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5 Favorites: T-Shirts

Thanks to a reader suggestion on yesterday’s post, I’m going to start a new series called 5 Favorites. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share my 5 favorite clothing items from various categories. (Thanks, Colleen, for the idea!)

I thought I’d start with t-shirts because that’s a wardrobe basic that you need all year round, and it’s hard to find good t-shirts. It seems like they tend to be too long, too thin, or too something, but I do have a few favorites that I go back to again and again.

My 5 Favorite T-Shirts

#1. Caslon Rounded V-Neck // This is probably the one I go for most often although I wish it didn’t have the boob pocket, lol. It’s fine when worn alone, but I usually layer it under a cardigan or jacket and I feel like the pocket is distracting. It is thin, but I don’t wear a cami underneath. That’s a personal preference, though.

If you’re in between sizes, you can size down in this one; I wear a small. It’s long enough that I have to do a front tuck but not so long that it gets in the way. It has just enough shape to it to be flattering, but it isn’t clingy. The rounded v-neck is flattering but not so low that it’s immodest. This is really a great tee!

I have it in the white, black, beige rainy day. I wear the beige a lot in the fall and winter, and I just ordered the light pink. (See more of it in this post.)

#2. TSF Perfect White Tee* // My friend Carly created these tees, and they are fantastic. They’re a little pricier than some, but they’re made right here in the USA and a portion of the proceeds go to benefit a local hospital. Plus I just like supporting mom-owned businesses.

This tee is a little more fitted than the Caslon one, and it has a flattering v-neck. It’s also long enough to front tuck, but you don’t have to. I like that it has no pockets and a straight hemline. It looks great under cardigans and fitted blazers. The material is thin but not see-through, and it has a nice texture to it. I wear a medium in this one, and I also have it in the black. (See more of it in this post.)

*Use code Jolynne10 for 10 percent OFF your order!

#3. Tapered Tees // Tapered Collection is another mom-owned business that I have recently discovered. These tees are thicker than the two I mention above, and they have a unique tapered fit that is designed to flatter a woman’s body. I also appreciate the lack of boob pocket. These have a bit of a dressier look, which is nice for when you want to look a little more, well, dressed up! I wear a medium in these. (See more of it in this post.)

Starting today, Tapered Collection is having a Friends & Family 20% off event, and they’re going to be opening pre-orders for the Tapered Tee and Tapered V-Neck styles that will ship August 29th.

#4. Twist Front Tee // This is a fun twist on a basic tee (quite literally!) I don’t love the neckline on this but I’m willing to overlook it for the fun twist front detail. It offers a nice shape, and there’s nothing to fuss with — the twist detail is sewn in and stays put. I have a medium in this. I wanted to be able to wash it and dry it so I don’t have to iron it, and that has worked out well as long as I remove it from the dryer immediately. (See me wearing the raspberry color in this post.)

#5. Paige Linnea Tee // This one is more spendy than the rest, but you can sometimes find them on sale. It’s such nice material and so versatile. I bought my navy and white stripe one at the #NSale last year, and I’ve worn it a ton. It’s cute worn alone, just thrown on with jeans or shorts, and it also makes a nice layering piece. It has a slightly curved hemline, but it’s not too much, and it’s a great length — does not require tucking, although I guess I did tuck in this picture. I know I wear this tee at least once a week so I don’t know why I can’t find more pictures of it! I’m wearing it in this post layered under a utility jacket and in this post with a denim skirt.

And there you have it! My 5 favorite t-shirts.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing my 5 favorite jeans, shorts, sandals, boots, and handbags… and if you have any other requests, let me know!

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50 Responses

  1. I like this series idea! Thanks for showing different ways to style a plain white tee as well! I am surprised you didn’t include the Loft vintage soft tees! I find them to be just as nice as the Caslon brand and I think they even last a little longer 🙂

  2. I like this series idea. I’d like to suggest Talbots as a source for basic tees. They offer at least two neckline and two sleeve length choices each season, there are always a ton of colors offered, the catalog and website are updated monthly I believe, and Talbots often has sales that include tees. But the number one reason I keep shopping at Talbots is that they offer nearly everything in petites. (Also women’s) I am short and you would not believe the difference a few inches in height makes. I once ordered a v-neck tee that looked so cute on you, Jo-Lynn. I don’t remember the store-petites sizing was not offered, but I really loved the tee so I took a chance on regular small. When I tried it on, that v-neck dipped all the way to the bottom of my bra!

    1. I don’t have any 3/4 but I do have a couple of long sleeved ones for winter. I forgot about those! I like the White House Black Market layering tees for long sleeve, but I often wear short sleeve tees in the winter under cardigans.

    2. I don’t have any 3/4 but I do have a couple of long sleeved ones for winter. I forgot about those! I like the White House Black Market layering tees for long sleeve, but I often wear short sleeve tees in the winter under cardigans.

  3. Also what about doing some post on mixing colors properly. I mean for instance, I have an adorable pair of olive colored skinny pants but I struggle with colors to wear with it OR I have a lovely tunic top that is orange and white (animal print pattern although I know of NO animals that are this colored orange – ha ha) but I struggle with needing to wear only white closely fitted pants/leggings with it but I’m sure there are other options…..get what I’m asking???

  4. Thank you for this post, and thanks to the reader that suggested it to you! Love this type of series, including your reviews, and candid opinions. For tee shirts, the transparency, shape and other features that you highlight are important. Thank you!

  5. Wonderful idea!! Can’t wait to see the other fav’s! Amazing how many different styles of t’s there are. I like the longer short sleeve, a bit heavier fabric & since I’m long waisted, a longer length, but I’m only 5’4″! I finally ended up with Lands End, as their large tall fits perfect. Who knew I could wear a tall! A lot of white T’s are all cotton & tend to shrink up some, which is why I think I’ve gone through a lot of different brands. My other favorite light weight t came from Sam’s Club of all places! It’s the Eddie Bauer brand, made with some polyester in it, nice & soft, length is good & no shrinkage!

  6. What a great post suggestion! Since I don’t have a Nordstrom card, this weekend I will order a couple of the Caslon tees to replace some oldies in my closet that I find myself leaving on the hangars. I’m shocked that you are not taking Fall clothes to the beach to take pictures. Not!! Fitting room or bedroom pictures will work just fine for me.

    Have a blessed day!

  7. Useful post!

    Mirror selfies are fine with me. I love the shopping ones that you take from the dressing room. Beautiful photos are nice, but your blog is my favorite because of the written content.

  8. Hi, I love all the t-shirts. I need some advice. I want to get the Tory Burch miller sandal to wear mostly to work. I am undecided which color to get the black leather or the makeup color. I am a teacher and I usually wear skirts or pants to work. I start teaching early August and I wanted a comfortable stylist shoe this year. I have had my eye on these sandals forever:). Please advise about which color would be best. Thanks so much and I love your blog!

    1. Hey Karen. Definitely makeup! A skin color shoe is always more versatile than black. It will go with literally everything AND it will elongate the line of the leg and make you look longer and leaner. The black are pretty and I’ve debated ordering a pair, but I find that I don’t wear my other black sandals very often. Anything that black will go with, makeup will go with, but the black will be too heavy for some outfits. I hope that helps!

    2. I rarely wear my black shoes. I would say the make-up for sure. I wear my color sandal/shoes that color with everything.

  9. Great idea!! Can’t wait to see your choices. Thanks Coleen!!

    I have purchased the twist front from Nordstrom and agree about the neck line. It doesn’t seem to have enough heft to it so it lays funky. Like you, I’m overlooking it because it’s simple dressing and cute! I’ve also purchased a white tee from Tapered collection. Love the weight of this tee. I see wearing it clear into fall (Indian Summer) as it is a substantial weight.

    Thanks Jolynne for all your reviews!! You’re the best!

  10. Hi, I love all the t-shirts. I need some advice. I want to get the Tory Burch miller sandal to wear mostly to work. I am undecided which color to get the black leather or the makeup color. I am a teacher and I usually wear skirts or pants to work. I start teaching early August and I wanted a comfortable stylist shoe this year. I have had my eye on these sandals forever:). Please advise about which color would be best. Thanks so much and I love your blog!

  11. I am excited about this series! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with tees. It really is hard to find a good tee. I have sent 3 – 4 back this summer already in search of the right fit, fabric, etc. I am anxious to try a few of the ones from your post!

  12. I love this idea for a post! It’s sometimes overwhelming to make smart choices with the amount of options there are out there! I bought a couple of the Caslon tshirts in the sale and can’t wait to give them a try! I’m looking forward to seeing more of your favorites!

  13. Great idea for a series! LOVE IT. And sidebar: I am not a fan of the boob pocket, either! In fact, I boycott tees that have one. Yes, I feel that strongly about it. 🙂

  14. I can’t wait to see what else you’re picking up at Nordstrom! I definitely answered Nordstrom’s bootie call – I ordered four pairs of booties over the weekend and picked up a fifth in-store yesterday. I have a suggestion for a post idea, something I enjoyed when StyleWatch magazine used to do it. Style one piece of clothing three different ways for three different occasions, like “running errands”, “lunch with friends”, “date night”. Especially with higher priced items, this is a good way to show how to incorporate it into your wardrobe in multiple ways. .

  15. I love Kim’s idea about how to style an item 3 different ways. I’m trying to make my wardrobe more versatile since I find myself wearing favorite items over and over. I’m not quite ready just to commit to a capsule wardrobe but I love your blog for the real content you provide and the outfit options you present.

  16. Thanks for the tip on other T-shirts. I love the Halogen ones, soft, no pocket, v neck, and straight hem. I also found some from Loft it is their vintage t shirt that is straight hem with side slits it is a little thin but as a layering piece works for me and I got them for only $12.95 on sale.

    Get some more pool side time you deserve it!

  17. Hi,
    I love this post idea.
    Just wanted to put out there that I have 4 of the Caslon shirts and 2 of them have holes in them! They are thin and I’ve only had them a year so I’m not sure what happened. Anyone else have this problem?

    1. Mine don’t but that has happened to me with other similarly thin t-shirts before. Are they all around where your pants fasten? I thought it was because I was always pulling on my shirt in that area, making sure it wasn’t stuck in my pants or clinging to my muffin top (lol) and generally fixing it to lay right, but I haven’t had it happen lately. I’ve had my Caslon shirts for at least a year.

      1. This has been happening to me for years.! It’s so frustrating! I thought it was from wearing a belt but then I stopped wearing a belt and it was still happening. I think I have finally figured it out. I think it’s from where the car seatbelt rubs the t shirt against where my pants fasten. So I am trying to remember to move my shirts out from under my seatbelt in the car. Hopefully that will help!

  18. Thank you so much for this post. I pretty much live in t-shirts and seem to always be looking for the perfect white t. Thanks for doing the research for me!

  19. Great post! I’m awaiting the Tapered Tee in navy and one in white after you styled them earlier.. They were out of stock for awhile. Hoping they arrive before we leave on vacation! Thank you for this blog, I learn so much from you, bless you!

  20. Love this idea of the 5’s! Would you consider doing a post on the different brands/styles of white long sleeve button down shirts for the fall and different ways to style them? Love your blog!!! Thanks!

  21. Love this series idea Jolynne! So glad someone suggested it, can’t wait to see the rest of the posts! I have an idea for another series! One of the readers in the comments above mentioned being stumped on what to wear her olive pants with. I feel like we all have that one item in our closet that we have no clue how to style! Then no matter how cute it is, it just hangs in the closet. What about a “fashion dilemma” post? You could have readers submit descriptions (or even pictures) of items they’re stumped on how to style, and you could give suggestions. It might not be something you want to do as an ongoing series but just once or twice a season?

  22. Thanks for this! I’m always on the hunt for a good white tee. It’s hard to find them thick enough that they don’t show through! I will definitely be checking these out!

    xoxo-S

  23. Is is just me or have you found t-shirt quality to be declining? This season I purchased a dozen+ knit items like t-shirts, tanks and casual knit dresses. I washed a bunch last weekend on cold water low cycle and almost all shrank significantly. Brands varied from Gap and Banana Republic to Paige to no name brands. I’ve never had that problem before. Usually with proper laundering my t-shirts and other clothing come out just fine. This year I discovered TJMaxx in a big way, so I’m wondering if I unknowingly purchased defective merchandise. I’m so disappointed I’m on the verge of swearing off discount stores altogether. I may have to spend more at Nordstrom, but they do stand behind their merchandise. I was especially surprised that the Banana Republic signature tees shrank. They’ve been my go-to tee for many years. Just trying to assess which brands to avoid and which brands I can still trust. OR then again maybe it’s just me. Thanks for the post JoLynne!

  24. I love the Caslon t’s but also JCrew has a nice selection of colors with their Perfect Fit T and I also really like the Painter Tee too. Good series!!

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