White T-Shirt Story: A brief history of the most versatile wardrobe item
From 7 Stylists’ Lifehacks on how to choose a tee, through the brief history of this iconic item and ideas of the fanciest t-shirts for 2021. As well as how to keep your white t-shirts collection neat? And other various methods of perfecting your t-shirt storage.
One hundred years ago, a tee was only worn as underwear. Male combination with long sleeves and buttons, which was used as underclothes, is considered to be its great grandfather. In the 19th century, this wardrobe item was divided into two parts, and the undershirt then became what we now call a “T-shirt”, i.e. T-shaped shirt.
During WWII, the t-shirt was a uniform item of the USA army and navy. However, it gained a new life in the early 1940s, when soldiers who came back from the war started wearing it in everyday life and made it popular among the working class.
T-shirt Becomes Fashionable
Cinema is probably one of the best types of advertisement. A 1951 drama film A Streetcar Named Desire with young Marlon Brando in the starring role made t-shirt incredibly popular. The actor’s character became a cult and made wearing a white t-shirt outside blameless. Everyone was wearing it: rebel musicians, dressers, hippies, and politicians.
In the early 1950s, several Miami and Florida businesses started printing writings and different characters on t-shirts. Tropix Togs was the first among them. It bought the rights to use the Mickey Mouse images from Walt Disney. The first collab if you will.
Tie-dye t-shirts appeared around that time also. Tie-dye is a technology of fabric dyeing, which allows creating a colourful and accidentally original design on clothes. Shibori is one of the methods of the Japanese dyeing technique. T-shirt made with this method is now associated with the hippies, The Grateful Dead band and its frontman Jerry Garcia, Marxist, and revolutionist Ernesto Che Guevara.
In the 1960s and 1970s, writings on t-shirts gained real popularity which was raising as time passed. Names of music bands and sports teams, slogans and logos, pictures… T-shirts became a “canvas” for self-expression, a form of advertisement and propaganda. A classic form of the t-shirt was constantly transforming and changing sleeveless, V-shape neck, collar, etc. The T-shirt has become the most fashionable clothes for all times and next generations to come!
Interesting facts:
- In 1942 Life journal published the first picture of a t-shirt on its cover. It showed a cadet of Air Force small arms school in Las Vegas wearing a t-shirt with symbols printed on it.
- The oldest t-shirt in the world belongs to the collection of the Smithsonian Museum. It was made in 1948 by the order of election campaign for the candidate Thomas Dewey in New York.
- According to statistics, about 2 million white t-shirts are sold every year. They are second only to jeans (about 520 million)
White t-shirt is the only thing that will never be an outsider in any wardrobe. Even if you don’t like basic things, it will look good both with general jeans and with a complex skirt with paillettes.
- It fits any overclothes and any bottom half;
- It will give you a perfect background for the neck jewels;
- It will balance even the most colourful clothes and complex construction.
So, here are 7 simple life hacks on how to choose a t-shirt, which will make you look perfect:
T-shirts with tight collar keep their form better;
V-shaped collar will make your neck longer;
Cropped t-shirts will fit those who do not have an evident waste. It will appear owing to the upper half size.
You may emphasise your waste by tucking a big size t-shirt into the pants with pin-tucks.
It is better to choose loose models, they look timely.
Make sure your shoulders are in their place, otherwise your look may seem cheap.
T-shirt sleeve will look more attractive if rolled up.
What about the fanciest t-shirts for 2021.
3.1 Trendy fabrics.
3.2 Timely t-shirts colors.
3.3 Printings and pictures
3.4 Models.
3.5 What to wear with t-shirts when it’s hot or cold?
1. Trendy fabrics:
Cotton. It is probably a timeless classic, beautiful, and isn’t hot. We may combine it with anything, including an asymmetric skirt or pantsuit.
Silk. Expensive and neatly.
Rayon. It will add lightness and tints.
Stockinet. Pay attention to knitted t-shirts in this season.
Polyester. For cool days.
Skin. And you will be in the limelight!
Denim. Perfectly combines with jeans.
2. Timely t-shirts colors:
White t-shirts will never be useless! Especially because they come out of action faster.
Black t-shirts will be timely with printings as well as without them.
Brown. All shades of earth are the most fashionable in this season.
Beige. All pastel tones, including powder pink and light blue.
Khaki. Will make you more noticeable despite all the stereotypes about that colour. In general, it is better to have at least one single-tone t-shirt apart from the white one, for example of this rather versatile colour.
3. Printings and pictures:
Nowadays, a t-shirt like never before has become a timely means of self-expression and provocation.
Brands’ logos will tell everything about you.
Animalistic printings. Is a great base for a fashionable monochromic look. They will beneficially set off pastel colours.
Tie-dye. In the 1960s and 1970s, this print was on the top of its popularity among hippies. Let’s chalk it up in this season!
Zippers. A little bit of sports chic won’t do any harm.
Posters or photos. These are sort of classics.
Fringes and chains and you won’t need a lot of jewels!
Ruches and Frills. They are especially good when you are going to have a date at night.
Buttons. It is a sort of reference to polo shirts, and very timely in 2020.
4. Models
Short t-shirts. Because short waste is still fashionable.
Loose t-shirts. Since oversize is still with us.
Long sleeves. A warmer option but not less interesting.
Skinny. To make an emphasis on the breast. Especially good with palazzo pants.
Sleeveless. You may put it under the suit, or as a separate unit.
What to wear with t-shirts when it’s hot or cold?
Spring-Summer:
If you put a t-shirt with knee-length Bermuda shorts you will hit right into the season’s biggie.
With a leather jacket, the best friend of a t-shirt.
With jeans. When it’s all clear and simple in your look.
With a pleated skirt. A favourite choice of a lot of stylists. Feminine and fancy.
Under the dress or top in an underwear style. Good for the office. You may put off a t-shirt at night and add romantic earrings and bracelets to your image.
Fall-Winter. Leave out the idea of putting your t-shirt at the back of your wardrobe, when the cold is coming. Stylists are sure that a t-shirt is a perfect base for a multilayer look:
Put on your t-shirt under the cozy knitted cardigan.
Let it peep out from under your jumper.
Wear it with your business suit instead of a shirt.
Under your coat or bomber jacket if the weather is good.
How to keep your white t-shirts neat? 4 various methods of perfecting your t-shirt storage.
First method, let’s call it „traditional”. It is often used by clothing stores. The majority of us had to see the perfect piles of clothes in malls with envy, but let’s make something like that in your home?
You only need to follow these steps and remember them:
put your t-shirt on a table-like surface so the frontal side is facing downward;
fold about 1/3 of a t-shirt to the centre spot, putting the sleeve on the same line with the fold line #1;
fold another part following the same scheme;
the next step is to fold your t-shirt in the lower part, so it will have 3 folds;
turn over your t-shirt.
Using this method, you may fold your shirt and t-shirt.
It will be a good option when packing up for travel if you have a small suitcase and you have to pack half of your clothes.
Second method, Japanese
This method reminds of the ancient art of origami. Learn it and you will see that it takes a little time!
To fold your things the right way, you need to:
put your t-shirt against any even surface:
table or bed, so you can see the front side;
after that find the centre of your t-shirt and draw the imaginary line which goes across the t-shirt, and draw one more line through the centre of a shoulder seam lengthwise the t-shirt;
then find a crossing of these lines and take your t-shirt by this spot, with your right hand take the spot in the middle of a shoulder seam: necessary condition — your hands must be parallel to each other;
when you took the t-shirt by these two spots, move your right hand before the left one to grab the end of your t-shirt below, it must on the same side with your two spots;
take it up, shake a little bit with your hands and fold another side;
when your clothes take too much place in your wardrobe, fold it double: it won’t get crumpled and will easily get in a small locker or suitcase.
Sailor’s roller or army method. Its main advantage is that it makes your t-shirt to occupy the smallest volume in comparison with other methods. It will be a go-to method for people who got used to traveling light.
Put your t-shirt face up;
Fold the lower part at 5–7 cm;
Flatten the fabric, so it won’t have any folds;
Fold the third of your t-shirt towards the centre;
Take the sleeve and fold it in;
Do the same with another sleeve;
Roll the t-shirt starting from the collar;
When you reach the end, take the folded part and put the roller in, so it won’t get unrolled.
Magic Clean-up method
The Bestselling book of Marie Kondo, a Japanese expert on house clean-up, won the audience of housewives a while back. Methods, used by the author are practical and non-standard. Clothes folding found their special place in the book. It’s surprising but Marie advises to fold all the clothes not in horizontal but in a vertical way, so they occupy less place. If you want to fold your t-shirts according to Japanese art, we offer you the following algorithm:
Lay it flat on any side;
Fold one-third of the t-shirt in, leaving the sleeve on top.
Do the same with another part, and put it above the first one, sleeve on top as well.
Fold the resulting thin line from the bottom to shoulders, fold it twice and join it with the upper part.
Get it standup.
It is better to place your t-shirts by colours, from dark to light, by doing this you will make your wardrobe space more harmonic.
For more comfort, the author recommends keeping all the clothes folded this way in drawers.
Omnifinery — Feel Comfort in Your Individuality
Text: Editorial Staff
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Evgeny is an art director and a global citizen based in Hong Kong and working between Asia and Europe.
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