Help me replace my husband's (old) favorite shirts
December 16, 2016 8:58 AM Subscribe
My husband's favorite winter shirts are aging, and I'd love to find him something similar, as a replacement. It's the shape of a long sleeve Tshirt, but double layered with polarfleece and reversible. The inner layer is t-shirt weight knit, laminated to the outer layer of microfleece (or maybe I have the nominal inner/outer swapped). I didn't think my google-fu was weak, but I can't find it - maybe nobody makes anything like it now?
To clarify, the two layers are laminated together; the shirts are about 10 years old, and the main sign of imminent death is bubbles of delamination where the microfleece isn't bonded to the tshirt any more and makes a slight lumpy texture to the way the shirt hangs. It's warm and dense, but not super-thick and bulky, more like a heavy shirt than a sweater. It's crew-neck like a t-shirt, not zip collar, though if I found a similar 1/4-zip, he'd probably like it ok (but probably wouldn't go for a button-collar). It's shaped like a t-shirt not a sweatshirt, i.e. narrow cuff at collar and wrist but hemmed at the waist not cuffed, and slim/straight cut sleeves (not bloused out and gathered in by the cuff the way some sweatshirts are).
I don't know the original brand name. To make it fully reversible, the tag was easily removable; I don't remember what the brand was, but I do know that it wasn't anything I'd ever heard of before (i.e. no major fashion labels, no REI-type extra sporty, no large retailer house brand, etc) and I tried googling it a couple of years ago and came up with nothing. No need to match the brand, just saying that it wasn't helpful, in case you were wondering.
I don't need a 100% match for a replacement, but should be some combination of:
(1) microfleece, the polarfleece style, not the knitwear "fleece" that sweatshirts are made out of.
(2) not super thick and fluffy like an outerwear polarfleece jacket
(3) double layer, lined with t-shirt knit, not just made of fleece
(4) crewneck like a t-shirt
To clarify, the two layers are laminated together; the shirts are about 10 years old, and the main sign of imminent death is bubbles of delamination where the microfleece isn't bonded to the tshirt any more and makes a slight lumpy texture to the way the shirt hangs. It's warm and dense, but not super-thick and bulky, more like a heavy shirt than a sweater. It's crew-neck like a t-shirt, not zip collar, though if I found a similar 1/4-zip, he'd probably like it ok (but probably wouldn't go for a button-collar). It's shaped like a t-shirt not a sweatshirt, i.e. narrow cuff at collar and wrist but hemmed at the waist not cuffed, and slim/straight cut sleeves (not bloused out and gathered in by the cuff the way some sweatshirts are).
I don't know the original brand name. To make it fully reversible, the tag was easily removable; I don't remember what the brand was, but I do know that it wasn't anything I'd ever heard of before (i.e. no major fashion labels, no REI-type extra sporty, no large retailer house brand, etc) and I tried googling it a couple of years ago and came up with nothing. No need to match the brand, just saying that it wasn't helpful, in case you were wondering.
I don't need a 100% match for a replacement, but should be some combination of:
(1) microfleece, the polarfleece style, not the knitwear "fleece" that sweatshirts are made out of.
(2) not super thick and fluffy like an outerwear polarfleece jacket
(3) double layer, lined with t-shirt knit, not just made of fleece
(4) crewneck like a t-shirt
The material sounds like it could be Polartec, the wind-blocking and/or wicking versions are microfleece+other layer and have that laminated look (more obvious when it's a contrasting color). Googling variations of Polartec shirt/crewneck/sweater got this old Ask Andy discussion. It looks like there are options for Polartec base layers, the trick will just be figuring out which kind is the closest match.
posted by yeahlikethat at 10:33 AM on December 16, 2016
posted by yeahlikethat at 10:33 AM on December 16, 2016
Response by poster: Interesting - his current shirt is pretty definitely not an undershirt, nor does it read as being in any way "performance", but maybe one of these things will replicate it well enough. So hard to tell from photos, but I've ordered something, we'll see if it's an exciting Christmas surprise and we have to order 5 more immediately, or if he just looks at me funny and says WTF.
Thanks for the suggestions!
posted by aimedwander at 3:05 PM on December 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the suggestions!
posted by aimedwander at 3:05 PM on December 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sweet! Hope it works out - and, PS, while researching this I decided to buy these!
posted by showbiz_liz at 3:39 PM on December 16, 2016
posted by showbiz_liz at 3:39 PM on December 16, 2016
It's missing (1), but they're so good, and have been so popular for so long, that I figured I'd throw out the LL Bean "River Driver's" shirt as something that, while not a bang-on match, might be of general interest as a warm two-layered l/s crewneck tee if what you ordered gets you a funny look. :)
posted by kmennie at 8:31 PM on December 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kmennie at 8:31 PM on December 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Super curious if that shirt worked out! I went ahead and bought that pack I linked upthread and I'm so happy with them that I've recommended them to like five people - they're perfect for winter and they really do just look like regular shirts.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:53 AM on January 25, 2017
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:53 AM on January 25, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:19 AM on December 16, 2016