Q. Hello Jordan! Can you please share some of your all-time favorite white tees?
– smallnmighty (via Tumblr)
A. When it comes to clothing, there is nothing – nothing – that I love more than a truly perfect white t-shirt. I really do wear the things everywhere: over a bathing suit to the beach, with jeans for shopping, with blazers and cigarette pants for meetings, with dressed-up shorts and heels for nighttime…everywhere.
One problem: it’s easy to find a gorgeously slouchy, lightweight tee when you head north of a hundred bucks (Vince, Splendid, James Perse and Rag & Bone are just a few of the higher-end companies that make great ones)…but I would never, ever, evereverever advise spending that kind of money on something like a white tee.
Ordinarily, yes, my policy is that it’s those go-to wardrobe basics that you adore that you should spend your money on (as opposed to trendier items that you’ll get sick of after a season)…but white t-shirts have a tendency to attract things like stains, and I think part of the whole point of one is to be able to throw it on and instantly look great…but still be able to do stuff (picnic, go to a baseball game, go out dancing, whatever). It’s a piece that’s made to be taken places, not to be treated with kid gloves.
So.
Pictured above is my very favorite white t-shirt: the LOFT Sunwashed tee (I own it in a bunch of different colors – and am actually wearing one right this very moment); it’s really, truly perfect. I buy them a little large so that I can throw them in the dryer (they don’t seem to shrink, but I’d rather not worry about it…and besides, I like them slightly oversized), and in bulk (again, so I don’t have to worry about a stain that won’t come out).
The other brand I swear by for tees is Joe Fresh, which until recently was only available in Canada, but has now made the jump state-side. I’m 90% sure that this is the tee that I own several of, but the labels are slightly different in Canada, so I’d advise heading into a store and trying a couple of their styles on for yourself to make sure you get the fit you’re looking for.
One last piece of advice: if you’re in search of higher-end tees, try the sale section on Piperlime, T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s, and outlet malls (I found some amazing Vince tees for totally reasonable prices at Off Fifth last summer); there’s nothing wrong with picking up a fancy designer white tee so long as you don’t pay fancy designer prices.
