The TEE: Not so Basic
Every wardrobe needs the basic, classic t-shirt. But the truth is that we all end up search for “the perfect basic tee” our whole lives - they’re all either too thin, too boxy, too tight, too long, too short, or frankly, just fit “weird”. Even if you do find a t-shirt you adore, more likely than not, it wears out in a few years or gets a wine stain and its done for. So lets break down what makes a really great basic tee.
The History:
T-shirts were 1st invented by the United States Navy, as undershirts for sailors around 1913. The first use of the word “t-shirt” was in F. Scott Fitzgerald”s “This Side of Paradise” in 1920. However, the t-shirt was mainly seen as a piece of military kit all the way up to the 1950s. Then came the advent of James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Rock & Roll - and the t-shirt became known as a fashion garment staple, and society has never looked back.
The Fabric:
T-shirts are typically made of a Jersey knit (referring to the tight knitting pattern), giving the garment a thin, soft fitting drape. This knit style originates from the French island of Jersey (now a British territory), and owes its modern popularity entirely to Coco Chanel. Chanel believed this knit could revolutionize the stiff fashions of her day, and usher in the era of casual wear - she was right, of course. Chanel launched her first jersey styles in 1916.
What’s it made of?:
The jersey knits first used by the US Navy & Coco Chanel were made of wool or cotton, and possibly linen, fibers. These are natural fibers, that have natural degrees of strength, longevity, and softness.
The jersey most commonly seen in garments today is a polyester jersey fabric. Polyester was first invented in a lab in 1930, then patented in 1946. Polyester is a petrolum/plastics bi-product. The original (and still industrial use versions) was an incredibly strong fabric, perfect for industrial use. However, due to the cheep ability to mass produce it, the polyester fabric quickly was replicated throughout fashion clothing as well. Over the decades, the quality of polyester used for fashion has seriously diminished. Consumers have also realized how problematic having plastics against their skin can be for their health, and for the general wellbeing of the planet when discarded.
The Formula for the perfect Basic Tee:
Fiber: Look for natural materials in the fiber content list - Cotton or Linen specifically.
Fabric: Look at the EVENNESS of the knit pattern - a quality tee doesn’t need to be thick, necessarily, but an even knit pattern will prove stronger to wear & washing (vs a thick/thin knit pattern like you’ll see in fashion tees).
Construction: Look to see if the seams & hems are properly stitched and/or have a reinforced seam - raw hems or raw surged hems will not last long, where as properly stitched & reinforced seams are designed to last.
Hopefully, I have given you a few tips for how to find your perfect basic tee, and instead of only being an occasional unicorn in your wardrobe, every tee you buy will be a “perfect basic t-shirt”.
Here are few links to great t-shirts available right now!
