Single White Tee Shirt

Don't know why I'm feeling that title- but I'm sticking with it.

If you're anything like me- which let's face it, you probably are-you've spent the greater half of your shopping hours logged looking for one of two items- the perfect jeans (skinny, bell, high or low waisted depending on the decade) or for the single perfect white tee shirt.  Denim is a topic so insurmountable that I'll postpone my attempt to unpack it until I've got a free weekend to dedicate.  The beauty of a tee shirt on the other hand lies mostly in its simplicity.  It SHOULD be so simple- it is basically a commodity.  There should be little to no variation between one white tee shirt and the other- but as you know, dear reader, this is anything but true.

There is the basic v, the deep V-neck (thanks to Dov's imagination at American Apparel), the crew-neck, the pocket-tee, the boyfriend v (thanks Madewell!) the slouchly tee and the newest addition (gracias Kain Label) the sexy tee!  If you live in L.A. you probably make your wardrobe decisions based on how "fancy" your t-shirt is.  One for a daytime look under a blazer is definitely not the same you might wear over a "see me on purpose" bra that same evening.

So....the real purpose of this post is to discuss my top three picks, my biggest gripes, and hope upon hope that someone will give me some of theirs back--because in all selfishness I am pretty much ready to revamp my tee wardrobe and could really use your help.

So....without further adieu.....

1. James Perse Twisted Crew: now even if I was so inclined to continue spending $60 a pop on my quarterly white tee fix, I wouldn't even be able to.  As I've just figured out- Mr. Perse is no longer feature this item!  PHHHHH. give me a few seconds to dry my tears.
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ok.  I'm back.
As I was saying, this has been my standard go-to for years.  HOWEVER, it is neither sustainable nor practical- and this coming from the girl who has no problem hand washing her favorite pieces in Dreft.  NO MATTER WHAT I do, those dreaded armpit stains find their way in there.  So as much as I love the tricep-defining sleeve and the clavicle-flattering neckline, this tee was too fragile to wear as a casual option, and too casual to wear as a night tee.

p.s. Having the same problem and wondering what to do with these expired, yellowed tees?  Skip over to lgd designs and let lgd show you how to work magic with a few bottles of RIT.

2. Hanes Mens 3 Pack  + 5 years
Here's the deal. Buy a three pack, sleep in 'em, run in 'em, yoga in 'em and wash them obsessively.  Fast forward 5 years? And you've got yourself the perfect DIY authentically destroyed, sheer and clingy white tee.  There is NOTHING better- and it sure beats the $2000 predestroyed Balmain option showing this season.  Plus, noticing that the heavier weight boxy tee is sneaking back into action- so pull up your boyfriend jeans, tuck in the tee and cinch it with a belt- et voila! Fem/masc chic style.

3. Kain Label
Let me be honest for a second.  I'm still on the fence about Kain.  Love the style, love the design, love the concept. Don't love $90.  Love the fact that my normally conservative pocket-tee wearing friends are baring their sexy underthings under the pretensive protection of a "t-shirt". Don't love that they snag toooo easily and require dry cleaning.  Love the fact that this amazing success if the result of an entrepreneurial love of vintage tees and classic Los Angeles style...don't love that I didn't think of it first.

note: prefer the cheapy version? check out Madewell's slouch pocket tee. Not bad for $38.  (let's not even get started on how $38 became the cheaper t-shirt)

So what's a girl to do?...Spend top dollar in a twice a year splurge? Or buy the cheapies and consider them disposable??  What are your favorites, where do you find them, how do you wash them once you've got them?

Excuse the lack of pics- not at home and would rather wait to post pics of my real tees rather than stock images.  They will be up soon and well worth the wait!