This post is for Carrie, who asked me a couple of weeks ago in a comment what my favorite white/ivory tee shirts are. The answer, in typical shopping lover fashion, is that I don’t have a favorite tee shirt but rather many favorites! This post is devoted to them, and why I love each.
Take the Caslon® Relaxed Slub Knit U-Neck Tee ($25, above). It comes in many color options which is important to me because when I find a tee I like I tend to pick it up in at least 2 colors. It’s soft and long (I loooove long tees), with a deep u-neck that never stimulates my gag reflex the way crewnecks can. And it’s perfect for the weekend with its thin heathery material, perfect for pairing with a lacy bra you can see through the tee.
Inside, more of my favorite white tees, from stark white to softest ivory…
When it comes to tee shirts, my qualifications for each purpose are different. Across all purposes I want a tee shirt that is first and foremost soft. (No scratchy tees for me!) Then I want either a deep crewneck or a v-neck. From there, my needs change depending on a tee’s use. For a layering tee, I want it to hit below my hips. A by-itself tee should have a pocket and hit at a flattering place on my hips. Cropped tees are good for high-waisted shorts or skirts, and white tanks are a staple come summer.
One tee I absolutely love is Madewell’s ‘Whisper’ Cotton V-Neck Pocket Tee ($20, above). It has the perfect size pocket and is the ideal casual length for me. The thick neckline does well to balance to my chest and the v-neck shows just a hint of cleavage without being over the top.
Ivory tees are very hard to find right now as optic white is having a moment, but I do love and recommend the Halogen® Curved Hem Tee (now $24) which is on sale at Nordstrom. This tee is very, very soft and though it does have a split hem the top is long enough that the hem is flattering rather than funky and hard to work with. I like to wear mine over leggings to go out or my pajama shorts at home. The wide neck is pleasant for broad shoulders like mine — it looks great with a big necklace if you want to dress it up!
Believe it or not, Gap of all places also has some fantastic tees! It’s no secret that Gap’s quality had fallen off a cliff for the last several years but with some basics (what they used to be known for!) the quality appears to be returning.
A few of my favorite tees from the Gap family are the Embroidered Long Sleeve Swing Top ($35) which is thin but lovely on, the First-Layer Fitted Tank for Women (now $4-$7) — my favorite layering tank, the Fitted 2-Way Layering Tank for Women (now $5-$8) which can be a scoop or v-neck depending on which way you face it, the Fitted V-Neck Tee for Women (now $7) which has a spectacular body-skimming fit but is prone to sweat stains (at that price point I hardly care), the Signature Linen Scoop Tee ($37) which is lightweight and great with skirts or chinos, and the Vintage Wash V-Neck Tee ($25, above) which is probably my favorite of them all!
Although it has a small pocket, this tee somehow looks so damn good with jeans! I can’t really explain why…it’s some combination of being the right cut, the right length, and the right shade of white to look great with denim. I love mine, and I bought another one as a backup because I tend to go through white shirts really quickly.
Those are my favorite white tee shirts. Anthropologie’s Lace-Line Tee (now $40) is my favorite white long-sleeve tee, but the white is currently sold out online. What are some of your favorites?
Love love B.P boyfriend tees. I bought like 8 of them last month in all three colors. My husband thinks I am nuts. 🙂
Author
Thank you for the recommendation!!
I hate T shirts with pockets. Do you have any non-pocketed favorites?
Author
Yes the Old Navy Fitted V-Neck Tee which I see I forget to link, d'oh! Will fix. There are several no-pocket tees linked in this post.
A white tee is exactly what I need after receiving the Fleurs de la Terre necklace in the mail this morning. Thanks again Nam!
It's a gorgeous piece and a lot larger than it appears in photos. I'll need a snag-proof top that won't compete with it and this would be great. I think Madewell is running a sale on everything that's Whisper Cotton so if this is Roxy approved 😉 I'll pop into the store this afternoon and take a look.
I like Splendid tees; they have the softest material. This one is my favorite right now:
http://bit.ly/2iYsCfv
(Roxy, feel free to swap the link).
It’s $50, which is more than I like to pay for a tee, but it goes on promo occasionally and I find the half sleeves and open neckline really flattering. It’s form-fitting but not skintight, and not too thin/sheer.
Any white tee recommendations for a NON-see through option??
Author
Yes I linked to multiple solid tees! The Gap Vintage Wash and Halogen Curved Hem are among them. ??
Yes try Lands End. I hate anything white that's see through. I have their relaxed v-neck and it's soft, great shape and cut long enough, excellent 100% cotton and a nude bra will not show underneath. I have an xs, I'm 5'4″ 32dd.
Author
Thank you for the recommendation! I will swap the link tonite.
I love white tees!
A few of my favorites include:
American Apparel V-Neck (not see-through)
Z-Supply V-Neck (Super soft, sort of low, and slightly sheer)
I hear amazing things about Current Elliott tees, but they are a little more than I'd like to spend. Now, I do love their simple muscle tees and buy them when on sale.
I just bought Anthropologie's Sunday Morning Tunic in white. I thought it would be sheer, but I can actually wear it with just a nude bra. I LOVE it!!!
I'm still reading everyone's recommendations as I am always buying a new white tee.
Author
Great picks! It's funny because I love cotton but I hate cotton white tees. Unless it's pima. Mostly I like slub and modal materials, with some cotton mixed in.
New markdowns are showing.
Ha ha. Thanks!
Thank you for doing this Roxy!!! I'm off to find my perfect tee! 🙂
Author
You're welcome! Sorry it took so long.
I forgot to mention one of my favorite layering pieces. Oddly enough, I love Target's Liz Lange Maternity Tanks. I had them from when I was pregnant and I still wear them (many, many years later). They hold their shape and are perfect for layering under sweaters, tops, or wearing alone in hotter temps. I bought my a size small (I am between a small/medium) and I wear them all the time (gray, black, white).
I love the Splendid ones as well. Great quality.