Do beige/nude wifebeaters exist?

August 9, 2005 2:13 AM

Where can I get men's cotton wifebeaters in beige or nude? Do they even exist?

I recently picked up a couple white collared shirts from Banana Republic, but they're a tad sheer, so I need an undershirt for the purpose of opacity. The problem is that standard white tanktops show up clearly under the shirt, which is not a look I'm going for. Women have this problem beat--nude/beige bras are unnoticable under white shirts and widely available--but I'm having trouble finding the male equivalent. All the brands I've seen come only in white or black.

Or am I crazy for wanting such a thing?

posted by flod to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

You can never find singlets in beige. The best thing to do is buy cheap white and then dye them. Here in the UK, Dylon is the best brand and they do a beige

http://www.dylon.co.uk

It is very easy to do, but start with a cheap top in case you do not like the result.
posted by priorpark17 at 3:28 AM on August 9, 2005

White t-shirts, RIT dye and your clothes washer. See here for a recipe for beige.
posted by plinth at 5:40 AM on August 9, 2005

Yes they do exist - many Army/Navy stores sell them, and there are probably surplus places online where you can buy them.
posted by iconomy at 5:53 AM on August 9, 2005

I've seen a nice shade of beige at American Apparel. Their stuff is a bit pricey but they claim its sweat-shop free so I don't mind paying the extra bucks. They deal only in coloured cotton items with no prints. They might have what your looking for.
posted by LunaticFringe at 5:59 AM on August 9, 2005

Maybe it's because I work with victims of domestic abuse, but is there any chance we can start calling these shirts by another name?
posted by abbyladybug at 6:26 AM on August 9, 2005

International Male sells a tan tank top on sale for 9.99, and American Apparel sells a woman's tank in cream or natural, for 17.00. If you're not too big you could get away with the women's tanks, which are virtually identical to the men's anyway, and seem to be lighter in color, judging by the sample images.

On preview: one comment about calling them wifebeaters has already been deleted from this thread. I wonder why? Maybe it's because it has nothing to do with answering the question.
posted by iconomy at 6:44 AM on August 9, 2005

is there any chance we can start calling these shirts by another name?

They have a name. They're called a-shirts. Unfortunately, I'm the only person I know who calls them that.
posted by Who_Am_I at 6:50 AM on August 9, 2005

tank tops are more common as a name for them here.

I'd advise you to just wear regular white tees--a tank top under a sheer shirt is very visible and will highlight the sheerness of it, which is not a good look for work usually (depending on where you work).
posted by amberglow at 6:57 AM on August 9, 2005

Who_Am_I : I've always called 'em A-Tops.
I thought the surplus store would have them, but they only carry white, black, green and camos.
posted by boo_radley at 7:06 AM on August 9, 2005

I've never seen anything but grey, black and white for men, but women's tank tops or a-shirts usually come in a wide array of colors. Jockey.com has an ivory tank top that looks pretty unisex to my eyes, and I've often seen similar items from Old Navy and the Gap. I'm not sure how you feel, though, about buying from the women's department.
posted by Sully6 at 9:18 AM on August 9, 2005

It looks like I'll be making a trip to the women's department; they do look pretty unisex now that I think about it.

plinth, thanks for the custom dye recipes. This will be my safety solution. I actually attempted to fake up my own shade of beige before posting, but sadly discovered that apricot != beige. Adding brown dye only turned a pink shirt into a brown one.
posted by flod at 10:11 AM on August 9, 2005

I needed this exact thing years ago for a costume and ended up using strong coffee to dye the shirts and it turned out the perfect color.
posted by krix at 11:49 AM on August 9, 2005

American Apparel women's shirts run very small, so if you try that brand, keep this in mind.
posted by litlnemo at 3:06 PM on August 9, 2005

They may look unisex, but they are not. Women's tend to be much shorter and also thicker, for whatever reason. I've taken to buying mens shirts from Hanes. But I have no need for beige, so I can't help you there.
posted by FlamingBore at 6:43 PM on August 9, 2005

Update: Old Navy has exactly what I was looking for, in the women's section. Indistinguishable from the men's version, and perfectly beige. "Teen tank," $8.50 per. They're even advertised as having a "new, longer length."

Thanks, all.
posted by flod at 9:18 PM on August 9, 2005