Maxine Mendelssohn
For Montreal Gazette; CanWest News Service
MONTREAL - It's a tide of Ts! T-shirts have had a style overhaul, with new cuts and fabrics and a whole new lexicon of designer labels.
Canada has its share of premium T-shirt makers, including Space FB, Mimi & Coco and Ca va de soi, all based in Montreal.
"It started with jeans, and now cool brands and higher prices have trickled down to Ts," said Lorie Caplan, manager and buyer at Indigo, where brand-name jeans and their new best friends, designer Ts, rule the racks.
Plain cotton is no longer king, said Dawn Shaheen, sales director of Wilshire Fashions, a distributor of Splendid T-shirts. "Plain cotton is so yesterday," she said.
Splendid Ts are made from Supima cotton, a yarn with an extra-long staple, or fibre. The longer the staple, the stronger and finer the yarn spun from it.
Check the label on a basic T and you'll find blends of materials like viscose (makes fabric silky and supple), Lycra (for stretch), Tencel (strong like polyester and absorbs more moisture than cotton), Modal (made from beechwood so it stands up to repeated washing) and cashmere.
Is there really a difference worth paying for? Absolutely, according to Brian Cytrynbaum, who makes the Majestic line of T-shirts at his mill in France. "We're talking about a super premium T-shirt," says Cytrynbaum, whose cashmere-blend T retails for around $125.
Even companies not considered ultra-trendy are getting in on the trend. L'Equipeur has adapted its Denver Hayes boxy style to a more fitted shape. The tops are also tubular, with no side seams.
COOL BRANDS TO TOP IT ALL OFF
MIMI & COCO
Mimi & Coco is all about super- soft ribbed tanks and Pointelle T-shirts.
Who's wearing them: Andie MacDowell, Hilary Duff, Celine Dion and Rachel Bilson.
Price for basic Ts: $33 to $100.
New this spring: Check out the children's line.
SPACE FB
Space FB is Montreal-designed and produced.
Who's wearing them: Elisha Cuthbert snapped up some Ts at the Cours Mont Royal shop.
Price for basic Ts: $20 to $29. The price of a cotton-Lycra crew neck has actually been lowered to $29 from $35.
Did you know?: Space FB styles are named after store salespeople.
New this spring: Happy colours! It's all about baby yellow, raspberry and apple green.
Signature style: The tops are cut longer, covering up that belly button.
SPLENDID
Splendid is all about sexy fits and casual chic -- definitely not for slobbing out at home.
Who's wearing them: Teri Hatcher, Jessica Simpson, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Price for basic Ts: $70 to $110.
New this spring: A children's line, available at Holt Renfrew's new baby section.
Signature style: Waffle cotton T-shirts are transformed from long-john fabric into something you'll actually want to be seen in. The lightweight fabrics are ideal for layering.
AMERICAN APPAREL
American Apparel founder Dov Charney said he "hopes to be the Microsoft of the shmatte business."
Who's wearing them: Lucy Liu, Jared Leto, Kirsten Dunst, Carmen Electra, and here at home, Sam Roberts and Mitsou.
Price for basic Ts: $17 to $20.
New this spring: Check out the organic cotton Ts.
Did you know? American Apparel claims to produce its stuff at a "sweatshop free" factory in downtown L.A.
GAP
Gap has made classic American T-shirts since 1969.
Who's wearing them: Sharon Stone famously wore a black Gap T-shirt to the Oscars in 1996.
Price for basic Ts: $19.50 to $29.50
New this spring: Basic black and white is always in style, but check out the "fresh grass" and "melon" colours.
Signature style: The cotton cap-sleeve pocket T.
CA VA DE SOI
Ca va de soi is known for silky-soft knits made from Italian yarns that are shipped to the Orient and produced in small mills.
Who's wearing them: Josee Di Statio, Veronique Cloutier.
Price for basic Ts: $50 to $75.
What's new: A men's line is coming in 2007.
Claim to fame: Neutral colours. They call them non-colour colours, like greyish and pinkish.
BLANK
Martin Delisle co-founded the proudly made-in-Quebec brand Blank T-shirts with two partners a year and a half ago.
The company's goal: "We wanted to show people that you can buy a cool, affordable T-shirt that's made in Quebec. It's a response to the made-in-China invasion."
Did you know: Everything it sells in its store is made in Quebec, from the dyeing of the fabric to the cutting and sewing.
New this spring: Three new pastel colours: retro yellow, a greenery green and amazing aqua.
Who's wearing them: A slew of French-Canadian celebs like Les Moquettes Coquettes, Louise Forestier and Pierre Brassard.
Price for basic Ts: $20 to $23.50 (taxes included).
MICHAEL STARS
Michael Stars recognized the T-shirt's haute-couture potential early; a pioneer of the fashion T movement, he founded his Los Angeles-based label in 1986.
Who's wearing them: Angelina Jolie.
Price for basic Ts: $78 to $165.
Signature style: The Supima-Modal Ts drape like silk, but wash and wear like cotton.
New this spring: "Novel Ts" in tie-dyes, screen prints and embellished with rhinestones.
VELVET
Velvet Ts are super soft.
Who's wearing them: Teri Hatcher
Price for basic Ts: $68 to $85.
New this spring: Halter tops in 100-per- cent ultra-thin cotton baby jersey.
Claim to fame: The shirts are cut generously in the length, so no bare midriffs.
Signature style: Sophisticated tops with ribbon and beading embellishments.
MAJESTIC
Majestic T-shirts, made from soft cashmere and Egyptian cotton, are silky and super pricey.
Who's wearing them: The tight black T-shirt you always see Tom Cruise wearing is from Filateur du Lion, Majestic's men's line.
Price for basic Ts: $78 to $165.
New this spring: Luxe detailing like crystal buttons.
Claim to fame: They're made in France.
L'EQUIPEUR
L'Equipeur's Denver Hayes line of T-shirts: fewer celebrity endorsements and more low prices.
Price for basic Ts: $14.99 to $16.99.
Did you know: Its Ts come in 21 shades, from avocado to azure.
New this spring: Tagless Ts; the brand name and size are printed directly on the fabric.
Signature style: Lycra/cotton blend Ts that are stretchy and body hugging.
JAMES PERSE
James Perse, a 33-year-old from Los Angeles, refined the T-shirt concept with super-fine fabrics and cool styles.
Who's wearing them: David Schwimmer, Ellen DeGeneres, Ashton Kutcher and Kate Hudson.
Price for basic Ts: $50 to $65.
New this spring: Woodsy neutral colours.
Claim to fame: His Ts are the typical uniform for both the fashionably lazy and the fashion obsessed.
Signature style: The company calls itself contemporary, not aiming to fit the boomer body type.
C & C CALIFORNIA
C&C California Ts are ultralight and thin.
Who's wearing them: Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston and Oprah.
Price for basic Ts: From $65 to $100.
Claim to fame: Fans maintain the Ts are like a second skin.
Signature style: Cool prints.
Source:Edmonton Journal
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