Saturday, May 25, 2013

everlane v-neck tee review

In recent months, I've been working through the items in my current closet, taking a mental inventory of what I have, removing pieces that are no longer worn, and thinking about the pieces I'd like to add. One of the big staples that I was missing was a white tee shirt - something so simple, yet apparently so difficult to find the "perfect" version for me. There were certain things I wanted in this tee:
  • I didn't want it to be semi see-through. I wear these tanks under everything I wear, but I don't want them to show.
  • I don't want a clingy material. I have enough going on in the torso area that I don't want wrinkles to be added
  • I want a full sleeve, not a capped sleeve. Shorter sleeves tend to cut across the thickest part of the arm, which only emphasizes the thickness. I also don't want them to be skin tight.
  • The v-neck needs to be deep enough to elongate the upperbody, but not too deep that it shows too much cleavage. I also didn't want the tank underneath it to show out the top.
  • I would prefer there wasn't a pocket on the front. My chest is fairly large (for reference, I wear a 36D), so a small little pocket on the front would look comical.
Seems like a lot of wants in just a plain tee shirt, but I'd rather have one shirt I am comfortable wearing than five where I only like parts of it.

I first heard about Everlane from Jess about a year ago and was intrigued by what they were offering - simple and classic basic pieces with designer quality at not designer prices. I don't really like ordering clothes online that I can't return easily, so I didn't order them right away. Over the last few months I tried on several tees from a variety of stores. I didn't alway takes pictures because they were pretty disappointing, and only fulfilled a percentage of my requirements. For example, the J.Crew Factory tee on the left (sorry about the terrible picture quality) has long enough sleeves, but the neckline was too low, and the fabric too clingy. The J.Crew version on the right had the right neckline, but was see-through in real life, and also too thin/clingy.
Eventually I was sick of trying on a bunch of tees that just weren't working, and ordered two shirts from Everlane - the v-neck tee in white and in muted black. I ordered them Wednesday evening, and I received them today, Saturday.
everlane cotton v
These tees fulfill all of my preferences - the right neckline, the sleeves are longer and not skin tight, the fabric is soft, not clingy and not completely transparent, and best of all, they are appropriately priced at $15 a piece. I would prefer about 1.5 more centimeters of fabric on the sleeve, but overall I am very very pleased with this t-shirt. As a reference, I'm usually between a medium and a large in tops, and I ordered the large from Everlane.
everlane muted black tee
As far as longevity, I obviously do not have any personal experience yet. Lauren, whose opinion on clothing I highly respect, swears by these tees and can speak to the longevity of the quality.
photo (5)
If you are interested in testing these tees out for yourself, you can create an account here. You get free shipping if you order 2 or more items, and they offer more than these tees so it's definitely worth taking a look around (I kind of love this tote bag, and maybe eventually will try this silk shirt).
everlane white v tee review