The back bones of any man’s wardrobe are t-shirts. It’s like a sartorial workhorse, and as such is abused like one. Don’t get me wrong, I love my t-shirt collection, but some stuff I see just makes me angry. For example, a lot of branded t-shirts go for price points that could equally be spent on something with a collar, which brings me to my first point:
Don’t spend more than $15 on a t-shirt
You know what I’m talking about, those weird t-shirts that look like tattoos that you totally know cost something like $80. For the same price you could get a tailored shirt. For the same price you could get a nice shirt and a decent pair of pants. You could get two tanks of gas. You could give it to charity and then seriously reassess your life because dropping $80 on a t-shirt makes you look like a big jerk. Related Point:
Don’t Treat the T-shirt like more than what it is
Now I know this one is up for debate, but I hate the t-shirt-with-blazer look. It says to me that the person wants to show that they make money, but is too self-conscious to put forth an actual effort to look presentable. I’m sorry, but the concept of self-referent irony isn’t cool anymore and neither is this look. You know what’s cool? A t-shirt and jeans; stick with the working class aesthetic and you can’t go wrong.
Everything Looks Better with Age…Except White T-Shirts
The t-shirt is one of those things that get better with age. New shirts are stiff and scratchy, but worn in shirts are threadbare, soft, and have been moulded to the wearer’s body. The trick of course is to keep your shirts as free of holes as possible, and if you can manage that, a t-shirt can be with you for decades. The exception to this is white t-shirts. White t’s have a life span of about 12months, around which the armpits start developing noticeable and gross sweat stains in the armpit. It’s ok to throw these away.