STYLISH TO A T-SHIRT
ONCE upon a time I was booked as a personal shopper by a client who wanted new T-shirts, seems a little dramatic, perhaps?
It’s true that most clients were focused on buying an outfit for a special occasion, such as a wedding or a far flung holiday, but lots of people also used the opportunity to shop with me to be very practical and fill their wardrobes with useful clothes.
Some chose a new work wardrobe which, when you think about the number of days most people spend in work vs in our civilian garb, is a very sensible option, particularly if you are a busy professional.
I said T-shirts, but what she actually asked for was basics, essentials, that would plug the gaps in her existing wardrobe making it easy to layer, dress up, dress down and generally make her special pieces more wearable.
I initially, and somewhat naively, thought this would be the easiest job of my career so far – find some decent T-shirts, choose a palette of tasteful neutrals, double up, job done? Not quite.
The specifications were the fit had to be flattering, the fabrics had to be natural (breathable), nothing too short in the length, but also nothing too long, no cap sleeves, no racer-backs and definitely no logos. This was in the days before Cos and Arket blessed our high street with their fantastic jersey, so the “value” choices were limited. Now both those brands would be a high street go-to for T-shirts. I narrowed down my search to the following, and to this day they are all still favourites.
American Vintage (best neutral palette on the market), Madewell (best price point above high street) and Rag & Bone (prices still make me wince but the shapes are perfect).
Since then Uniqlo is a firm favourite for the all things basic; Sunspel if you’re all about the soft to the touch T-shirts, and new to the list ,is Reserved.com who sell organic cotton T-shirts for £20. There you have it, T-shirts in a nutshell.