T-shirts
A necessary component of every wardrobe, the humble t-shirt. Although, sometimes it’s not so humble. Some designers choose to put their logo or some ridiculous marketing line somewhere on the garment, in the font choices of tiny or huge, and sell a t-shirt of average quality to the tune of $500. Absolutely ridiculous. But that isn’t really what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about fit.
There’s a new Old Navy commercial making the television and internet rounds, featuring the awesome Kumail Nanjiani (Dinesh from the HBO series Silicon Valley). It’s an interesting commercial, and Kumail’s statement about what he looks for in a t-shirt is as rebellious as his hair.
“Right sleeve, left sleeve, neck hole.” That statement alone should negate any feelings you have about those ultra expensive t-shirts. For me, that was sort of my thing a couple years ago. Just so long as it stretched over my torso and hid my big belly I was okay with it. Which has resulted in my owning tent like garments, but they were long enough.
Now that I’m down a few more pounds, I’ve gotten insanely selective about t-shirts. The biggest reason I’m so selective is the biggest reason you put on a t-shirt: it’s worn by itself. Obviously you’ve got some casual pants on, like jeans, or maybe cords (But not cargo pants! Unless your work specifically calls for them…), but you’re not going to have anything over it other than a jacket (of whatever formality or function you’re pulling off with your look). Whew! So, I want a t-shirt that fits and flatters.
Fit, to me, means that the shoulder seams manage to line up with my actual shoulders, the arm holes are decently high and not too open, and of course that it manages to drape just past my belt (this way it accommodates short reaches). If those criteria are met, then hopefully the flattering portion should be too. For me, it’s sleeves that make my upper arms look good. Not too tight, but never baggy, and ending at least 3 inches from my elbow (without having to be rolled).
Due to my height, I usually have to shop where “tall” sizes are available. This lets me get the size that actually fits my torso and covers it. Unfortunately, my store range is VERY limited. I’ve been lucky enough to stretch some t-shirts a bit after the first dozen washes so that they retain a bit of length. Also lucky for me, is that Jinx shirts tend to fit and flatter since I love Video Games and Nerd Culture.
7 years ago
