Lindsey Holland wears the layered t-shirt trend. She wears a washed black oversized tee, paired with skinny jeans and a black boot. This image was taken from her Instagram recently.

My favourite thing about this is that it allows you to repurpose you’re own wardrobe rather than investing in something new. I, for one, will be leaning into the layered T-shirt trend when my staple tops start to feel a touch stagnant this winter. But if you are looking to refresh your basic tops, shop my current picks below.