Mine go baggy at the elbow before anywhere else, that's the tell. Not the hem, not the neckline, the elbow, because that's where your arm actually bends all day, and a cheap rib gives up there first while a good one just keeps its shape, washed after washed.
The difference comes down to the ratio of the rib itself and what it's holding. Too wide a rib and it reads as a jumper that's shrunk, too fine and it clings in a way that shows every seam of what's underneath, which nobody needs at 8am. The good ones have a bit of structure to the knit, some weight in the cotton or the viscose blend, so it skims rather than hugs, and the neckline keeps its shape rather than stretching into a wide, sad scoop by the second wear. Check the hem too, a proper ribbed top has a tighter band at the bottom that actually holds, not one that's rolled up into a cord by lunchtime. Cheaper versions feel thin between your fingers, almost papery once stretched, and you can see that in the shoulder seam within about three washes. I bought two from the same shop once, same style, different years, and the newer one had gone bobbly under the arms before I'd worn it outside twice. Colour wise, the easiest to live with are the ones that sit close to your own colouring rather than fighting it, a soft oatmeal, a proper black, a mid grey that isn't quite charcoal and isn't quite dove, those three will outlast every trend colour you're tempted by in March. A rust or a deep green is lovely for about one season and then looks dated in photos you didn't know were being taken. For pairing, a ribbed top does its best work as the simple half of an outfit that's doing something interesting below the waist, a wide leg trouser, a pleated skirt, even jeans with a proper break at the ankle, because the rib is already giving you shape up top and the rest of the outfit doesn't need to compete with it. If you've got none, start with a long sleeve crew neck in black or oatmeal, nothing cropped, nothing with a cowl, just the plain shape, because that's the one that will quietly rescue whatever trouser you own that you've stopped knowing how to wear with anything.
It'll make that one pair of trousers you keep nearly giving away look like you planned the whole thing.
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