Introducing: The Only Jane T-SHIRTS

100% ready to wear right now.

When I decided to make t-shirts, the first thing I thought about was jeans. What can I say? I am what I am and that’s someone who is always thinking about how to wear denim in a way that looks cool and feels easy. I.e. with t-shirts.

I am so, so excited to show you these – the result of a lot of hard work and research – but more importantly, something I’ve always said I’d love to do one day: Make t-shirts. It sounds simple. And to a degree, once I landed the fabric and got hyper-clear about how I wanted them to interact with the body and mingle with a pair of jeans; once I connected the fit to a feeling, it was easy. I mean, for goodness’ sake, it’s t-shirts. It’s not nearly as tricky as jeans.

The Only Jane t-shirts come in a 3 styles – a loose boy tee, a square-neck tank, and a lounge-y long sleeve – all cut in extremely fine 100% Supima cotton. I’ve also made a fancy sweatshirt, which I’m including in this group. The sweatshirt is very special with seams and darts that give it a shape I’ve never seen before in French Terry. I personally have a place for each one of these pieces in my closet. Let me take you through them…

THE MATTY TEE

The Matty tee has a distinctly long sleeve and high, round neckline. Here, in black with the Sally jean.

The Matty has a high, round neckline with a wide band that lays very flat above the collarbone. I designed the body with a little bit more length so that it can tuck in to higher and lower waisted jeans, and blouse out without coming undone. It was really important to me that this t-shirt stay tucked, if and when we raise our arms above our heads and/or reach for things (any things. Snacks. Lovers. The proverbial stars…).

The sleeve is also longer, hitting the elbow with a subtle pitch. I named this boyish tee Matty after my friend Matt Merrell, who, in addition to having the most effervescent sense of style, can make me and anyone who steps into his orbit feel instantly appreciated and completely at ease. I wish this t-shirt to do the same for you.

The Matty tee in navy, with the Bob jean. Helena is 5’5” and wears a size S in the t-shirt and a size 24 in the jeans.

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THE ACE TANK

The Ace is a sexy tank with a straight neckline and square body. It narrows at the shoulders, dips low around the arm, and is designed to touch the body on top and hover around the waist. I love the length, which can be tucked or not, depending on the rise of the jeans we’re wearing. I named it Ace – my son’s middle name and my maternal grandfather’s nickname – because I believe it’s a winner. It sticks the landing. Where form and function are concerned, I honestly think I nailed this one.

The Ace tank, here in ecru, has a square neck and racy armhole. Shown with the Georgia jean in stretch ecru (coming soon).

I made all of these t-shirts with the same fabric – 100% Supima cotton, which has longer fibers than regular cotton and, therefore, breaks less, feels softer, and holds dye better. The Ace comes in four colors – black, ecru, navy, and a bright red called poppy, which has an orange cast and looks wonderfully optimistic with basically anything, but denim especially. Here it is with black jeans and brown leather accessories, a combination I love right now.

The Ace in poppy, with the Georgia in Jet. I named the color after California’s state flower. Helena is about my size, for reference, and wears the tank in a size S and the jeans in a size 24.

All of my t-shirts come in ecru, which is a bone-hued off-white. Warm. Not optic. I love that it’s soft and that it looks white against darker jeans, like the Sally. When I created this color I was thinking about Farrow and Ball whites, which act like color chameleons adjusting to the light that surrounds them; I wanted my ecru t-shirts to do that. See how rich it looks with the sandy Ranch jacket:

The Ace comes in ecru (above), poppy, black, and navy. Paired here with the new Ranch jacket and Georgia jeans in stretch ecru (coming soon). The belt is a prop from my own personal collection.

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THE SLOANE LONG SLEEVE

The Sloane long sleeve, layered here in ecru and black, was designed to fit like a sweater, with longer sleeves, a relaxed neckline, and notches at the hips. Helena wears a size S in the t-shirt and a size 25 in the Georgia jean.

With the Sloane, I challenged myself to make a t-shirt that sits like a sweater on the body. I wanted a loose armhole; a neckline that slips below the collarbone a little; sleeves you can hold in your hands. When you layer the Sloane – black over ecru, or navy over black, so chic – the double-faced effect is heavy (for 8oz cotton), and comforting. I put notches in the waist so there’s more movement there. I named it the Sloane because it sounds like ‘slow’ and that’s a good thing for life to be in this tee.

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THE NAPA SWEATSHIRT

The Napa is an exceptional sweatshirt – a 1/4-zip pullover with darts all over (for volume), twisted side seams (for visual balance), and pleats at the cuffs (so the sleeves fold and sort of drape around the arms). Made of 100% cotton French Terry (13oz), it’s gutsy and luscious and gentle-feeling, all at the same time. I wear it for morning drop-off, movie night, and writing days at home. I named it the Napa because I fantasize about foggy mornings, though I wear it on perfectly sunny L.A. days. It’s California, through and through.

The Napa sweatshirt is extremely soft and substantial. Here, the ecru version with the Bob jean. Helena wears a size S in the sweatshirt and a size 24 in the Bob.

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Phew – big day! I’ll be back on Saturday morning with how I’m wearing all of these tees. Thank you for reading, subscribing, and coming along on my mashup writer/designer work journey. Thank you for trusting me with your jeans – and t-shirts! I’m always happy to answer questions about fit, drop them in the comments, it makes it more fun. As always, Denim Forever.

Jane