Fit to a Tee!

One of the best ways to dress down but still look good is to wear a plain tee shirt. A tee looks great under a suit, with jeans, with a sequin skirt, under sleeveless dresses and with capri pants and shorts.  However, I have found tee shirts being sold in most stores are not the tee shirts of yore.

In my quest for a plain white tee that took six months, I discovered the following:

• The newest style is very lightweight and sheer. Too sheer for my preference. Heck, you could see freckles, moles and more than I care to display! When I mentioned it to a sales clerk at Old Navy, she told me that they are designed that way so you can layer them. Layer them! Are you kidding me? I live in Florida AND hot flashes are still an issue, so layering my shirts only means I'm encased in too much fabric and it's just one more piece of sweaty attire I have to quickly strip off.
• Many of the shirts have cap sleeves. Don't you find cap sleeves to be how you can tell the difference between a youngster and a woman?  Those caps hit at the wrong part of the arm, especially one that has a few wrinkles, age spots or flab. I don't dress to point out my flaws.
• Too many of them have messages or cartoon pictures on them. Tourists and children can wear those (I love my "I Heart NY" shirt). However, one or two that are special to you are more than enough to own.
• Several have pockets over our "hearts" -- okay, I'll say it...that sit right on top of our boobs. I don't want more fabric there nor do I want to bring attention there, so those are not on my purchase list.

Happily I found a retailer who sells the perfect tee shirts for "women of a certain age" -- Chadwick's of Boston.  I ordered two white ones and couldn't be happier.  They fit perfectly, they're the best cotton blend (made in India) that breathes, are substantial but lightweight and the sleeves hit right where my bicep muscle shows. I look strong and fit - I love that!

They are $19.99 but if you buy two, you get them for $16.99 each. Slip on a blazer and you're dressy enough to go to the theater or work. Wear one with a cardigan and you look stylish and comfy. Or wear it with a skirt and sandals and you're the chic woman of style.

I probably should mention that a tee shirt bra underneath is a good idea (you don't want people to know when you're "cold"!). 

Tee shirts can be a valuable staple of your wardrobe -- as Giorgio Armani stated,
I've always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet.  See, even Armani concurs.

Please let me know if you find great fitting tee shirts out "there" - I'll pass that on. Till next Sunday...

Stylistically yours,


Sooz