YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 23:57:13 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Nebraskim on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628617 Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:57:53 +0000 Nebraskim 1628617@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My best, longest-lasting t-shirts have come from Talbots. They have worn well, do not become stretched out and shapeless, come in good colors. I also enjoy t-shirts from Eddie Bauer. Good luck on your hunt. shedev on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628610 Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:41:28 +0000 shedev 1628610@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You are really on a roll with this challenge. Anonymous on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628588 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 23:49:03 +0000 Anonymous 1628588@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ KiwiGal -- I have actually looked for woven/silky tee shirt shaped tops in my area.  I found one of two things.  Either they were constructed of some sort of really icky polyester or they were in some busy print that would give me a headache.  I will continue my search though because that does seem to be the best solution.   Brooklyn on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628562 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 22:09:26 +0000 Brooklyn 1628562@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Tees are such an unexpected challenge. You mention the tiny holes that just mysteriously appear in tees. This drives me crazy. It seems to happen to all my tees (including the one I am wearing today). I am constantly on the search for a pure cotton tee that will stand up to some fair wear and tear. I wish you luck on your search Sal on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628525 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 20:18:29 +0000 Sal 1628525@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I haven't commented as yet on your challenges Sterling but have found them interesting. I used to wear a lot if tees but I have almost eliminated them now. I wear woven or silky tee shaped tops, Woven popover shirts and knit tanks ( not tees- light weight sweater knit). I wear tanks and long sleeve tees layered and for lounging. I have a handful of older tees left that I wear- and enjoy- but I expect to only keep a minimum number- about five. I came to similar conclusions to you- too annoying to wear as most are so sheer, quality is often poor, and flattery is hard to achieve. El Cee on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628471 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:56:51 +0000 El Cee 1628471@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Good luck with your search for great tees. I feel your pain.  I used to be fairly successful with Eddie Bauer, but the tee shirts have been poor quality the last few years (fading, seams coming apart, etc). Hit on a few good Gap tees 3 years back that are still going strong… but the newer ones just do not seem as durable. I used to wear LL Bean tees (pima cotton) eons ago -- pretty decent quality -- but they stopped carrying tall sizes in shirts (and I need the longer torso). I also used to religiously wear Lands' End tees. The quality seemed to have slipped after they were bought out by Sears a number of years ago, so I stopped buying them a while back. I understand they have now split from Sears, so perhaps the quality has improved. They are certainly worth another look. I have heard very good things about Uniqlo -- one of my friends swears by them. Anonymous on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628376 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 15:00:28 +0000 Anonymous 1628376@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Bonnie -- I was at the Gap yesterday and I saw stacks of Vintage Tee Shirts (limited colors though).  I didn't notice if the label said anything about Relaxed.  Look again.  You might be very happily surprised.   Dottie - the 2010 Gap tee shirts are 100 percent cotton.  I bought a stack of white ones when they were on sale.  Short sleeve.  Substantial cotton, but not too warm.  They hold their shape perfectly.  The only reason I am purging them (downgrading to painting) is that some of them have yellowing under the arm.  The shirts themselves still look very much like new.   Smittie -- I  may not make it to the mall today after all, but I will certainly be there soon.  I will report back on every single thing I learn.   Thanks KKards.  Invaluable information.   Mocha -- I still love Caslon, I just need to always remember to size down.   Bonnie on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628367 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:46:27 +0000 Bonnie 1628367@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Your article is very interesting and I agree with you about button downs and tees. Good idea to have the shirts laundered. Your problems with finding good tees reminded me of my own problems. I bought a lot of tees this year from J Crew, Eddie Bauer, GAP, Gap Outlet, Nordstrom (Halogen) and TB. I wear one every day and when they get worn, I wear them for hiking. My favorite tee was from GAP. It is called something like Relaxed Vintage Tee and I can't find it anywhere on their site. I need more white ones for a trip this summer and have been on a search for a replacement but nothing seems to work as well.  kkards on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628365 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:39:05 +0000 kkards 1628365@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ another tee shirt lover….don't ever look target. great basics at a reasonable price…..and if you are willing to order on line (or maybe have a local boutique in town that stock's them) try alternative apparel, last fall i picked up a camo print at a local store, one of the softest tee's i've ever owned. (unfortunately,  that store closed last month, so i'm going to have to order on line). also try Uniqlo--i've found they wash like a dream and hold up really well. the finds are from last year, but i think they have similar styles this year. i'd also try Athleta, sometimes you can find a street worthy tee (as opposed to a gym only tee) <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.alternativeapparel.com/womens-clothing/tops/t-shirts">http://www.alternativeapparel......s/t-shirts</a> Anonymous on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628355 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:11:48 +0000 Anonymous 1628355@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sterling, yes, please do report back your findings (and I'm hoping LE and Gap win:)). Re: "It seems every single day I am opting to purge the tee shirt worn that day." Ugh, me too! I think that, sadly, drapey t-shirts are not for me, and in general, t-shirts might not be for me except as an undershirt. I so love the easy look of the drapey t-shirt, and I think this is why it's taken me so long (years) to figure that it doesn't work for me. I'm beginning to realize the problem, which is that you need a fuller figure (breasts and curves) and a shorter waist to pull these off. I just look like a board when I wear mine. As well, the necklines are too big and show my bra and camisole straps, so I always look very disheveled and so unstylish. For the tshirts that aren't drapey, they are too short and show my abdomen. I only have two t-shirts, both from kit and ace, that seem to be long enough and cover my bra straps. I'll keep those. They are the Jane tank and the mara tank, for reference (so not technically tshirts). The tshirts that make me feel the least disheveled are the BODY CON ones, but then I get self conscious about my abdomen, which puffs out when I eat anything, evena small meal, like a cornflake I'm think that a hip belt or obi belt would fix this. I saw some polyester girly tops at BR yesterday. They fit really well, and would be durable. I didn't love the prints enough to bring any home, but maybe they'll have something later in the season. It seems like these easy-care shirts might be a good stand-in for t-shirts. Certainly poly is durable, so it would withstand the rigours that I normally put my tshirts through. Watch me mow my lawn in my ruffly floral number! I realize I just wrote a zillion pp's on t-shirts. It helps to write down my thoughts Dottie on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628354 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:09:03 +0000 Dottie 1628354@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great revelations!  Is there anything about the 2010 Gap t-shirts that make them stand out?  Do they contain spandex, or something the others did not? Mochi on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628348 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 13:59:20 +0000 Mochi 1628348@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Tee shirts are an inevitable workhorse for me too, so I will definitely want to hear more of your thoughts on this. I've done pretty well with Caslon. I'm always wanting to know of other high-quality brands. All-cotton (but not that really thin cotton J. Crew uses). I can handle slouch but the unintentional puckering and loss of shape, I agree, needs to be avoided.  Anonymous on "Third Epiphany from Orphan Challenge" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/third-epiphany-from-orphan-challenge#post-1628338 Sat, 12 Mar 2016 13:35:50 +0000 Anonymous 1628338@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I assessed my orphans based on categories.  I started with my biggest unworn category:  button down shirts.  I discovered that I very much liked wearing them; but I hated ironing them and they fell out of favor.  I remedied that by giving myself permission to have them laundered and pressed.  No button downs were purged.  They are all back in rotation.  Yay. The second category I evaluated was tee shirts.  This is a different story from the button downs.  It seems every single day I am opting to purge the tee shirt worn that day.  Early this morning I realized that I was purging the tee shirts that were most recently purchased (within the last 1 - 1.5 years).  The older ones were not orphans.   The older tee shirts are good solid staples.  They fit me really well and are as flattering as a tee shirt can be.  None of them are so sheer that special bras or camisoles are required to make them work.  The necklines don't gap so much that I expose my belly button.  They don't have tiny rips along the seams and neckline.  There are no tiny holes that just mysteriously appear.   What I seem to be purging are the "fashionable" tee shirts:  the oversized, shapeless, fluid ones.   <ul> <li>I threw out four tee shirts from Banana Republic because there were very tiny tears along shoulder seams, the necklines were ridiculously big, and/or the fabric was so sheer it bordered on obscene.  </li> <li>I threw out two tee shirts from Old Navy because there were very tiny tears along shoulder seams.  I tried to mend the seams, but the tee shirts were so shapeless, I eventually decided it wasn't worth it.  </li> <li>I am getting rid of two Gap tee shirts just because there is some yellowing under the arms and I would like them to look more pristine.  </li> <li>I donated one from Everlane because it was shaped exactly like a box (the width equaled the length).  </li> <li>I donated one from Nordstroms because it was too sheer (for me) and I needed a special bra to wear it in public.  The Nordstroms tee shirt was Caslon.  Despite this failure, I still love Caslon and will be buying that brand again.    </li> </ul> So the tee shirts bought in the last year or so are slowly, but surely, being purged.  I find this enlightening.  Was it the quality?  Was it the style?   You could say I expect too much of my tee shirts, except I have some Gap tee shirts from 2010 that I still wear and still love.   I was so happy with my button down shirt epiphany and so sad about my tee shirt epiphany.  If I learned anything it is to not follow trends when it comes to tee shirts.  They are work horses in my wardrobe and have to stand up to a myriad of circumstances.     So I am going to the mall today.  I am going to look at tee shirts at Ann Taylor, Landsend, and Gap.