High quality T-shirts - where did you go?

[XzifT]

I know t-shirts aren't exactly denim, but the two goes hand in hand, beeing the reason for me posting this here; The question is:

What has happened to the old high quality t-shirts?

My 5-7 year old black Levis redtab crew necks are still in shape, but the ones I bought this summer is totally ruined already!? Can anyone tell me where to get the old ones, or similar t-shirts that are made to last more than half a year?

What t-shirts do you guys wear? Feel free to post pictures!

[kiya]

The two best quality T-Shirts i know of are by Loopwheeler and Flat Head.

Both are on another level of fit and construction.

[HEWSINATOR]

Though I am sure you are correct Kiya, I just can not bring myself to spend that kind of money on a tee. I am sure they will last longer, etc...but I pretty much buy all my T-shirts at The Gap for 6.99 and it is not like they fall apart after 3 wears or anything.

[ayn]

I will have to agree that LW and FH make some dope tees... LWs are kindda too much work to get for tees, but the FH ones are now readily available for $50 at SE, that is a pretty good price for the quality...

I own a ton of alternative apparel tees, they're ok, esp for the price...

[viv1984viv]

merino tee shirts are the best, i know there are times when a cotton tee is best but merino is such a great fabric, very breathable and with a really nice drape character. Ive said about the undemining cotton tee worn underneath a goretex jacket before in the goretex thread. But even everyday wear is great for merino - when I go to London for the day and battle through hot tubes all day I wear merino tee under a cashmere jumper. Amazing quality of comfort.

A guy over at SF started a thread on "two moon"- japanese brand similar to Loopwheeler. Also check out silk for great comfort, and StaticRooster make 50% bamboo 50% cotton tees, they would probably do blanks.

[XzifT]

Tried quite a few t-shirts, even the really really expensive once, but nothing I've used yet beats the older levis t-shirts! I'd like to try Flat Head and maybe Loopwheeler, where can I get those in plain black, and maybe white aswell, round neck?

[Akre]

Apolis Activism makes some of the best tshirts around. Basics and Printed.

Context was so amazed with the quality of their shirts they decided to do a collaboration with Apolis. Context will soon carry a whole line of exclusive basics by Apolis!

You can contact Sam113 by pm, or you can email us [email protected] for more information. You can also look up your nearest retailer. Go try them on for yourself if have a chance!

[nettiemoore]

i have a loopwheeler t shirt and its my favorite. i also might get one of their swiss cotton pocket tees in the future.

[Heartworm]

Swedish brand Resteröds make some great t-shirts with a good cut (especially for skinny guys like me). Hanes are also good in my opinion.

Is the old Levi's stuff good? I saw a sweatshirt from '96 by them today, it looked pretty good.

[nettiemoore]

jm a canadian company also has t shirts that are very comfortable.

[vkhoj]

I've heard Uniqlo is pretty good too.

[Leeacto]

I personally like my Mod-O-Doc. Theyre moderately priced (35ish) and super softer without feeling like they're ready for holes. I also think Costume National and Atelier la Durance's Ts are pretty solid too

[tweeds]

my loopwheeler is nice, but i don't think it's worth the money spent.

i'm sure it costs alot to manufacture, for similar reasons to high end japanese jeans,

but like alot of the $400-500 jeans, i don't think i will be able to justify that sort of expenditure on tees in awhile yet.

it's funny because my favourite tees were purchased from this pseudo-artsy curio/record store in cambodia, for about $5 a pop. they've held up for about a year, and are only recently starting to lose their shape. that's pretty good value, IMO.

[Servo2000]

Frankly, the quality of t-shirts doesn't interest me greatly. I'm sorry, but this is one situation where I'm going to go ahead and say, "They're t-shirts." The fit, however, is still something I cannot get right. My favorite shirt is this black band shirt I've worn probably twice a week for three years and the thing is so beaten and so thin from being washed a million times (I'm trying to figure out if there's a chemical process that will "fake" the threadbare effect) that it drapes perfectly. Add the fact that it's got holes and shit all over and it's great.

Unfortunately, I don't wear prints anymore so I have to wear it inside out. Still works.

Is the difference in these shirts the cotton used? The technique in the production of the cotton? Does it even show in the eventual product? I guess I just don't understand.

[mr fluffernutter]

polycotton blend tshirts... the polyester can be burned out with a soak in an acid (forget which one). I think it's called Dévoré.

Dévoré, also known as burnout, is a process by which the cellulose portion of a cloth is devoured (dévoré) by the application of a commercial burnout solution that becomes an acid when ironed with dry heat. If handwovens combine cellulose (cotton, linen, viscose rayon, hemp or Tencel) with silk, wool, nylon or synthetics, the cellulose portion of the cloth can be completely burned away.

^^ voila

[Servo2000]

Fascinating. Going to have to give that a try.

[chronoaug]

kiya- do you have any pictures of the flat head shirts? Maybe of it being worn too. It's hard to buy a tshirt without ever seeing it, and yea, the loopwheeler stuff is kind of a hassle.

[kronik]

http://www.selfedge.com/2007/03/flat-head-t-shirts-and-selvedge-button.php

[mr fluffernutter]

Those FH tshirts look really really short.

[Servo2000]

Still don't get it. I could literally say those were any shirt in the world and you would have no way of knowing. Those could be either American Apparels or Visvim x Loopwheeler for all I can tell from how they look (I'm exaggerating somewhat but I think you get the idea).

[valhalla]

base control has some good quality made in japan t-shirts. it's like the japanese version of aa, with a huge variety of styles and materials. they even have something like the dri-fit material, with their own technology that is not too dissimilar to nike's.

i bought a whole bunch while they were having a winter sale.

[mono14]

I need well-constructed tees because the kind of flimsy tees made by AA make me feel naked. They're alright to wear under something, but they just don't feel right when I'm wearing them by themselves.

[fre-co]

Uniqlo are alright, they even do a premium quality cotton tee and in Japan it was 1000 yen. The normal cotton ones were 500 yen. Shape is good and fit is good (not too short).

I am after some pocket tees..... haven't seen these for a while. Any recommendations for those?

[synthi]

My pet hate with tees are that across the many labels I've perused, across the same tag sizes I find them either skinny in the body and long or rather wide and short. It's as though they're aimed at either really short and really fat people or really skinny and really tall people! I've yet to find the perfectly proportioned tee, maybe W+H, Loopwheeler or Flathead hold the key. The Toyo tees in Japan (SC, Buzz et al) also seem to be correctly proportioned. I'll have to give them a try sometime.

[JMK]

This is a good brand.

http://www.goodwearusa.com/servlet/StoreFront

[aubrgene]

I like Tsubi/Ksubi t-shirts-- nice graphics and good quality.

[__3xL]

For undershirt tees I like egyptian cotton tees . I only have 3 - plan on more very comfy tight weave yet cool and good construction overall .

Those Apolis tees DO look very nice though .

Also MOST organic tees and bamboo blends usually are better than average because they are a specialty item I guess .

If you just mean tees that retain their shape and hold up over time though - the standard streetwear tees by Titan or ProClub are great for the money .

I have a few from both brands that are 5 yrs old + and still like new except for the color fade - and even that isn't all that bad .

I'll be damned if I spend over $50 on a plain tee though unless it is guaranteed to never hold a stain and never fade color . Unless of course I became made of thee monays

[viv1984viv]

3XL - could you mention some of the brands that use egyptian cotton in their tees?

[__3xL]

check out nilestars on eBay viv .. might wanna size up one unless you really wanna use them for undershirts or like the ultra form fitted look - they shrink a few inches first wash and dry ..

"" XX Cotton ""?

P.S. The boxer briefs are niiice

[plongin]

honestly, AAA's tees are very very good. almost indestructible. However the fit isnt for everyone....