Direct Me Towards the Perfect T-Shirt?

June 26, 2013 4:33 PM

Please help me, Mefi!!! I have been looking for the perfect t-shirt for years, with little success. I want those t-shirts I see all the other women wearing - soft, lightweight but not completely see-through, baggy but not boxy, loose but still flows nice on one's curves. (Pictures Inside)

Here are a few examples:

tee #1
tee #2
tee #3


I've tried American Apparel (too heavy and tight), Everlane (it did not fit like the picture above!), H&M (totally see-through)... I finally found the one of my dreams through Land's End but it shrunk way too much after one washing (and air-drying).

Do you have a t-shirt that you love, and where did you get it?! please help me find my basic "wear-all-the-time" t-shirt! Thanks in advance.

posted by carlypennylane to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (36 answers total)

Ann Taylor Loft used to have a $14 t-shirt that came in a million colors and was pretty nice, but I bought some new ones this year due to weight loss and the fabric wasn't as good as it used to be. You might still try to check it out, though. Banana Republic's are pretty good, and seem to be well-made, but come in a pretty conservative range of colors.
posted by matildaben at 4:45 PM on June 26, 2013

The Truly Madly Deeply brand at Urban Outfitters makes some good tees. I have the scoopneck and v-neck ones and I love 'em both. They're soft, light, wash well and fit slightly oversized.
posted by blackcatcuriouser at 4:50 PM on June 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

Old Navy t-shirts can work really well and are cheap to boot.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 4:58 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

My favorites are by Fluxus. However, what I've found in my searches similar to yours is that how the shirts look and how the material lies is 98% about the shape of my body compared to the body of the model and only 2% about the cut and fit and material, so it's a bit catch-as-catch-can. I really like Fluxus though.
posted by janey47 at 4:58 PM on June 26, 2013 [8 favorites]

All of my light, slouchy tees came from Target.
posted by lemerle at 4:59 PM on June 26, 2013 [5 favorites]

I love American Vintage.

I like James Perse, Monrow, Vince and Splendid.

I've been hit and miss on c&c and Bobi.

You may also have luck with Enza Costa and Alexander Wang.
posted by paperback version at 4:59 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

Oh, also Splendid. They're a little lighter, but still really awesome.
posted by janey47 at 4:59 PM on June 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think Janey47 has it. It's mostly about having very slim hips. Tshirts fit me that way when I have been diligent about doing crunches, and they don't fit that way when I haven't.

That said, when I've been slacking off, the basic tshirts at Eddie Bauer do a nice job of skimming over things. Their colors aren't the best, but they're not horrible, either.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:13 PM on June 26, 2013

Old Navy, as L'Estrange Fruit mentionned, but specifically the "vintage" ones. They start developing piles eventually, but they're cheap, and definitely what you're looking for. They come in tons of colors, and usually have both v-neck, and the normal kind.
posted by hasna at 5:14 PM on June 26, 2013

Oh, hey. I nearly asked this exact same question this week!

From my research, the go-to brands seem to be James Perse, T by Alexander Wang, and maybe Splendid. Since all these brands have to be bought online for $$$ (I live in West Aus), I'll be watching this thread with interest.
posted by Salamander at 5:18 PM on June 26, 2013

I agree with janey about fit too. The girl in the first link, I think a tshirt that came 3 in a bag from the grocery store would look good on her.

Since a few people said Old Navy, I'll add a caveat: do not buy their current rayon tees. (Check the label b/c they look and feel like cotton.) They look great and drapey in the store, and fit like that the first time, but when you wash them they get all weird and stiff and a bit shrunken. Not ruined, they're still wearable, they're just not that same cool tshirt anymore.

I found some great t's at Loft recently but they're not quite that flowy. They're a little more structured. Although if you were the right shape and you bought one that was a size bigger than you'd normally wear, they might acheive that look.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 5:32 PM on June 26, 2013

James Perse and Splendid have already been mentioned + are great, Alternative Apparel also does a good job though their tees are a little bit more see-through than you might like, and J. Crew's "vintage" tees are good, but their others are too thick to hang properly.

(& Everlane's size charts are super confusing-- the shirts I bought from them ended up being way too big, which was disappointing because they're otherwise really nice.)
posted by dizziest at 5:33 PM on June 26, 2013

I like Michael Stars for slouchy tees. JCrew also has some good slouchy shirts. I also like Alternative Apparel.

Sizing up and looking for "slub" fabric might help.
posted by k8lin at 5:34 PM on June 26, 2013

I'm actually a fan of Target's Mossimo shirts- sometimes they don't stay so nice after washing, but usually I've had good luck with them.
posted by firei at 5:44 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

Depending on how tall or short you are, how short-waisted or long-waisted you are, and how much of an hourglass you are, determining "boxy" versus "flowing over your curves" versus "too clingy" may be a tough call.

However, if you wear standard junior/misses sizes, you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find in the kids department. It used to be that you had to be pretty tiny to fit into the largest boys or girls sizes (14x for girls used to be a size 5/6 or 7/8, which in today's sizes would be a anywhere from a 1/2 to 3/4), but the kids' sizes that go up to 16/XL today have also changed due to size inflation. If your wear anything up to 14 or 16, you may find something that fits.
posted by maudlin at 6:04 PM on June 26, 2013

J. Crew Tissue V-Neck Classic Tee. I love this shirt sooooo much, and it fits your description exactly. Comes in crewneck also. I wear them with skirts, jeans, under suits, to sleep in - they are perfection.
posted by gatorae at 6:06 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

I'm going to have to dissent against J.Crew. I don't know what has happened to them lately, but in the past couple of years, every single t-shirt I've bought from them has gotten a hole within the first to second wearing. Not even in the same spot - on the shoulder, elbow, body, underarm, and not necessarily where there's a seam, but in the middle of the shirt! Hasn't happened to any other clothing I've worn, so it's not due to some random way I'm sitting/moving/etc.
posted by raztaj at 6:13 PM on June 26, 2013

I'm almost positive that the girl in your first link is wearing an American Apparel tee. It's the Tri-blend short sleeve track shirt. It's unisex but the fabric is super soft and drapey, comes in great colors, and lasts forever. My husband and I both love them.
posted by keep it under cover at 6:14 PM on June 26, 2013

Old Navy, as L'Estrange Fruit mentionned, but specifically the "vintage" ones.

I love these. It will say Vintage right where the tag would be. I don't put them in the dryer and they keep their shape and last a decent amount of time for $8. Also, don't give up on American Apparel -- they have many different fabrications.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:25 PM on June 26, 2013

i get mine at old navy and target.
posted by wildflower at 6:51 PM on June 26, 2013

American Giant supposedly makes the world's greatest hoodie and they recently started selling women's tees. I've been pleased with Loft tees lately but I agree that The Perfect Tee is a slippery fish.
posted by kat518 at 7:03 PM on June 26, 2013

I've been very happy with t-shirts from Pickwick & Weller. I feel like they get me as close to the slightly slouchy cool t-shirt thing as I'm going to get.
posted by grapesaresour at 7:24 PM on June 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

The shirt in #1 is just an ordinary charcoal grey crewneck tee that has been nicely styled by rolling the sleeves and making tucks and pleats at the waist and above the bustline, and perhaps a few more pleats and maybe even some tape on the back. You're looking at a shirt that has very carefully been made to look extra slouchy and stylish.

You can get this look by carefully retucking and rearranging your shirt every half hour.
posted by yohko at 7:28 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

Someone recently gave me a T shirt from the Hanes Women's Nano-T line. It is comfortable and inexpensive. (If you want really slouchy you might have to size up).
posted by gudrun at 8:00 PM on June 26, 2013

The perfect t-shirt is the Three Dots British tee; it does not quite meet your specs here, but there are many other Three Dots tees that may be a better match for what you're after.

$70 for a short sleeve v-neck looks off-putting, sure, but I have had my oldest Three Dots tee since 2005 -- once you add up the cost of all the Old Navy you would have bought over that man years, it starts looking like a good deal.
posted by kmennie at 8:13 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

My lovely and fashionable girlfriend has offered the following advice:

I live by these J. Crew tshirts (the "Vintage" ones). They release them every season in new colours, so I've amassed a small collection. They're bias cut so they hang amazingly, but consider ordering a size (or two) down.

V-Neck

Crew Neck

posted by rhooke at 8:14 PM on June 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

You may also want to consider tailoring a t-shirt that's a little too boxy -- basically, get one that fits at the bust and hips, and nip it in a bit at the waist. It's pretty easy to do yourself with some basic sewing machine skills. I've done it with decent success.
posted by snowmentality at 8:31 PM on June 26, 2013 [3 favorites]

Fourthing Target! Their shirts are cheap and slightly fitted, so they skim over curves without hugging but also give you shape. I have them in like 8 different colors, I just got a new batch of short-sleeve ones after wearing the long-sleeve ones all winter. (And to that you asked, but I wear them under their cardigans because those are also cheap and look great.). There's usually a table of them in the women's section (not juniors).
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:44 PM on June 26, 2013

LLBean, perhaps?
posted by oceano at 10:46 PM on June 26, 2013 [1 favorite]

keep it under cover has it with American Apparel's triblend tshirts. I'm wearing one right now. It's almost four years old, which is incredible for a tshirt. I size up only a little to get the drapey effect and I buy (I think?) the deep v necks instead of crew necks. I don't buy anything else from American Apparel and I'm slightly ashamed of how much I like these tshirts. They are the holy grail.
posted by sweltering at 3:05 AM on June 27, 2013

My current favorite tee of this sort comes from Uniqlo.
posted by emd3737 at 4:17 AM on June 27, 2013

The shirt in #1 is just an ordinary charcoal grey crewneck tee that has been nicely styled by rolling the sleeves and making tucks and pleats at the waist and above the bustline, and perhaps a few more pleats and maybe even some tape on the back.

That is a candid shot of Megan Fox at the airport, isn't it?

OP, you may have some luck with the unisex shirts mentioned above, or otherwise with anything advertised as "boyfriend cut".
posted by elizardbits at 7:08 AM on June 27, 2013

I'm a t-shirt nut, replace my white ones each summer, and love the #2 and #3 pics. Nthing Splendid for lightweight and floaty, Vince for a little heavier, JCrew for great colors and on trend cuts -- all good quality. I do not like AA at all -- pilling, split seams, scratchy cotton, lacking that boho vibe.
posted by thinkpiece at 7:54 AM on June 27, 2013

Another vote for Old Navy "vintage" style. They're on sale now for $7.50 if you buy two. I love that they are V-necks and a bit longer on the hips. I wear them at the gym and I wear them to work. I probably now have pretty much one or two of every color except for the stripey ones.
posted by HeyAllie at 11:32 AM on June 27, 2013

Get your t-shirts custom tailored.
posted by vignettist at 10:21 AM on June 28, 2013

Nthing the Old Navy vintage tees. I picked up several a few years back when they were on sale for $5 and wear them basically nonstop as soon as I get off work all summer long. And under cardigans the rest of the year. They do get pilly after a while but I don't mind -- it adds to the vintage flavor.
posted by jabes at 11:26 AM on June 28, 2013