I don't have white as a main neutral in my wardrobe for that very reason. If I do get something in white ( a t shirt, a blouse, a linen top ) I automatically don't have the expectation of that piece that I do of every other color. I do the same with beach flip flops for example that I beat to death no matter the quality. It really is a psychological thing. Kinda like having children : adjust the expectations from the get go and you wont be disappointed.

So I have substituted most of my whites with light soft greys or creams.

I don't wear white tees, but I do wear cream, ivory and vintage white ones. I buy them at all price points. I do find the more expensive ones last longer.
I replace my tees as I need to. I tend to keep my clothes, including my tees, for a long time, and they look reasonably good for several seasons. The tees are essentials, and I wear them every day in the summer, so if I needed to replace them yearly, then I would. What else would I wear?

Yes to what Jenn said, white tees IMO are the poster children for the small wardrobe/higher individual item turnover...the larger the wardrobe/the longer the individual item will last...so i think part of the calculus when being is how essential an item is this...for me in high summer this is the most essential item, for me, when in doubt wear a white tee. So for me, i insure that i start each season with a white tee in pristine condition

I generally don't wear tees outside the house, and don't wear white tees at all. But some items just get used more and wear out faster - for me it is birks or similar shoes in the summer. I have had jeans wear out after years of wear. With my large wardrobe I rarely wear things out otherwise. The other side of things as Jenn points out.

I have a large enough wardrobe that I usually expect I’ll get more than one season out of even the cheapest item. I have three white tees and two black ones (I would have three but a mouse ate part of one when we were on our camping trip). V-neck tees are such a summer staple for me, and I’ve found Madewell makes my favorite at the moment. They’re inexpensive enough that it’s not tragic if one gets stained, and having three (in slightly different styles) means I avoid laundry bottlenecks. I figure if my three white tees last me for 2-3 years (they’re mostly summer only), that’s a darn good deal. I wouldn’t care to own only one at a time because I’d surely wreck it and not have a ready substitute, or find my only one is in the laundry when I want to wear it.

I don’t wear white tees either. They don’t suit me I think.
I think the obvious thing is how many choices you have as to how quickly something will wear out, surely? Unless your wear on them is really uneven. I do wear out some of my tops by the 30 wears- they may get faded or stretched. So that’s partly why I prefer to buy them on sale if they seem good quality- because even supposedly good quality doesn’t always last as long as I feel it should, and I wish to get CPW under $5. With many items I easily do this. Many of the good items that were on sale are $1-2 or less.

I do purchase new white tee's every summer.I buy them on sale and don't spend much for each one.I know they will not last, but they have a second life. I cut them up and use them for house cleaning, and large pieces are saved to do tie dye with the grand kids. A stabilizer can be added such as interfacing and then letters can be cut or solid pieces can be make into zipper pouches, pencil cases, makeup bags etc. My goal is to use as much of worn-out items and keep them out of the trash. I'm not really there yet.

What kkards and Janet said. In my climate, I wear white tees a lot during spring (spring is the dryest and warmest season where I live now, and lasts about 4 months or so) I usually buy two or three at the end of summer to have them ready for the following spring, and assuming they will last one season (two if I am lucky) as a wardrobe essential for regular outfits, and one more season as loungewear or pijama tops. I can't imagine a warm season without me having at least one white tee. Most of the time I buy inexpensive ones, and frequently I can get them on sale since I tend to buy them at the end of the previous summer season.

My cream colored tops are my default neutral. I don’t tend to buy many actual cotton T-shirts. I have had multi-season luck with Boden, Jaeger, and L.K. Bennett linen Ts. I also have had good luck with other washable- fiber jersey knits, and with lightweight sweater knits of all types: cotton, linen, silk and blends. I buy almost everything on sale, so that keeps the overall spend down, as does buying these fibers and weaves that I find last longer. Also, when I am about to give up on a piece I totally ignore the care instructions and toss it into increasingly hotter soak in the sink with a non- chlorine bleach alternative and often that is enough to freshen it up.

I have to do this all the time for work clothes. I want to like my work clothes & feel good in them, right? Yet I KNOW that the nature of the beast at my job is death & destruction. I buy as much as I can from thrift stores, the rest I get from clearance racks at new clothing stores like TJMaxx

Hmm, thinking through this I feel the same anxiety about sandals, which can have the lifespan of a butterfly. I have been wearing out my existing sandal collection but in large part not restocking it and instead wearing a mix of other flats.

Chiming back in to say that true white is not my best face color, but cream is awful. Certain grays and mid- blues or taupes are better.
But, in summer I get cravings for less muted palette sometimes a bright jacket in deep pink or orange, and well, white! And ( hiding from Angie) I have had white pants and jeans, but just don’t reach for them.
So that’s helped me learn that my best value in white for summer is layering T tgat goes with many toppers, and washable white toppers, just because can pop over anything. I don’t get as much use at all from good, thicker transitional weather knitwear with long or 3/4 sleeves that can stand alone with shirts or pants, if in white - I’m better off getting those in good face colors.

No one has mentioned that whites are easier to keep white than off whites are. You can use bleach on white and not have to worry about creating white spots. Of course beach will shorten the life span of fibers.

I find this to be true with most lighter coloured clothing. I have accepted that it is nice to be able to truly wear something out. Of course, parting with a favourite item is REALLY hard. I had a the 'perfect' white cotton blouse and wore it constantly all one summer. My absolute favourite summer top ever. Of course, it did not hold up well to all the wear and washing, but it was a great purchase. I also have this issue with favourite summer sandals - hard to keep them pristine for more than a few summers.