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In search of T-Shirts

Sunday 15 May 2011
You wouldn't think that finding a plain ol' t-shirt could be such a complicated process. As a matter of fact, neither did I. After writing my previous post, I realized my old collection of t-shirts was well, old. Not to mention tatty looking WITH light stains.  It was definitely time to chuck most of them and get new ones. My mission was to find replacements by Saturday. My requirements are 1) that it must be made of 100% cotton  2) Thin but not sheer  3) short sleeves but I don't like super short or capped sleeves   3) longish t-shirt as I'm not a fan of baring my muffin top whenever I raise my arms    4) inexpensive

So off I went to Selfridges because I couldn't be bothered trudging from one store to the next looking for t-shirts. I headed straight for my true and tested James Perse. They're placed right next to Splendid, LNA, American Vintage and Zadig et Voltaire. Heck, why don't I try them all? The white t-shirts were so sheer, I could see my bra. What the......??!! Is the economy so bad that these companies have decided to make do with thinner fabric?? AND charge up to £115 for a t-shirt?! I don't know about you but I think it's a sin to pay that much for a simple tee.

Feeling rather despondent of my lack of success, I decided to try Gap. One t-shirt had a mesh back. Ewww. No wonder it's on the sales rack. I don't think any sane person would even contemplate these for £2.99 which would explain similar looking garbage piled sky high. Another has batwing sleeves. I used to depend on Gap for all my basics. I've all but abandoned the shop in the last 1.5 years. I wouldn't even touch their children's clothing these days.

Next, I thought I'd try my luck at H&M and Zara which are minutes away from Selfridges. Whaddaya know?! They've fenced off half of the pavement which meant hundreds, if not thousands of shoppers were now shuffling an inch at a time down Oxford St. Great. By the time I got into H&M, I've lost all motivation to shop. It required every ounce of my previous martial arts training to maneuver the stroller with a passive husband in tow out of the heaving shop to cross over to the other side of Oxford St.

And..... I spied my eyes on Uniqlo. I raced upstairs and was ecstatic to find tees that ticked all the boxes. These are fantastically soft and superb quality for only £7.99. My only complaint is they don't have white tees, just cream colored ones which I detest BUT I walked away with a couple of black tees and a dark gray as well.

Uniqlo Light Cotton Scoop T-shirt £7.99


13 comments:

  1. OH - I need to send you some JCrew white V-neck tees - I have tons and they are perfect, IMO! I just bought some James Perse tees on Hautelook for 70% off but I always wear those with a tank top underneath!

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  2. I love J Crew but it's ridiculously priced on NAP. I'll have to wait for James Perse to go on sale on either Shopbop or Revolve Clothing. I just can't justify forking so much money for t shirts.

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  3. Uniqlo is the BEST place to get a basic tshirt!!! :) I love their premium cotton line as well. Make sure you go early when they restock as white tshirts sell out like hotcakes!

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  4. I agree, DaBee! They do basics particularly well. I'll definitely keep your advice in mind because I've got my heart set on white t-shirts.

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  5. What a coincidence I also got the ultra fine cotton t shirt with crew neck from Uniqlo. Only I got it in navy blue, which is my favorite basic color.
    Indeed the quality is very good for the price.

    I don't wear white t shirts except as pajama tops, it takes extremely good looks and an amazonian body to look good in a white t. Only Marlon Brando can pull it off, http://jakedavis.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c974f53ef01127963d8ad28a4-450wi

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  6. Give COS a try my dear, they always have nice simple Tees made of 100% cotton. The quality is far better than these by H&M and Zara.

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  7. LOL, Lily! I'm sure you'll pull off the look better than me. Drats, I didn't see the navy. I think I'll make another trip back to Uniqlo.

    q9y8, I checked out COS at Selfridges but they didn't have any in stock :( I couldn't be bothered going to their flagship store because the traffic was ridiculous. Better luck next time.

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  8. ...sounds exctly like my shopping experiene for the past 2 years.I have the same requirements like you when it comes to a t-shirt but have been unlucky (unfortunately we don't have a Uniqlo in Germany) in unearthing one here.
    I've also tried COS but their white t-shirts are a little bit to seethrough for my taste. Am open to all suggestions, really!

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  9. I used to buy t-shirts from Great Plains, a UK brand but they stop manufacturing simple tees for whatever reasons I don't understand. I wish Petit Bateau would make longer t-shirts that cover the torso. Too bad you don't have Uniqlo in Germany.

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  10. Oh and forgot to mention, M&S used to have a series of Fair-trade certified cotton Ts, those with the V neck had an awesome fit, not too tight not to loose, they are sturdy (I've washed mine 1mil times) and the colors never run. My favorite color on these is pink champagne.
    Totally different from the Uniqlo, they are a lot thicker cotton, but worth a try. I usually size up with those.

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  11. M&S? Really? I'll HAVE to check it out now. It's crazy, I'm forever at my local M&S and not once did I bother to step foot upstairs at their cothing department.

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  12. I just was in London for the weekend. Uniqlo at Oxford street (the big flagship, opposite John Lewis) stocked a couple of styles of white t-shirts. I saw the luxurious cotton (with the slight "puff" at the arms) and the "dry" version (which is of a slightly thicker material). I love the quality and the fit of Uniqlo tees and I always stock up on these basics when i'm in the UK!

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  13. I tried on the puffed sleeved and dry versions but I prefer the really soft slouchy cotton tees. I find their cashmere sweaters are comparable to the more expensive brands but so much more reasonably priced.

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