In My White Tee
March 12, 2008 by tsims
When it comes to the topic of white undershirts we turned to the expertise of, Dem Franchize Boys. Following their philosophy about looking good in a white tee, we’ve come up with a few tips to help you stay on top of your game!
Wear, wash, and repeat
Rule #1. Keep it clean! Nobody likes a stinker and the best way to keep from becoming one is to wear fresh shirts. You may be able to get a couple wears out of your favorite pair of jeans before they get ripe, but not your undershirt. Undershirts, as the name implies, are worn under your clothes, next to your body. There they absorb sweat and body odors, which combine to form, stank! We here at Foreman are not avid supporters of stank! The best way to avoid turning into Pig Pen is to wash your shirts after each wear. Since there are a lot more fun things to do in this world than laundry, you should keep an abundant supply of clean undershirts. About a three week supply (at least 21 for the mathematically challenged) should do it. That way you will have a steady source of clean shirts without spending everyday washing them.
I look clean in my white tee
Make sure you take good care of your white shirts. Wash them by themselves or with other white items and throw in a little bleach (about a cup) to keep them as white as possible for the long haul.
However, your undershirts should be separated from your white tee shirts outside of the wash. What do we mean by that? Even when you take proper care of them, your undershirts can quickly lose that crisp, clean, “new” look after several washings, so for those times when you want a nice white tee look you don’t want to wear the undershirts. Instead, purchase a couple high quality shirts that live on a hanger for that purpose.
Get the funk out
Over time your undershirts can still build up an inherent funk. It will not be noticeable right out of the drier, but as soon as a little moisture hits it… it won’t have that fresh-off the-clothesline smell. We won’t go into the science behind this affect, but throwing a little Borax (a natural laundry booster found in the detergent aisle) into each load of laundry will help keep things on the fresh side.
Yellow is the pits
Have you ever noticed a slight yellowing in the pits of your older undershirts? Unless you go European style, you most likely have. It is the result of your antiperspirant. Most antiperspirants use an aluminum-based substance as the part that keeps you dry. This compound keeps from getting bat wings, but in the process of doing so leaves those nasty yellow stains. There are two things you can do about this: 1) Toss the stained ones and buy a new supply 2) Switch to a deodorant that does not contain the aluminum as an ingredient.
Foreman says, “Keep your undershirts looking righteous!”
[...] Wear an undershirt – Wearing an undershirt beneath your clothing in warmer weather will help absorb moisture, protecting you from perspiration stains (just be sure to obey the rules of the white tee). [...]
I like your suggestion on keeping a lot of white t’s on hand so there is always a nice one to wear. It validates what I’ve already been doing. I usually wear one under all my shirts. I keep the undershirt looking good especially the neckband which is often visible. Any ideas on the best brand?
I think Brooks Brothers has a high quality undershirt. I’ve worn many different kinds, but theirs seem to hold up to the test of time better than my others. I’ve also recently switched to V-necks because I don’t like seeing the undershirt under my outershirt.
what made you switch to v neck?
Crewneck always looked good before, right? Crewneck seems more regular, sturdy, serious. When I pull that clean white shirt on and put my shirt over it I’m ready to roll. A snug neckband feels best. Unlike the V neck, there it is, the white neck band, visible. again, everyday, Not so good these days?
Well, I still rock the crew neck on weekends and in casual settings, but I just feel like showing that white rim under a nicely pressed dress shirt takes things down a notch. Kinda like wearing a long sleeve shirt under a T-Shirt… it was okay back in college, but just doesn’t hold up to the test of time.
I see your thinking. I could quit the crew neck undershirt in dressier situations. I think it has crept up on me, the look is outdated. I’m used to it , been wearing undershirts since I was about 2. In school days it was common, guys wore them all the time. Parents encouraged it too. We all had crew neck style. I might give the the v necks another try, Used to have some which I never wore, I recall they still show a little around the collar depending on the shirt but not near as much as the 2xist brand undershirts I use now. The 2xist shirts fit really nice in the body and sleeves and the fabric is very light but the collar is high so a lot of undershirt is visible.
LB
The best crew neck t-shirts are made by BVD. They use some special kind of cotton fabric for the band and it keeps it fit no matter how many washes. I worn brands and they don’t keep there shape. I wore a 2xist shirt and it got that wavey look after one wash. I had to throw away all three shirts from the package. Plus the BVD shirts are much cheaper and they come 4 in a pack instead of three. I love the crew neck kind because the t-shirt over the outer shirt look is sexy most of the time. There is a web site for undershirts called Tug The Undershirt Guy