athletic tshirts

March 31, 2008 1:27 PM

Looking for Athletic-fit cotton t-shirts...more inside...

Long hours in the gym have given me big lats, a wide back, and big shoulders. I live in Vancouver and cannot seem to find tshirts that fit me. I am looking for cotton tshirts...plain white, grey, black etc....Mediums seem to be too small and size L too boxy... Also the sleeves seem to be too big and short (I like sleeves that go to the lower bicep).
Any recommendations for specific brands, stores etc? Ihave done a search on this topic in ask me-fi and while there is one thread on it, I couldnt find anything that helped me. A bit leery of buying online unless I know the fit first.

Thanks

posted by ataraxian to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

I swim a lot.

The Cherokee brand tagless shirts that I think are from Target are surprisingly well fit for an athletic male build.

Also, try the t-shirts from The Territory Ahead. My wife drags me to the outlet store and I load up on "dress t-shirts". These tend to have longer sleeves than average. The fit model they use can be either "boxy American build" or "athletic guy with good upper body", so try on your selections first. Territory Ahead outlet has occasional sales or random sale days that make me not mind buying new clothes once a year.
posted by lothar at 1:47 PM on March 31

I suppose I should have mentioned I live in Vancouver, BC. Unfortunately, we do not have Target here. I have never heard of the Territory Ahead but I will look em up. I should also mention that I have tried American Apparel shirts and they do not fit me well at all. I have tried Hanes Beefy, Gap, and Banana Republic. BR tshirts didnt have the right kind of sleeves either :(
posted by ataraxian at 1:55 PM on March 31

I've had good luck with very basic FTL, Fruit of the Loom three pack of undershirts at Wal-Mart. About $8/pack.

I'm slim, 6'1 190 and lift three times a week, so it is hard to find a shirt that is not too baggy in the sleeves but not skin tight. The FTL shirts need to be broken in first before the first trip to the gym, the first wear out of the package/dryer is tight, but after a few hours the fit is acceptable for the gym, with a long torso and sleeves fitting near mid-bicep. They're also damn near indestructible.
posted by limited slip at 2:17 PM on March 31

Maybe something from prana?
posted by rbs at 2:34 PM on March 31

Have you tried lululemon? I know they have a few stores in the Vancouver area.
posted by esmerelda_jenkins at 3:23 PM on March 31

Hey ataraxian, Cherokee is also Zellers' house clothing brand.

Are you sure you want cotton? If you are willing to try technical fabrics (which don't get soggy) running stores (like the Running Room) usually have t-shirts that are meant to fit without being too tight.
posted by loiseau at 3:26 PM on March 31

Do you have a Uniqlo near you? They have some pretty good plain t-shirts.
posted by cazoo at 3:56 PM on March 31

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will check out FTL and Cherokee at Zellers. I am looking for cotton shirts to wear around the house and outside, not necessarily the gym. Thanks again
posted by ataraxian at 4:07 PM on March 31

American Apparel.
posted by charlesv at 8:35 PM on March 31