Good A shirts

[LegionPrime]

Well one of my bosses decided I needed to get some "wife beaters" to wear so I'll "fit in". *LOL* I haven't worn anything like a suit in so long I don't have any left. I do remember the occasions when I bought Hanes or FotL type A shirts and they were utter garbage. They were all cut slightly slimmer than a tshirt with a little bit of ribbing for "stretch" and were stretched past the point of usability after wearing them maybe 2-3 times. They were also never long enough to stay tucked in for more than an hour or two at a time, and if you wanted to do anything like walk or move around? Forget it.
I used to have good ones that looked to be cut closer to a sock and if you held them up to your shoulder they'd hang down gettin on towards your kneecap. The thing is they stretched enough so that they'd hold themselves in place, were still long enough they wouldn't come untucked even with a dress shirt & suspenders and you throw them in the wash & they're like new and they lasted forever if you had enough of them in rotation. Unfortunately I did not have enough of them and I don't want to go around buying expensive undershirts to throw out. Does anyone know of any A shirts that would fit the bill? Even if they're a little expensive I don't mind, they're worth it ($20+ per is more than a little expensive for an undershirt as far as I'm concerned).

 

[Doc4]

... oh, GOOD 'a' shirt. Sorry.


(Seriously? Your boss is telling you what underwear to wear?? )

 

[LegionPrime]

Nah, we were out drinkin the other night. I kinda forget how we got on the subject but he tossed me a $20 and told me to go get some so I'd "fit in" *LOL* I'm an honest guy so I'm not going to just pocket it and I figure they're good to have on hand regardless. I still have some slacks, shirts, a tuxedo and I think maybe a suit in storage so It'll be good to have some on hand. I just don't know where to find good ones I'll actually wear.

 

[slugg77]

A lot of my co workers wear them, they seem to agree that Joe Boxer is a good brand. I am way to large to wear a "wife beater" so I have no direct input.

 

[DaveNJ74]

I bought a pack of 5 from Macys, Jockey brand and was about $18.

 

[cb91710]

Trying to understand these.
My father used to wear them and I never understood them.

If the object is to protect the outer shirt from sweat stains, while wicking sweat away from the body, a full "T" undershirt does the job much better.

I can understand certain physical features and body hair showing through white dress shirts, and yes, an "A" shirt would cover that... but given the above, why not a T shirt?

 

[sgtbash999]

What's an "A shirt"? Is this a US thing? When I hear the term Wife Beater I think of 2 things:

1. Stella Artois
2. A Vest

Any of these vaguely close? lol

 

[LegionPrime]

Thanks, I'll take a look at the Jockey & Joe Boxers.
sgtbash, here's James Bond wearing an A shirt (with a beer(and a gun))

Don't worry cb91710, no one's asking you to wear any.

 

[The Knize]

What's an "A shirt"? Is this a US thing? When I hear the term Wife Beater I think of 2 things:

1. Stella Artois
2. A Vest

Any of these vaguely close? lol

First, let's not use the "wb" term. It is rather unseemly and can be seen as making light of a societal problem that is no laughing matter, as I am sure all would agree. I am not going to edit it from this thread right now, but it may get edited, as inconsistent with B&B standards. This is not a point for discussion. I am letting everyone know about B&B policy.

Okay, on to substance:

An A shirt is what the British call a "vest." "Tank top" would probably be another thing they are called. Muscle shirt is a similar if not exactly the same concept.

http://ribbedtee.com/ is not cheap, but their goods are said to be very high quality and they made their stuff in the US. I have not tried them, but keep intending to order some.

I find them much more comfortable than a tee shirt. Absolutely traditional, and as far as I know correct, gentleman's under garment. Some do not like that the straps can show through most dress shirts. I do not know whether that should bother me or not. With a suit jacket on, the straps certainly do not show, and we all know that a gentleman does not remove his suit coat, right? <g>

I wear an undershirt mostly for three reasons: 1) so that body hair and other body stuff does not show through a dress shirt; 2) to get the shirt a nice white background rather than something darker; and 3) because a dress shirt worn in a business context, unless it is very thick, looks unfinished, even gauche, without some kind of undershirt. An A shirt does all of these things for me. I never wear a dress shirt more than one day before it is laundered, so I am not trying to keep it clean. I do not seem to have big problems with sweaty armpits soaking through. If I had to walk around outside in the summer a lot, I can see that being a problem and an argument for a full tee shirt.

Anyway, a full tee shirt just seems like a whole lot of extra fabric around the shoulders that does not much for me and is annoying. I am sure it is easy enough to get used to. I agree that a full tee has something of a more finished look if the straps of an A shirt show through.

 

[urr-lord]

A-shirt aka tank top.I wear them under my uniform,because polyester sucketh esp in Ga heat.They are useful in the sweat wicking category and also allow a bit more freedom of movement.They don't have to be skin tight either.Fruit of the Loom are good and are available in Tall sizes.I wear a 3xlt it's not skin tight but keeps the polyester from chafing,absorbs sweat but is loose enough to allow a bit of airflow.In the winter they are a good layering garment.I think my current stock is over a year old and holding up well,so the FOL product is durable.

 

[mmack66]

What sort of a job do you have that the wearing that particular style of undershirt would make you fit in more?

 

[The Knize]

What sort of a job do you have that the wearing that particular style of undershirt would make you fit in more?

Good question! I am curious, too. Actually, the reference to an "A" shirt seemed more sophisticated that many work places!

Re popularity of the A undershirt, I found this on one website: "

it [has] spread through out the world as the most popular undershirt for most men." This was a reference to recent years, not some time in the past.

I on line searched photos of Brando in "Street Car Named Desire" to see what he wore. Interestingly, he wore both T and A shirts in the course of the film, wearing an A shirt, for instance, when he was "attacking" Blanche. He wore each in white and what looks like gray to me, although one "colorized" version had an A shirt in orange of all colors. Maybe one in blue, too. Must of the tees were standard round necks but there may have been at least one with a V neck. Overall though, it appears that is SND is accurate, at least in the late 40s early 50s T shirts rather than A shirts were the most popular undershirts among the New Orleans working class.

I wonder if there any problems with continuity in film a to Brando's shirt. I did not see any references to any on-line and there were references to some very slight things.
​

 

[dpm802]

Take your boss' $20, go buy a pack of Hanes A-shirts, and dye them pink or tie-dye or zebra-stripes or leapord spots ... and WEAR THEM to work. See how he likes you "fitting in."

 

[Coda_]

I had a problem with mine getting stretched out, so I started drying them in the dryer...it kinda resets them. Usually I would hang them on the line, thinking that the sun would help keep them white, but then, thats what bleach is for...

 

[dpm802]

I've got a pair of Reliance brand A-shirts that I've had for 20 years or more. I really like them. They have stood up well over the years, they are long enough to stay tucked in, and they still fit snugly when they are freshly washed.

I've never seen this brand for sale anywhere, but if I could find them again, I'd like to get a few more items from this company.

 

[LegionPrime]

First, let's not use the "wb" term. It is rather unseemly and can be seen as making light of a societal problem that is no laughing matter, as I am sure all would agree. I am not going to edit it from this thread right now, but it may get edited, as inconsistent with B&B standards. This is not a point for discussion. I am letting everyone know about B&B policy.

I apologize, I did not intend to violate any rules. It was a direct quote and I did intend in my first post to show that it wasn't a term that I would use.

http://ribbedtee.com/ is not cheap, but their goods are said to be very high quality and they made their stuff in the US. I have not tried them, but keep intending to order some.

I find them much more comfortable than a tee shirt. Absolutely traditional, and as far as I know correct, gentleman's under garment. Some do not like that the straps can show through most dress shirts. I do not know whether that should bother me or not. With a suit jacket on, the straps certainly do not show, and we all know that a gentleman does not remove his suit coat, right? <g>

I wear an undershirt mostly for three reasons: 1) so that body hair and other body stuff does not show through a dress shirt; 2) to get the shirt a nice white background rather than something darker; and 3) because a dress shirt worn in a business context, unless it is very thick, looks unfinished, even gauche, without some kind of undershirt. An A shirt does all of these things for me. I never wear a dress shirt more than one day before it is laundered, so I am not trying to keep it clean. I do not seem to have big problems with sweaty armpits soaking through. If I had to walk around outside in the summer a lot, I can see that being a problem and an argument for a full tee shirt.

Anyway, a full tee shirt just seems like a whole lot of extra fabric around the shoulders that does not much for me and is annoying. I am sure it is easy enough to get used to. I agree that a full tee has something of a more finished look if the straps of an A shirt show through.

Thank you, I will check that site out for sure. I am not one for layers unless I am at risk of hypothermia. A shirts are the only style of shirt I can stand wearing underneath others because I hate the sleeves getting twisted and bunched up underneath another shirt. This is also the reason I like the ones with a lot of stretch, they stretch out and hold themselves in place, both from riding up and from shifting or twisting.
ETA: I just checked that site out. While their Micromodal tank top looks to be almost exactly what I'm looking for $25 a pop does seem a bit excessive. I may still though try their 2 pack of their Genesis tank tops and toss in a Micromodal. If they are as good as you say it may be worth the $60ish. Thank you for the suggestion! DPM802, I tried looking up Reliance and Google just wasn't much help. I will be sure to keep the brand name in mind though.

What sort of a job do you have that the wearing that particular style of undershirt would make you fit in more?

I don't actually, I pretty much run my store without much direction besides getting the occasional order approved. This was while I was out drinking with one of my bosses and I was the only one without an A shirt under my tshirt. I don't actually HAVE to buy or wear any, but it's my bosses $20 and like I said not only am I honest but they are good to have around just on general principle. I do prefer wearing something under my dress shirts and you never know when the occasion to wear one may come up.

Take your boss' $20, go buy a pack of Hanes A-shirts, and dye them pink or tie-dye or zebra-stripes or leapord spots ... and WEAR THEM to work. See how he likes you "fitting in."

aHahahahaha! That's GREAT! I may actually do this to one just to see him get all upset! LMAO!

 

[cb91710]

http://ribbedtee.com/ is not cheap, but their goods are said to be very high quality and they made their stuff in the US. I have not tried them, but keep intending to order some.

Thanks!

Not cheap for the A shirts, or the cotton/poly blends (and I hate poly and simply can not wear rayon), but $18.50 for a 2-pack of the standard V-neck isn't bad.

 

[The Knize]

I apologize, I did not intend to violate any rules. It was a direct quote and I did intend in my first post to show that it wasn't a term that I would use.



Thank you, I will check that site out for sure. I am not one for layers unless I am at risk of hypothermia. A shirts are the only style of shirt I can stand wearing underneath others because I hate the sleeves getting twisted and bunched up underneath another shirt. This is also the reason I like the ones with a lot of stretch, they stretch out and hold themselves in place, both from riding up and from shifting or twisting.
ETA: I just checked that site out. While their Micromodal tank top looks to be almost exactly what I'm looking for $25 a pop does seem a bit excessive. I may still though try their 2 pack of their Genesis tank tops and toss in a Micromodal. If they are as good as you say it may be worth the $60ish. Thank you for the suggestion! DPM802, I tried looking up Reliance and Google just wasn't much help. I will be sure to keep the brand name in mind though.



I don't actually, I pretty much run my store without much direction besides getting the occasional order approved. This was while I was out drinking with one of my bosses and I was the only one without an A shirt under my tshirt. I don't actually HAVE to buy or wear any, but it's my bosses $20 and like I said not only am I honest but they are good to have around just on general principle. I do prefer wearing something under my dress shirts and you never know when the occasion to wear one may come up.



aHahahahaha! That's GREAT! I may actually do this to one just to see him get all upset! LMAO!

<I apologize, I did not intend to violate any rules. It was a direct quote and I did intend in my first post to show that it wasn't a term that I would use.>

Sorry if I sounded a little harsh or shaming! I did not intend to direct that specifically to you! The term just seemed to be starting to be used in multiple places the thread, and I wanted to let folks know B&B's thoughts on it, and give some warning so folks did not get too upset if their posts were slightly edited. I really appreciate the understanding shown in your response. Makes being a moderator gratifying!

Again, I have not actually tried ribbed tees products, just read good things. I agree completely re comfort!

 

[Gamad]

Nothing like a Russian "telnyashka" - the symbol of the Russian paratroopers. You can get it in some military surplus store. Your boss will be happy, and if not, you could punch him and say: "don't ever mess with a parabat".

 

[LegionPrime]

No sweat Knize, I really appreciate the great resource you guys provide all of us. Gamad, I will be sure to keep an eye out for them if I ever come across a decent Army/Navy store (the ONE in Philly is pretty sad).
The AC at work was down for pretty much all of the entire heatwave last week, but I did find some Starter Ashirts at Walmart of all places. Their boxer briefs aren't bad so I figured for the price I'd give these a shot. So far they seem to have the long narrow style I prefer and seem to stay in place ok. I'll be wearing them off and on the next week or two. If I like them, then great I've found a cheap local source. If not I'll be sending them off to the charity ribbedtee.com is sponsoring for 50% off at ribbed tee. Win win if you ask me so long as one of the shirts works out.