Durable cotton t-shirts to pair with leather jackets

[zebedee]

T-shirts are a weird one. Hanes Beefy T are the highest price I'd ever spend on a t-shirt, but I only wear them going somewhere informal- Hanes keep their shape for ages and so don't have that unfortunate look when t-shirts start to become amorphous (although I cannot think of an occasion where I'd consider a t-shirt - no matter its cost or shape - smart wear). I have linen shirts or short-sleeve collared shirts in hotter weather and heavier, buttoned cotton shirts in colder temperatures. As a kid and a student, though, I practically lived in t-shirts; I don't find them practical in extremes of weather now.

 

[zebedee]

It'd be interesting to know the minimum and maximum people happily spend on new things (minimums, especially). If I buy formal shoes, I'll tend toward Loakes prices (and might well not buy cheaper) but wouldn't go much higher than that range.

 

[Monitor]

Why the hyperbolic commentary that not so indirectly disparages those, including me, who prefer quality t-shirts? In my earlier post, I acknowledged the legitimate reasons why some prefer inexpensive t-shirts and noted that it ultimately comes down to personal preference. In your response, you summarily dismiss -- and arguably mock -- those who disagree with you. Perhaps I should cease making respectful posts that embrace differing views and, instead, brow-beat anyone who disagrees with my subjective opinions. Here it goes:

Your $2 t-shirts are "ugly" precisely because you paid $2 for them and, in so doing, you prioritized cost over appearance. Good looking t-shirts are readily available, but not for your self-imposed, comically low $2 price ceiling. Short-sleeve t-shirts serve a critically important aesthetic purpose in warmer climates, but you are too myopically consumed by your own subjective preferences to acknowledge the obvious benefits of short-sleeve t-shirts for others. Even when worn as an undergarment, short-sleeve t-shirts can enhance, or detract from, the overall ensemble. I have posted jacket photos here, only to receive compliments regarding the t-shirt I am wearing underneath the jacket. Conversely, I have seen many a jacket photo here where the t-shirt underneath the jacket seriously detracted from the overall presentation. In other words, articles of clothing interact with each other and the overall presentation is only as good as the weakest link. Yesterday, someone posted a jacket shot and received more comments about his footwear than his jacket. You asked: "What's the point?" For some, the "point" is to wear quality clothing that looks good, and to exalt quality and appearance over maximizing value and bang for the buck. For some who wear short-sleeve t-shirts as a front-line clothing article that is the focus of their daily clothing ensemble, the appearance and quality of their t-shirt is of paramount importance and a $2 Kirkland offering may not be desirable. As you said: "What the hell?" Why isn't the foregoing obvious to you? Why do you feel the need to mock people who wear short-sleeve t-shirts as a front-line clothing article and prefer something other than $2 t-shirts as the focus of their daily clothing ensemble? Why is this so troubling to you?

Ok, I tried your approach. Frankly, I prefer more respectful posts that acknowledge the legitimacy of the subjective positions set forth by others. As you said, "What's the point?" "What's the point" of a post mocking those who disagree with you?

It never ceases to fascinate me how some people will spend $1,500 or more on a leather jacket, or $400 plus on a denim jacket, without flinching, but refuse to spend -- and mock others who spend -- more than than $10 on a t-shirt, or more than $30 on a flannel, or more than $50 on footwear. To each his own. My personal preference for quality clothing does not end with outerwear.

Dude, why'd you consider my opinion on t-shirts to be a personal attack? Why would I want to mock you anyway? I thought it's become quite clear that I respect you and agree like 99% of the time with you. My post wasn't meant to mock you or anyone else.

If it came off that way, I apologize. I'm sorry.

I hate t-shirts, that's all there is to it and I'm just sharing my thoughts. I believe they're ugly things and that no amount of money can get you a nice t-shirt. That's all I'm saying. And frankly, that's something I wanna say without having to fear that someone's gonna take it personally because it's really not my intention to hurt anyone's feelings.

I wear t-shirts. It gets so hot here in Croatia where I am that it's impossible to wear anything else (I believe it's as bad as Cali). But, other than the fact that they're sleeveless and thus a bit cooler than a shirt with sleeves, they're still as warm as I dunno, a jean shirt because cotton is inherently a warm fabric.

So, my issue with t-shirts is that no amount of money will get you a t-shirt that'd do a better job of keeping me cool than whatever cotton cheapo. You probably like the way t-shirts look and that's cool. I don't. I don't understand short sleeves. Why do they end where they end. Why having sleeves at all, then? I hate t-shirts. I wear them but in no combination do I find them even remotely presentable. Other than some cool print, there's nothing you can do with a t-shirt to make it stand out. It's like a wife beater except much less of a statement.

So I could either stfu and ignore the thread - or - I can share my view on the subject. It's just another post in the thread. Another opinion. Nothing more to it and certainly nothing directed at you personally.

You think trucker jackets make people look like cowboys. It's clear you don't particularly care for jean jackets and that's great! Make fun of 'em all you want. I'll defend jean jackets without taking offence. And yeah, I'll spend considerable amount on jean jackets even though I am entirely convinced it's a dumb thing to do. I bought a cool Levi's 80's trucker just the other day for $20 that's in no way inferior to my $450 IH. But I like those things.

But back to t-shirts. I have a few RRL's and a couple of other higher quality ones and other than being made slightly better, they perform under the hot summer sun equally bad. They don't do jack. They don't stand out. They're not cool, figuratively and literally.

Your advice to the OP is to buy a nice, quality, pricey t-shirt.

Mine is buy whatever 'cause it don't matter anyway.

Both are legit.

 

[Superfluous]

^ Good post. Thank you. I apologize for misinterpreting your prior post.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It'd be interesting to know the minimum and maximum people happily spend on new things (minimums, especially). If I buy formal shoes, I'll tend toward Loakes prices (and might well not buy cheaper) but wouldn't go much higher than that range.

Apart from overly expensive leather jackets, the rest of my clothing has always been inexpensive. Usually black. No matter how prosperous I have been, I prefer to spend little on clothing such as $10 t-shirts or $25 jeans, $120 boots. I don't look for the cheapest stuff just decent, inexpensive stuff.

I believe that thrift is a virtue no matter how wealthy you are and my philosophy about 'stuff' is close to minimalism. As I get older I am tempted to opt out of leather and just wear thrift shop jackets or nylon soft-shell gear. I currently wear a $1000 plus half-belt and the price kind of offends me. I have a couple of fantastic, pristine Harris Tweed jackets that cost less than $20 each. I fell better wearing these.

But I do see some virtue in paying more for ethically made or locally produced items - if this can be establish properly established.

 

[Monitor]

^ Good post. Thank you. I apologize for misinterpreting your prior post.

Sure. And no problem.

That said, I still don't see where does the $93 goes.



By the way, that Klarna monthly installment payment deal sounds good! How come more stores don't have that?

 

[zebedee]

Apart from overly expensive leather jackets, the rest of my clothing has always been inexpensive. Usually black. No matter how prosperous I have been, I prefer to spend little on clothing such as $10 t-shirts or $25 jeans, $120 boots. I don't look for the cheapest stuff just decent, inexpensive stuff.

I believe that thrift is a virtue no matter how wealthy you are and my philosophy about 'stuff' is close to minimalism. As I get older I am tempted to opt out of leather and just wear thrift shop jackets or nylon soft-shell gear. I currently wear a $1000 plus half-belt and the price kind of offends me. I have a couple of fantastic, pristine Harris Tweed jackets that cost less than $20 each. I fell better wearing these.

But I do see some virtue in paying more for ethically made or locally produced items - if this can be establish properly established.

With me, it's jackets and footwear of a minimum price which I'll then wear for years. When I buy my fifth (keeper) leather jacket (a cafe racer that actually fits), I reckon I'll have all the jackets and shoes I'll need for a very long time.

 

[zebedee]

With me, it's jackets and footwear of a minimum price which I'll then wear for years. When I buy my fifth (keeper) leather jacket (a cafe racer that actually fits), I reckon I'll have all the jackets and shoes I'll need for a very long time.

'Minimum' price for me tends to be quite close to the upper threshold for jackets and footwear. That way, I know everything will last but don't spend more than I am happy with.

Other clothing I care markedly less about and don't spend (anywhere near) as much- or even frequently. I was probably at my most content when I owned a work shirt for each day, about three pairs of M&S chinos, a couple of pairs of work shoes and a few casual items when living in HK. It all fit into hand luggage (including the Aero that I took for colder months) and I barely spent a bean on clothing.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

I think the nicest, most pricey plain T-shirt I've ever purchased was a bag of Fruit of the Loom Heavy Ts. Maybe $4/? Something like that. In my mind, they're assigned utility, and I can't really get beyond that. I don't judge anyone for feeling differently. To me, a plain T is quintessential minimalism. Low cost. High utility. No free advertising for a brand or whatever. It gets the job done. I pretty much would love to get that from all my clothing, though I do have plenty of clothes that aren't minimalist or only utility. My favorites are, though. I am curious about the LL Bean Carefree Unshrinkable Tee, but at $20, it probably won't happen anytime soon.

 

[Mich486]

Sure. And no problem.

That said, I still don't see where does the $93 goes.



By the way, that Klarna monthly installment payment deal sounds good! How come more stores don't have that?

I’ve got this, it’s truly a nice fabric thick but breathable at the same time. l feel the collar could be better put together at this price.Believe I paid £85 for this. Will I buy this model again? Probably not as I found a cheaper yet IMHO better loopwheeled alternative (warehouse).

Durability: I’ve had them for a 1.5yrs and they seem to hold up nicely, bit of shrinkage in the first wash. You clearly don’t need to spend these kind of money for a durable t-shirt, like you don’t need to spend $800> for a nicely put together leather jacket. Loopwheeled fabric is nice but it’s clearly superseded by more modern waving techniques in terms of performance. A bit like leather is vastly obsolete.

Sounds cliché but you’ve got to handle these things you can’t judge from a picture on the web. I’d say try out one and make your call as to whether they are worthy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

My favorite short-sleeve t-shirt brands are:

Stevenson Overalls
Real McCoys
Flat Head
Pure Blue Japan
Warehouse
Freewheelers
Norse Projects
Roundabout Goods
Freenote
Reigning Champ
Rag and Bone
Lady White
RRL
Sunspel
Filson

I gotta admit. I would have loved to see the prices listed after each of these. I'm scared.

 

[ton312]

The bottom line with a t shirt depends on what you’ve got underneath it. Cost/quality really doesn’t matter against that imho.

 

[Big J]

Trigger warning!
I'm not trying to troll or attack anyone! If that's how you feel, maybe you just shouldn't read stuff. I think you all know by now that I'd reply directly to anyone I had an issue with.

My observations about this are leading me in a couple of different directions, so I'll just throw them out there as ideas and people can choose what they agree/disagree with.

The first thing I'm thinking is that these are just utilitarian work wear, that having appeared with blue jeans in so many movies has become a 'style classic'. And maybe those roots have been forgotten or normalized to the point of being forgotten: this is an undergarment worn as outerwear as a symbol of how much the wearer is disdainful of accepted social conventions.
In that sense, a $100 t-shirt is certainly still rebelling against social norms.

Another point though is who wears these t-shirts?
Is there a class of people out there so far removed from good tailoring that the height of sartorial luxury for them is a $100 t-shirt? How many people can actually spot a $100 t-shirt on the street and appreciate it as such? And how many people would just say 'that guy always wears jeans and a t-shirt'?

When I go somewhere nice with my wife I wear a white collared shirt and a lounge suit because people 'understand' that's smart even though
it's all off the peg and not expensive.

If you're from the wrong side of the tracks and have never seen quality, then I understand why you might think of 'luxury' t-shirts as a 'thing', but given that we're not that deprived, I find it a little strange.

Also, another thought. If you're like Mark Zuckerberg and super rich, you can afford to wear and dispose of $100 T's the way I dispose of Costco packs of 6. I get that.
But if you can't play with your dog/kids in these t-shirts because you're scared of getting them dirty, then that's a different matter. My kids laugh because I won't eat cheeseburgers in my nylon flight jackets because I'm worried about grease stains; I don't want to have to buy more $500 flight jackets to replace them, it's expensive!
If you wear $100 white T's, that can be washed and worn for years, how do you feel when you drop ketchup on them? Are there times when you choose not to wear them in case you get them dirty? I don't know. I just don't care, they get dirty, they turn into dust rags.

Another thought is that in the same way morning suits and dinner jackets used to be every day attire for a certain class of men, but now are the 'special event' super formal clothes of the masses, is the same thing happening with t-shirts? Upper class social strata underwear being elevated to 'special status' but the working class?

And one final thought (again, trigger warning in effect), in exactly the same way that Good Wear A-2s are too good to be genuine wartime A-2 reproductions, but rather the 'concours' version of what could have been possible if there wasn't actually a war going on, do $100 t-shirts represent some imaginary reality that never existed until now, when someone cared enough to pay what I cost to make it?

70 years from now will nylon meshback caps be a subject of discussion about the centerpiece of our attire and why the price is justified in terms of the quality?

My personal feeling is that this is just fashion and marketing and I'm open to being proved wrong. If anyone can post pics or information that can persuade me to buy $100 white T's that I can still toss in the trash when they get dirty, go ahead.

 

[Big J]

@ton312,
For me it's hair. Lots of hair.

 

[Seb Lucas]

J, I think your thrust is basically right. Everything boils down to marketing and self-esteem. We tend to live on the - authenticity/handcrafted/quality and good taste - side of the road. We feel better about ourselves and the world if we dress just so.

 

[navetsea]

do you guys really wear short sleeve Ts under your jacket? with lined jacket I much prefer long sleeve underneath long sleeve jumper/ knit/ tshirt material and or long sleeved shirt or now (lol) denim jacket under my leather jacket.

with simple unlined denim jacket I wear over short sleeve Tee (sometime) but denim jacket is much more washable while lined jacket, blazer, or coat I'm afraid oil from my skin will get deposited and accumulated overtime on the sleeve liner and also I hate how short sleeve would ride up under the jacket and crumpled on the shoulder as I slide my arm in.

 

[Seb Lucas]

n

do you guys really wear short sleeve Ts under your jacket? with lined jacket I much prefer long sleeve underneath long sleeve jumper/ knit/ tshirt material and or long sleeved shirt or now (lol) denim jacket under my leather jacket.

with simple unlined denim jacket I wear over short sleeve Tee (sometime) but denim jacket is much more washable while lined jacket, blazer, or coat I'm afraid oil from my skin will get deposited and accumulated overtime on the sleeve liner and also I hate how short sleeve would ride up under the jacket and crumpled on the shoulder as I slide my arm in.

Yes. Long sleeves bunch up. Life is too short to worry about skin oils.

 

[navetsea]

what do you mean by long sleeve bunch up? to me short sleeve bunch up, long sleeve you can use your fingers to hold the tip of your sleeve as you wear the jacket

it is equally disgusting to slide your bare arm skin into a jacket sleeve liner that has not been washed for months/ years and accumulating dirt grime and oil from your arm or sucked into it from the road when you ride.

what's the difference between jeans that has not been washed for months it is equally disgusting to me.

 

[Superfluous]

@Big J - Your post repeatedly references "white" t-shirts. Perhaps there is miscommunication going on here. I am not speaking about white t-shirts that are worn underneath dress shirts. If that is what others in this thread are discussing, I completely misunderstood. My comments were directed towards striped and colored t-shirts that are intended to be worn as a standalone garment, rather than underneath a dress shirt. Yes, some people wear white t-shirts as standalone garments -- I personally do not.

As to your challenge for someone to persuade you to purchase a more expensive t-shirt, I will respectfully pass -- primarily because it is entirely a personal and subjective determination, and your existing preferences are obviously well entrenched.

For me, the single biggest factor distinguishing quality t-shirts is the texture, weave, weight, and dying of the fabric. I wish I could explain it better, but it is one of those things that you have to experience firsthand. Many high quality t-shirts have a different texture, color gradation, weave, and feel that is palpably different from less expensive t-shirts. For example:

The second factor is construction -- the collar in particular -- and stitching. As with leather jackets, I do not require better constructed t-shirts to endure my rather benign usage. Rather, as with leather jackets, I simply appreciate the superior construction even if I do not need it. For example:

I buy higher quality t-shirts for these types of details. 99.9 percent of the general public cannot tell the difference and do not care. That said, I can tell the difference, I appreciate the difference, and that is all that matters. I could care less if no one else notices.

Are these t-shirts worth the extra money? Thats up to you.

 

[nick123]

I suppose this boils down to whether or not our interests and tastes include a variety of clothing, not merely one or two types of clothing. There's a place for both types of aficionados.