That'll be my kid...
The paradox between what you should do and what you want to do in your kid's wardrobe. The Quiet Charisma of A White T-shirt.
Lets’ set the scene. We may be discussing a white T-shirt for a kids wardrobe but it packs quite a punch across generations and cultural backgrounds. “A style masterstroke.” “A wonderful blend of attitude and aesthetics. Nothing else in the cultural wardrobe is as universal as the white T-shirt. Because, apart from the rebel, it allows you to be anything you want; winner, athlete, artist - or simply well-dressed. If it is cut correctly. “Cool people live their own ideas with their own value system, they are unafraid to do their own thing.” At the same time, they don’t leap at every enticement the fashion industry offers, but find their own path. “Today the white T-shirt represents a space of resistance to the baroque style of clothing, the logomania and the ostentatious glitter that plague us.” When speed and statements dominate the industry the white T-shirt is a captivating counterpoint. “It lays claim to having once been a sign of youthful rebellion and resistance to convention, a symbol for defiance and a desire for change.” A stylish demeanour begins and ends with never overthinking an outfit choice, similar to the very beginning of our kid’s wardrobe. A a casual attitude, full circle. Dressed purely based on your own intuition and how you feel in that very moment without a seconds’ thought about what other people think, ah what a refreshing state of mind it is getting ready as a kid, the truest form of personal style. The beginning of a wardrobe of quiet charisma, that can inspire but can never be imitated. Whilst writing about the white T-shirt as my debatable stance on a kids wardrobe this week I have swam deep in thoughts from my own writing style, to my chosen subject, my reader, my opinions, what resonates with me and how I articulate that into words through my mission here. The white T-shirt served as an anchor as I navigated through fashion history and cinematography icons, holding onto “the simplest, easiest piece of clothing imaginable and its blank-page quality which functions like a screen on which we project our current cultural preoccupations.” After a while it became as clear as day why I have chosen to write about debatable stances in a kids wardrobe. I love stylish families, a real family affair, how they choose to live and how they add soul to their home; how their thoughts and values manifest themselves through their own wardrobe and their kids wardrobe. This is what inspires me. Combined with the mix of ‘The Business of Fashion,’ the creativity of so many creative directors, and their creative studio teams in the absence of a creative director having just watched the Gucci show in Milan, the show notes of writers and ‘non-influencers’ through-out Fashion Weeks, and the whole cycle of how the industry rotates. And then when my son, Sonny, was born my love and passion read across to the kids fashion industry. I think of it as reflecting who he is through what he wears all whilst it actually having the least importance in life. It felt right that as I sat here in awe, immersing myself in fashion during Fashion Weeks it was the white T-shirt I held onto. “It has proven its ability to adapt to the times by changing its configuration only slightly. After decades, it still tells stories that everyone wants to live.”
It’s a simple piece of the wardrobe puzzle but one of the hardest to find. “The holy trifecta of the perfect white t-shirt. The form, the fit and the material”. The tricky part in the fashion verse is that the more minimal an item is, the more noticeable its shortcomings. For a kids wardrobe we have solid go-to’s that stand tall on the fashion horizon with reliable options, like Petite Bateau and it’s iconic white T-shirt which was my first option for Sonny, admittedly for under a jumper or good enough to tuck in and hide behind a jacket before being relegated to a ‘sleep T-shirt’ status. What constitutes as the perfect white T-shirt evolves over time, after all perfect is static rather than moving with the times and age in growing wardrobes. There are also white T-shirt wardrobe milestones to bare in mind; the age when it can withstand a whole day or night or when it can survive the ordeal of a dinner without an obvious stain; and when it becomes the staple for the smart casual outfits, a little signifier of a mature wardrobe. With this in mind, the brands that keep it simple are the ones that excel. I chose a selection of white T-shirts for Sonny based on the apparent holy trifecta; form, short sleeve crew neck, fit, slightly oversized, material, cotton and no logo’s in sight. We had Paolo Pecora, Dondup and Acne in the line-up. It was a quest to find the best version for Sonny’s wardrobe before we went ahead with a sartorial rule that applies to all wardrobe staple heroes, when you find the one you love, make sure to buy more than one. Paolo Pecora won by the way, in the outfit stakes, pending its’ make-or-break washes well status. “A white T-shirt more than any other product needs to be clean and look new every time you wear it.” There is only a rare few which are actually good, earning their way into your starting lineup through sheer consistency, if not preternatural ability.”
The most subtle approach to dressing to avoid creating much noise but, it was hard to ignore that the simple white T-shirt is a powerful symbol with a rich history and a potent cultural significance. From World World II descending from undergarments worn by Navy men in the 1910s; culturally solidified through history by cinematography icons like Marlon Brando, ‘90s Sandra Bullock and James Dean in 1955's ‘Rebel Without a Cause’; Chanel famously adapted jersey into fashionable womenswear in the twenties; and The Row began with the quest to perfect the humble white T-shirt. “The concept for establishing the brand stemmed from the difficulty in finding high-quality basic clothing. With meticulous attention to detail. “The main thing we thought was lacking in the luxury market were basic pieces that could break up an outfit so you could add some ease and comfort, tone it down.” It’s a golden thread that runs through wardrobes I love today, especially kids wardrobes. A counterculture uniform. Stepping back from the fashion rat race and wearing a simple white T-shirt is as much as a statement as something bold. “A plain T-shirt is a deeply innocuous piece of clothing, it lets you be both nonchalant and exceptional: the perfect crime, no matter your age.” “In short, the history of the white t-shirt follows the history of the same modern society: for every moment-milestone of the last century, a new meaning has been layered on it, making it the indispensable classic that is today.”
The search will continue for Sonny when he makes his own wardrobe decisions, finding the perfect white T-shirt is one of many wardrobe traits inherited from his Dad. “The men’s T-shirt market grew 42 percent in the last year as male shoppers wear the classic item more often and actively seek out brands that align with their aesthetic sensibilities. These brands sustain profitable growth by improving the quality of their T-shirts and expanding into categories that compliment their hero product. They’ve been able to turn a basic item shoppers can buy anywhere into a profit driver by constantly updating their fabrics and silhouettes to appeal to male shoppers who are wearing T-shirts more often. “Anybody can get a T-shirt made quickly. That’s not hard, the hard part is doing something different that people care about and notice.” It’s no wonder the white T-shirt became a symbol for defiance and a desire for change. They are revered not for being cool, but for who’s wearing them. And that’s what makes them cool.
I hope you are enjoying the chaos and calm of a weekend with family. The white T-shirt was my calm in the midst of consuming sheer volumes of content from London and Milan Fashion Weeks. Family moments on the catwalk trump any outfit for me, the Fendi show in Milan showed “five generations reverberating in one house - the founders Adele and Edoardo establishing Fendi in 1925, the Fendi sisters Paola and Anna were at the show, Silvia Venturini Fendi taking a well deserved bow with daughter Delfina in the audience and then her twins Dardo and Tazio literally opening the show wearing a replica of an outfit Silvia wore in 1966 for Karl Lagerfeld’s first show. This sort of history is pure magic to see especially when it comes to life!” Commentary posted by Susie Bubble, one of the the first blogs I ever read. A fashion reference as familiar to me as the white T-shirt.
Callahan (aka Sonny’s mum)