The Tee was birthed in the late 19th century when American miners and stevedores cut their jumpsuits into separate top and bottom garments to cope with the summer heat. By 1913, it became a standard issue in the Navy’s uniform as undergarment. To be worn under a uniform, the crew-necked, short-sleeved, white cotton undershirt has become the classic style for T-shirts today.
After Marlon Brando wore one in A Streetcar Named Desire, the Tee finally achieved its status as fashionable, stand-alone, outerwear garment. By the 1980’s, it had become a classic item in the French wardrobe. In French Chic, Susan Sommers advised to opt for “a man’s cotton T-shirt with a crew neck and short sleeves – the kind you can buy in the five-and-ten, by Fruit of the Loom or Hanes, packed three for eight dollars is the French ideal.”
To style my Tee, I usually like to fold the sleeves up toward the shoulder, the way it is effortlessly styled in photographs. But to have the sleeves stay folded does not seem so effortless; they always unravel within minutes. I find the easiest way to remedy this is ruching, which is to gather the sleeves into pleats and sew them into place.
To give curve appeal to the body, the French tuck, which is to tuck only the front of your shirt, does the trick. Ruching at the shirt’s bottom to the side is another simple alternative. Then for the sleeves, I had the them cut and lined at the shoulder seams instead.
Susan also advised to wear your Tee with a suit for that contradiction between the casual and business look. A simple white Tee can take the starch out of a sober business suit. Or truly, wear it however you like; it looks good with everything.
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