Why you should never wear a WHITE undershirt

Dear reader,

This is a mistake we see repeated everywhere!

If you have fair skin, you want your undershirts to be of a nude or tan color — not white.

And if you have dark skin, you want your undershirts to be brown — not black.

Many fail to understand, that white t-shirts don’t blend in with a white skin. Nor do black shirt blend with a dark skin.

Wearing an undershirt is supposed to make you look more neat and elegant by:

1. Hiding unsightly chest hair that might otherwise pierce through
2. In summer: catching you body sweat to avoid a sticky shirt and halos under the arms
3. In winter: bringing you warmth in situations where wearing a sweater would be undignified

But wearing white or black undershirts ruins your attempt to be elegant.

What if you already have tons of white undershirts?

Don’t throw your white undershirts away yet.

Here’s a simple tip to dye them tan — using black tea!

Black tea is rich in tannins which provide a beautiful soft color to natural fabrics (source: woodlarkblog)

Start by brewing some black tea. And make it strong! At least 7 tea bags.

Soak your white undershirts in a basin with ⅓ of white vinegar, ⅔ of cold water. This allows the fibers to

Pour the black tea (still hot) through a filter into a second basin. Then transfer your white undershirts into the 2nd basin to submerge them in the black tea. Add water to cover the clothes (if needed). Squeeze with your hands to remove any air pockets in the fabric. Continue to stir regularly to get an even dye. After 60 minutes, put the undershirts back into the 1st basin (with vinegar and water) for another 15 minutes.

Then, rinse until the water runs clear.

This dying process will work for natural fibers like cotton, muslin, linen, silk and wool.

What to look for when buying undershirts

To get the best out of your undershirts, follow these simple rules:

1. Choose undershirts with flat seams and as little stitching as possible. This way it will show even less under your shirt.
2. Prefer a close fitting undershirt, that will behave like a second skin.
3. Choose a v-neck over a crew-neck or a turtleneck. This way your undershirt won’t show when you’re not wearing neck-tie. If you like the top of your shirt unbuttoned, choose a deep v-neck undershirt.
4. Choose short sleeves over no sleeve. No sleeve don’t absorb armpit sweat at all.

In the meantime, wear heather grey undershirts. Heather grey will always be better than white or black.

Regards,

Edward