The Once and Future T-Shirt

91-xK2oMqNL._SL1500_For someone who thinks very little about clothing, apparently clothes have been on my mind a lot lately.

It started with a recent blog entry about simplifying my wardrobe down to a few key outfits rather than seeking variety. It’s not a method I necessarily want to try, but I was intrigued by it.

A few weeks later, a friend mentioned she was going to Goodwill and said she could take any extra clothes I had. It had been a while since I did a Goodwill purge, and I went all out. If I hadn’t worn a piece of clothing in over a year or if I couldn’t see myself wearing a piece of clothing in the next year, it went in a garbage bag.

I ended up with 5 full garbage bags for Goodwill. Which is super weird, because I really didn’t have many clothes in the first place.

A key piece of item I donated were old undershirts (which Goodwill very may well throw away). I’ve had many of my undershirts for upwards of 10 years. And they’re not just undershirts–sometimes I wear them just as shirts.

After I got rid of them, it sent it down a rabbit hole of finding the perfect t-shirt. I wanted something that fit well and had some softness to it like some of the bespoke t-shirts I have.

Google searches for “the perfect t-shirt” revealed some lists on sites like Esquire and GQ with basic t-shirts ranging from $30-$80. Who pays $80 for an undershirt?

Finally, I searched Amazon for one of the brands of custom t-shirts I own (Anvil), and I found it. THE t-shirt. I’ve worn it twice now, washed/dried it once, and it’s perfect. And it’s about $9. Amazing.

Rarely am I this satisfied with a clothing purchase, so I thought I’d write about it here. Especially since I may have just found the t-shirt to wear for the rest of my life. This is a permanent love affair.

Have you ever had that experience with a t-shirt or piece of clothing? Have you found The One?

4 thoughts on “The Once and Future T-Shirt”

  1. Hey Jamey,

    Interesting topic. I’ve always liked 100% cotton over poly blends for t-shirts for comfort and lack of static electricity. And for t-shirts that need to stay tucked in under shirts, I’ve stuck with extra-long Hanes from tall/big guys stores.

    A few years ago I was tired of comparing my undershirts every morning tying to find the least worn-in one, so I made a major move. Haha. I decided to toss/donate them all and buy six 3-packs and since they were all new at the same time I started rotating them in my drawer so I wear them all in evenly. Wouldn’t have thought I’d enjoy that so much. Secret of love is enjoying the little things, I guess.

    On an unrelated note, we emailed once last summer when my daughter was considering WashU (I’m a guy from Richmond who teaches with your uncle-in-marriage Dan) and I’m happy to say she got in last fall. She’s super-excited. And she’s heading out late this month for a chance at being a Danforth Scholar. I know Dan told me you really liked the school. Seems like a wonderful place.

    Take it easy,
    Rob

    Reply
  2. Julia: Awesome, that’s great to hear! I’m glad those clothes will be used.

    Rob: I like your big move of just buying a bunch of t-shirts that you know you like. It’s such a simple thing–I didn’t even realize how nice it would be to do that.

    That’s great to hear about your daughter! The school will take very good care of her, but if a situation arises where you need an ally in the area, please let me know. (I can’t think of anything like that happening, but just in case.)

    Reply
  3. Oh, I have a shirt like that. 100% cotton, no tag, and good color with a simple graphic design. It’s so comfortable that it feels like I’m not wearing it at all. It’s design as a sleepwear but I have worn it out many times. Best going outside sleepwear shirt ever!

    Reply

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