Conoisseur's t-shirt a contradiction in Terms?

[scottish steve]

Hi all
I was out with a friend the other night and we went to my favourite clothing store- Uni Qlo. I know this brand is only faintly regarded on The Haberdashery and am not claiming it's anything it's not, but I've been wearing their "Dry" t-shirts for well over a year now and love the fact that they look as good now as the day I bought them and I never have to worry about overheating in them. On Sunday I went on a medium-fast (i.e. significantly faster than a MTB), 90 minute bike ride in 30 degrees celsius with 80% humidity and had no problems with them.
They are having a sort of celebration of their printed t-shirts and I bought 4- something I haven't done in nearly 30 years, but I wanted a change and their are well done with a massive range.
So I am wondering if there is such a thing as a very high quality t-shirt, made from very fine cotton or other material, which looks and feels expensive and will wear well over several to many years.

 

[little Big feather]

HANES...With lay-flat neck??

 

[scottish steve]

Surely we can do better than that chaps. I'd be surprised if they were better than UQ's.
My 25 year old friend only ever wears t-****s and he pays up to and over $100 each for them. I asked him his opinion of the UQ ones and he felt the nap and said "yeah" in an appreciative manner.

 

[Doc4]

When I hear the phrase "connoisseur's t-shirt" I start thinking "expensive t-shirt" ... and then "regular t-shirt with Dolce & Gabanna print or some such thing."



Of course, that's not what you are after ... you want the actual "good quality" stuff, not the "fashion" stuff.

I may sound like a broken record at times, but I have been pleased with the merino offerings from Ibex. Pricey, though.

 

[john parker]

Afraid I do view it as a contradiction in terms. To me a t-shirt is, essentially, underwear. A nice, cool cotton, indeed even Hanes, hidden beneath my shirt is all I look for. But then I am old!

 

[cluelessdude]

Unfortunately there is no Uniqlo here in Canada. There is however a place very close to me which sells American Apperal t-shirts for less. I get them at $15 each which isn't bad at all. Medium size fits me pretty well (not loose and not skin tight). $15 for made in USA shirts. I have them in white, grey, green, cranberry red, and royal blue.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Are you interested in t-shirts for fashion or for function? That's where the price differences start coming into play.

 

[scottish steve]

I'm looking for something which look and feels very high quality, with only a very discrete logo. I'm certainly not interested in paying lots of money for a std cotton t-shirt to which has been added a pathetic logo or "World Famous Since Last Wednesday".
Something which will breathe well and keep it's shape over a couple of years at least and make me look good, without making me look like I should be in a gay nightclub.

 

[rebos]

I believe that quality is what is being sought after here. I will be watching this thread. I think that such a t-shirt is harder to find than you may think. That uniqlo stuff is made in Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or some place, I think . . . and so quality-wise it may not be up to smaller run "pride"-oriented quality/durability-focused companies. That said, I don't know any such company that dabbles in t-shirts. I have some uniqlo shirts, and wouldn't call them "quality" shirts.

I looked to Filson --my go-to for quality, made-in-the-USA hunting gear -- only to find that their t's are imported from Bolivia or some place. It appears that most of the world's tee's are imported from big-time factory operations.

I'm inclined to think that some small-time quality-oriented military or hunting clothing company must be making decent t's. I'll keep an eye out.

 

[AABCDS]

Underarmour.

 

[mmack66]

So you want to go out in public with a t-shirt as your only shirt?

 

[scottish steve]

So you want to go out in public with a t-shirt as your only shirt?

You mean, like >50% of people do?
Er, yes.
It's not exactly revolutionary is it.


Rebos, I don't know if there's a differece between the std cotton shirts and the anniversary range, but I think the Anniversary range is pretty decent. I think it's a bit more expensive. Certainly the Dry material seems as good as anything from Nike etc, who are charging considerably more.

 

[Tim_McD]

So you want to go out in public with a t-shirt as your only shirt?

I *feel* the incredulous tone of this question, as if Scottish Steve stated that he was going out unshaven, too

 

[cluelessdude]

So you want to go out in public with a t-shirt as your only shirt?

Whats wrong with wearing a t-shirt in public?

@Steve: they have American Apperal in Europe. You should buy a tee from them...made in USA.

 

[smalltank]

Tommy Bahama..oh man...

When I hear the phrase "connoisseur's t-shirt" I start thinking "expensive t-shirt" ... and then "regular t-shirt with Dolce & Gabanna print or some such thing."



Of course, that's not what you are after ... you want the actual "good quality" stuff, not the "fashion" stuff.

I may sound like a broken record at times, but I have been pleased with the merino offerings from Ibex. Pricey, though.

 

[Stubblefield]

Honestly--the ones sold by Costco are damn decent. Just toss them after 6 months, or do what I do--give them to your girlfriend.


OTOH, the Ibex made T's are to die for.

 

[scottish steve]

This thread is exposing an amazing amount about the psyche of The Haberdashery- one poster shocked at wearing a t-shirt "in public" (????), one poster advising a Scot in China should look for an American brand represented in Europe and another stating that a "damned decent" t-shirt is one which needs to be thrown into the garbage after 6 months....or given to a woman.

What is going on here!

 

[cluelessdude]

This thread is exposing an amazing amount about the psyche of The Haberdashery- one poster shocked at wearing a t-shirt "in public" (????), one poster advising a Scot in China should look for an American brand represented in Europe and another stating that a "damned decent" t-shirt is one which needs to be thrown into the garbage after 6 months....or given to a woman.

What is going on here!

My apologies, I actually forgot you're in China. I did know that though, just slipped my mind ha!

Anyways, I checked and there is an American Appareal in Shanghai and Beijing. Not sure how far those would be for you though...

 

[rebos]

cluelessdude, I think those AA shirts are pretty flimsy, really. I think its cool that they are made in the US and everything, but I think the quality and consistency of that companies garments, IMHO, leaves much to be desired. The shirts are thin, tend to stretch out, and will not last in the long haul. I think a good quality t should last for a while. This is something most clothing companies are not focused on these days, blah blah . . . etc. etc.

steve, I can't speak on breathability and materials other than %100 cotton and 50/50 blends (those being the only variety of t that I own), but I will say
that Stansfield's make a "decent" t-shirt. I say decent, because they aren't anything extraordinary, yet they last me a good while, they are made in Canada, and they have a good consistent cut, in my experience with them. They offer this decent looking organic cotton shirt. I tend to try to buy non-sweatshop made clothing and often (I don't think many would argue with this . . . ) I think this coincides with better quality garments. Yeah, I think you may be after something different than I'm speaking about here, too. What are the materials that these uniqlo shirts are made of? Are they are the kinds of sportswear shirts made with strange-sounding fabrics?

My feelings about quality concern longevity, quality of fabric, quality of craftsmanship and everything, but again, these are not things that I find readily available in the t-shirt market today. People seem to want 'em cheap!

I'm wondering if army surplus stores would have quality t's.

What is the fabric blend for the uniqlo shirt that you are speaking of?

 

[rebos]

. . . or if you just want to out-spend your buddy, YSL makes $350 t-shirts.