Sweet Tees : The Fitted Look Is Cute--and Versatile
Some people call them “baby tees” because they look like grown-up versions of infant T-shirts. They’re cropped and clingy, made of fine-ribbed knit cottons. Many have fancy little details like rosettes, satin bows and lace appliques.
They come in the muted pastel shades used to decorate a nursery--pale mints, pinks, yellows, lavenders and powder blues. Sand and other soft earth tones are popular too, but the favorite T-shirt color of all remains white.
Their enduring popularity shows that shapes may change and designers may find new ways to decorate them, but T-shirts will always have a place in a woman’s wardrobe.
“We all have T-shirts. They have a long history, like blue jeans,” said Laura Downing of the Laura Downing clothing boutique in Laguna Beach. “They’re comfortable, they don’t need ironing and they look good. You can wear a nice T-shirt out to dinner and get away with it.”
The sweet little tees are part of fashion’s return to romance. They’re the alternative (and a welcome relief) to the boxy one-pocket tees offered by virtually every department store and major fashion retailer, from the Gap to Mervyn’s.
“T-shirts are getting tinier and tinier,” said Rose Ledonne, owner of the Rose Ledonne Contemporary Sportswear boutique in Laguna Niguel.
“They’re not just a man’s undershirt anymore,” said Liz Menzies, owner of Swept Away, a woman’s clothing boutique in Irvine. Her shop carries a variety of tees, from simple scoop-neck styles ($16) to more ornate tees with soutache lace insets ($50). Most tees sell for less than $20.
At Swept Away, the best-selling T-shirts are the fitted fine-ribbed knit tees and T-shirts with woven textures like waffle weaves and poor boy-style wide ribbing.
“People want something with texture to the fabric. The flat-knit tee is a little dead,” Menzies said.
Baby tees, with that tight-knit, shrunken fit, are hot because they go with everything. Women are wearing them under slip dresses, jackets, jumpers and vests.
“They came out with fitted T-shirts to push the slip dress. Models were wearing the little slip dresses down the runway, but the dresses didn’t look good on most people,” Menzies said. “The T-shirts solved all the bra strap and flabby arm problems. After that, T-shirts just went nuts.”
T-shirts are a natural mate for denim, but they can go with dressier pieces too. Women are wearing the fancier tees with lace trim or seams edged in satin with their fitted blazers.
“They’re upgrading the T-shirts, so they’re replacing the blouse,” Menzies said. “We have some tees [decorated] with fabric from silk kimonos. They can cross over into evening.”
Romantic details such as satin-covered buttons have turned the T-shirt into outerwear that can be worn to dinner or a show, said Karen Gallagher, merchandising manager for Cheri Cote, a women’s clothing boutique in Fashion Island Newport Beach. “Some have cute buttons, collars and nice stitchery. There’s a little bit of fluff to them.”
Among the styles at Cheri Cote: simple tanks with fine embroidered edges in white or muted pastels ($19-$23), a denim-colored V-neck tee with a crocheted rose ($40), a white tee with satin-covered buttons ($38) and tees adorned with a patchwork of vintage floral fabrics ($52).
“They’re being worn by everyone from teens to mature women,” Gallagher said. “Women want to be more romantic. Career women have to dress in uptight business suits all week, so on the weekends they want to be in touch with their romantic sides.”
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T-shirts adorned with heart-shaped appliques cut from old quilts ($48) are among the best-selling tees for summer at the Laura Downing clothing boutique in Laguna Beach.
“They look great with blue jeans,” Downing said. Camisoles with lace appliques in front in black, white, earth tones and pastels are also hot ($30-$45). So are soft cotton striped tees with short sleeves and a scoop or V-neck ($40).
The T-shirts are often cropped so they barely reach the navel.
“Everyone’s offering cropped tees,” said Ledonne. “They can be worn under jumpers so they’re not as bulky or over drawstring skirts” so the drawstring and even a little skin shows.
Among the best-sellers at her boutique: a baby tee that snaps all the way down the front ($50) and a tight-fitting polo-style shirt ($65). She also has lots of basic scoop-neck tees ($18-$25).
