Tie Dye T-Shirts
James Dean made wearing a plain white t shirt cool. Not everyone can.
T shirts started as underwear, then became workman's wear, then casual wear. Now it's a style.
T-shirts have outlasted most fashion trends. It’s the only piece of clothing you can wear to the gym, on a date, with a suit.
You can buy them like commodities, but you only replace the ones you love when it's clear you must. So what defines your favorite t shirt?
Perfect T-Shirts
Based on its roots as a work shirt, the most popular t shirts are low cost 100% cotton and tough.
- Best Combo: After much testing Gildan Hammer T-shirts are our new standard. They're 100% Ring Spun cotton with a finished look and they're tough enough.
- 100% Tough: Our standard T-shirts were Gildan Heavy Cotton for years. They're low cost and tough, but don't have a finished look.
- 100% Ring Spun: We briefly tried Gildan Softstyle and Bella Canvas T-shirts to offer Ring Spun cotton with a finished look, but they weren't tough enough.
Cotton blends are good, but we generally like to use 100% cotton shirts. We use cotton blends in sweatshirts and hoodies..
Perfect T Shirt Fit
You can make a statement with the T-shirt fit you choose. There are three basic types. Our new Gildan Hammer standard provides a Modern-classic fit.
- Classic fit: The body of a Classic fit t shirt is a one piece fabric tube that provides a comfortable fit
- Modern-classic fit: The body of a Modern-classic fit t shirt is a one piece fabric tube that provides a slightly tapered look and fit.
- Retail Fit: The body of a Retail fit t shirt is two pieces of fabric sown together to create a tapered look and a close fit.
Neck Type
The crew neck is the classic look. Crew necks create the illusion of squared shoulders and proportions. I say stick with the classic, but a V neck offers advantages.
V-necks naturally elongate your neck, which creates the illusion of height or a slimming effect, depending on your height.
Glossary of terms
Double-Needle Stitching: Double-Needle Stitching means two rows of stitching instead of one. This adds durability to the seams and gives a more polished look.
Jersey Knit: A Jersey Knit is a single knit fabric that’s elastic and drapes well. It's typically made of 100% cotton, or a poly cotton blend. Jersey knit fabric is soft and flexible and is the best choice for comfortable clothes.
Pre-shrunk: Pre-shrunk means the fabric is washed and dried prior to being cut. This minimizes fabric shrinkage after it's cut and sewn.
Quarter-turned: The body of a Classic fit t shirt is a fabric tube. Quarter-turned means the tube is turned one-quarter before it's cut to cancel out the natural fabric twist. This prevents a Classic fit t shirt from hanging funny.
Seamless collar: A Seamless collar is knit as one piece and doesn't have a joining seam.
Taped neck and shoulders: Taped neck and shoulders means a thin fabric is sewn over the neck and shoulder seams. This covers the seams like tape to provide a soft feel and a clean look.
