This review is a piece of our Great White T-Shirt Review series, in which we tested nearly two dozen plain white t-shirts to help you understand what’s on the market today. In it, we tested for qualities like fit, construction quality, fabric density, shrinkage, and see-through-ness, amongst many others.
Whitesville feels like a tee that was created explicitly to be worn by Johnny Quest. There are fun playful Japanese-Americana details throughout but be sure to size up.
By The Numbers
- Fabric: 100% cotton
- Made in: Japan
- Postwash Fabric Density: 1.54g/LI (Midweight)
- Postwash Total Weight: 161g
- Construction: Tubeknit
- Size Large Postwash Measurements (inches):
- Front Length: 23
- Pit to Pit: 21
- Shoulder to Shoulder: 18
- Hem Width: 20.5
- Neck Width: 6.25
- Sleeve Length: 7.5
- Sleeve Height: 8.5
- Sizing Recommendation: Size Up
- Shrinkage: 1.64%
- Weight Loss: 3.59%
- Price Per Shirt: $45
- Available for $90 at Self Edge
Fit
The Whitesville fit is tighter, shorter, and distinctly 60s. The collar rides up higher than every other tee in an old school way that I didn’t not appreciate.
There’s this one scene in First Man where Ryan Gosling is playing with his kids and he has on this Charlie-Brown-looking crewneck polo shirt, which I feel shares a kinship with this tee.
Otherwise, it fits small, to the point where I didn’t wear this tee out too much because it felt restrictive and revealing. Sized up, I imagine it would be great, but not in its current state.
Fabric
The Whitesville fabric is near perfection. It’s light and soft, and has a satisfying amount of give and resilience to the knit. It also feels heavier than it is. It’s advertised as “Heavyweight” but its fabric density is just off the mark by the standards of our test. I’m not complaining though, it’s a close second to Merz B. for my favorite fabric of the test.
The sheerness test is passable but nothing to get excited about.
Construction and Details
The construction is excellent, which is no surprise for a product made by Japanese parent company Toyo Enterprises (Sugar Cane, Buzz Rickson’s). The tee is tube knit and the stitching is in this slightly off-white grey/tan color that contrasts nicely with the brilliant white of the shirt.
The one notable feature, at least the one the packaging wants to point out, is an extra layer of cotton tape to solidify the collar in place.
If I had any gripes it’s that the overlocking didn’t catch all of the extra fabric on the sleeve hems and that the collar ribbing is sewn together in a big stiff plug of fabric on the left-hand side. But those complaints are minimal.
The Verdict
I really liked this shirt and was kinda bummed the sizing is small to the point that I couldn’t wear it regularly. If you’re looking for a shirt with that real 60s prep character that might have fallen off the pages of Take Ivy, Whitesville is your brand, just make sure you size up.
Consider if:
- There are pennies in your loafers
Avoid if:
- Even an extra layer of reinforcement tape can’t keep your collar in place
Available for $90 at Self Edge
As mentioned, this was just one of many other reviews of plain white tees. Have a look at the full comprehensive review including all the other t-shirts.
