Conoisseur's t-shirt a contradiction in Terms?

[Taylor of Bank Street]

I think I know exactly what you mean. As Doc paraphrased, you're after quality not necessarily 'designer'. It was bound to happen eventually: I agree with you.
T-shirts, like any other product come in varying degrees of quality. The bulk of my undershirts might generously be described as semi-disposable crap. Some of my t-shirts on the other hand are, at least in my opinion crafted well with nice fabric. At the end of the day it's still a t-shirt, but not all t-shirts are the same.

I could rummage through my closet and come up with a few names, but so far I haven't found one label that consistently produces the same overall 'type'. Cuts and fabrics seem to change a lot.

So, I can't be of much help in the recommendation department but I 'get' the idea that there's a difference in quality between my undershirts, a 'beater' shirt I would wear to the gym and something well made of a higher quality fabric.

I'll hopefully be in NYC again in a month so will check out Uni Qlo again on your testimonial. I wandered through last time but didn't pick up anything.

[mmack66]

You mean, like >50% of people do?
Er, yes.
It's not exactly revolutionary is it.


Rebos, I don't know if there's a differece between the std cotton shirts and the anniversary range, but I think the Anniversary range is pretty decent. I think it's a bit more expensive. Certainly the Dry material seems as good as anything from Nike etc, who are charging considerably more.

I *feel* the incredulous tone of this question, as if Scottish Steve stated that he was going out unshaven, too

Whats wrong with wearing a t-shirt in public?

LOL. Actually, I don't care what other people wear. I just wanted to be "that guy" for a change.

[scottish steve]

Rebos, UQ have three main fabrics for their T-shirts and polo shirts, one totally synthetic (DRY), one 100% cotton (at two quality levels I think) and one DRY but based mostly on cotton. I have 8 of the purely synthetic ones which are very good, but might have got better this year, with a different formulation, though I have yet to try it out as the two large ones I bought are a bit tighter than last year's- they actually look good on me in this size but I'm a bit self-conscious.

[rebos]

yeah, I do recall seeing the synthetic shirts last I was there (London uniqlo), which was some time ago. I think that for the price, the stuff from this store is better than most options t-shirt wise. Really though, it is a strange state of affairs when %99 of what is available in this department is horrible garbage. Literally garbage, as someone's above post makes quite clear -- shirts that live a very short life and are tossed, cause they were shite to begin with. This sort of disposability mentality was not always so present, and neither was the degree of proliferation of shite merchandise.

Again, I opt for Canadian-made Standfields, as their garments aren't produced in frightful conditions, and the product ain't bad neither.

As someone else said, in the end it's just a t-shirt. But it still shouldn't be such a challenge to find good quality "anything" clothing-wise. Most of what is available in the trousers and collared shirts realm is also cheap crap . . . unless you have money to spend, in which case, there are always options a plenty. Yeah, like those YSL t's ;).

I'm still curious as to what shirts your friend is buying? They of the same synthetic variety that you are after?

[Go West Young Man]

I apologize, my earlier question was badly formed due to child-related sleep deprivation.

What I mean was "are you talking about t-shirts or undershirts?" Seems like some people are thinking one thing, some the other.

[scottish steve]

I've no idea what t-shirts my friend buys- they look like jingoistic nonsense to me, with tv shows and other assorted slogans I feel are best left to adolescents. This is why I spent an age choosing the 5 I got from UQ- I've got a black one with a discrete Marantz logo on it, a Japanese Modern Art print, one with Miles Davis, a Fujifilm X100 and a subtle one for a Saki brand. All quite tasteful in my opinion.

[scottish steve]

Just had a look at Muji's website and the only t-shirts they seem to do are "shrink-wrapped" or "two-pack for ten pounds".
It's getting ridiculous. As stated above disposable clothing is becoming the norm for many if not all high street stores, to the ruin of the environment.

Here are some pics.

[scottish steve]

And the sports range.

[Doc4]

I suspect that a lot of this search will be in vain. People still make high-quality shoes in Northampton, high-quality suits in Savile Row, high-quality dress shirts in Naples ... but t-shirts, I'm afraid, most people are not willing to pay 3X the price for "quality".

I suspect that few of the remaining brands that maintain quality are going to be readily available in China. Your best bet is probably to keep this quest in the back of your mind every time you go shopping, and check out the local clothes stores and look for shirts that seem to be what you are wanting.

This thread is exposing an amazing amount about the psyche of The Haberdashery- one poster shocked at wearing a t-shirt "in public" (????), one poster advising a Scot in China should look for an American brand represented in Europe and another stating that a "damned decent" t-shirt is one which needs to be thrown into the garbage after 6 months....or given to a woman.

What is going on here! :-)

Sorry, I didn't notice much else after reading your line about going to that gay nightclub.

Again, I opt for Canadian-made Standfields, as their garments aren't produced in frightful conditions, and the product ain't bad neither.

Golly, if we can actually start exporting t-shrits to China ...

(Maybe they want to import some of our tea, too. )

[scottish steve]

I think you might be right Doc. I've always got an eye out for the things I miss from home. It's a pity the markup is so high much of the time. If I ever see a Thai-made 5600E I'm gonna grab it right then and there! I have spent a while in the high end shops looking at their stock and there are some classics, but also a lot of overpriced, overhyped brands which are trying to transplant themselves to Asia and continue the same marketting nonsense they get away with in The West. Much of the 'prestige' output from Europe is decent quality but too expensive- do I want a German kitchen knife at 780 yuan or a Korean one which holds just as good an edge for 50? Oddly, sometimes the Chinese stuff is more expensive than the Korean.
I might have posted this incident already, but its a classic example of what not to buy- looking for jeans in a high end store and saw some European brand proudly stating the denim to be Japanese (?) and the strapline was something like "Express yourself- X jeans for true individuals" I looked at 10 pairs of $300 ripped jeans, ALL of which were ripped in EXACTLY the same way! The salesperson noticed what I was doing and looked distinctly embarassed.
Oh well, the search continues....

[scottish steve]

IF anyone who's contributed to this thread does get to UQ and forms an opinion on these items, god or bad, please update this thread. I'm interested to hear what you think

[jpakstis]

I *feel* the incredulous tone of this question, as if Scottish Steve stated that he was going out unshaven, too

I don't. Maybe mmack66 is just trying to figure out for what purpose Scottish Steve wants to wear a shirt. To me it seems there two types of t-shirts: ones to be worn under another (usually collared) shirt, and ones to be worn on their own. I like finding Gap "underwear" t-shirts on sale (they usually can be found for $2-$5); they are nice and light, come in different colors for coordinating, and last decently well. For dress (read: white undershirt), I like 2ixst ones. They are long enough to stay tucked in, wear nicely, and feel comfortable.

For "outerwear" t-shirts, I don't know; I have all sorts of goofy stuff from Red Sox World Series championship T's (will never get rid of that one!), to a Polo t-shirt (its nice, but it has the Polo label on it, which is goofy), and all sorts of others. I'm not one of these types who believe that t-shirt should only be worn under a collared shirt, as sometimes its just too hot to do that. As to this second type of shirt, I am no help.

[PhiGam]

Why not look at high quality Nike coolmax shirts (wery technical, and come in loads of different fits, from tighter for rnning to looser for basketball and lifting).

Underarmor is a staple in my house (Athletic teenage daughter...i assure you they are the height of fashion...also I teach at a high school where lots of kids (10+ per year) get Division I scholarships, and underarmor and Nike/Adidas technical clothing, including T-shirts are de rigeur.

I personally swear by smartwool (Icebreaker and ibex are nice, I just like smartwool). Patagonia makes a nice capilene, and the combination of poly and wool are pretty excellent, but can be a challenge to care for at times.

Look to hikers and athletes for good 'casual' clothing--North Face, Columbia, Patagonia, Nike, Underarmor, etc. are all quite fashionable and extremely technical. (They wick and shed moisture like no other, stain and wrinkle resistant)

Good luck!

[scottish steve]

Thanks Phigam. I think the UQ sports range is basically the same as the Nike garments, but I'll pop in next time I'm near a Nike/Adidas shop to see if there's a difference in quality.
There are few camping/outdoor shops around here- the Chinese don't seem to go camping much.

[PhiGam]

Thanks Phigam. I think the UQ sports range is basically the same as the Nike garments, but I'll pop in next time I'm near a Nike/Adidas shop to see if there's a difference in quality.
There are few camping/outdoor shops around here- the Chinese don't seem to go camping much.

No problem! Not sure if it will help, but I tried :)

Also, I totally love the Miles Davis shirt, and would have chosen that one myself....

[cluelessdude]

Is it necessary to wear a t-shirt under a white dress shirt?

[scottish steve]

This is unusual in The UK and seen as extremely old-fashioned.

[cluelessdude]

This is unusual in The UK and seen as extremely old-fashioned.

Yeah I don't do it but it seems like on the other hand many do as well. I don't see the purpose of wearing a shirt underneath though as its mostly all covered under the jacket.

[PhiGam]

Is it necessary to wear a t-shirt under a white dress shirt?

Depends--

I hat ANY see-through in a white dress shirt. Any occasion to remove a jacket can result in see-through, even with some oxford cloths

I HATE getting 'body-oil' marks or stains of any sort on my dress shirts (At $80 per on sale, I try hard to keep them nice--no dry cleaning, line dried only, pretreat collar and cuffs, etc.) T-shirts absorb and shield the shirt from many of the worst spots (Pits, small of back if working/walking inhot environment, etc.)

Spraying cologne/EDT on T[shirt saves harm and overpowering smell on dress shirt, while allowing for improved sillage and longevity as opposed to skin spraying. YMMV.

[cluelessdude]

Depends--

I hat ANY see-through in a white dress shirt. Any occasion to remove a jacket can result in see-through, even with some oxford cloths

I HATE getting 'body-oil' marks or stains of any sort on my dress shirts (At $80 per on sale, I try hard to keep them nice--no dry cleaning, line dried only, pretreat collar and cuffs, etc.) T-shirts absorb and shield the shirt from many of the worst spots (Pits, small of back if working/walking inhot environment, etc.)

Spraying cologne/EDT on T[shirt saves harm and overpowering smell on dress shirt, while allowing for improved sillage and longevity as opposed to skin spraying. YMMV.

If I were to wear a v neck tee under a white shirt should it be a dark color (navy) or white?