The Absolute Best T-Shirt for Jeans
Ultra-niche and under $100.
For two months, Stephan Brovko – the guy behind L.A.’s beloved vintage store, Shop Denim Revival – has been quietly selling what I think is the greatest white t-shirt out there. It’s finally available online, and I think you should be the first to know.
It’s called the Topanga Tee and there are a lot of things that make it special – the length of it hits the waistline on a pair of vintage 501s perfectly; the back of it pulls casually away from the body; the sleeves cap the shoulders without slanting too much; the ribbing around the neckline is broad and boyish. I love the fabric – 100% cotton. “It’s not too sheer. It’s just enough,” Stephan explained. He’s totally right. (Follow @made.revival for updates on inventory.)
Would you believe it if I told you that the fit came out of months and months spent trying to do something else? “The pattern-maker made one perfect sample on accident. Completely on accident,” Brovko explained. BTW, perfection is not something we can design to achieve. It’s entirely possible that a t-shirt as divine as Topanga can only be something that just sort of happens.
As luck would have it, the stylist Caroline DeJean (real last name, total coincidence) was at Denim Revival the day I popped in. “I haven’t found a t-shirt that looks so right on everyone I give it to,” said Caroline, whose clients include Hillary Duff, Chase Crawford, and Taylor Kitsch. “It honestly hasn’t looked bad on anyone.”
It might sound crazy, but I have the Topanga Tee in three sizes – XS, S, and M. They all fit well, which is to say, don’t overthink the sizing. Initially, I thought the M was perfect. Loose and easy. Then Stephan told me to try an XS – with a pair of 1981 selvedge 501s (that I bought because I can’t walk away from Made in USA Levi’s that feel like a hug from heaven) – and, Voila! “That’s the fit intent,” he told me about the shrunken XS. I mean, sold.
“The reason I call it the Topanga is because the very first pair of redlines I’ve ever found was into Topanga Canyon on the side of the road,” Stephan told me. “After that, I was hooked.” Today, he has one of the strongest selections of true vintage denim in L.A. Collector-level stuff. If you’re in the area and looking for the real deal, believe me, Shop Denim Revival is it. (Stephan is also the nicest person, and the tailors that work in the back are the best, and if you go please tell him I sent you because it’s fun to make connections like that.)
A whole post about a single white t-shirt? Yes. Because if you wear jeans – any jeans, they do not have to be vintage – this sort of thing is a game-changer.
That’s all for today. If you missed last week’s letter on sweaters, check it out, you might want one over your new white tee. Thank you for reading, for subscribing at any level, and for telling your friends about me or anything else you may discover here. It means a lot. As always, Denim Forever.
Jane
More good links…
“What’s a good bra for this t-shirt,” you ask? Here. (I wear a size 1.)
In sweater news: I have big feelings about this one called The Big Feels, and much of Jenni Kayne’s cashmere is currently 20% off.
It’s time to start tackling coats. I’ve ordered this one.
My post-fashion month reflections are complicated.
In August, 26 Substackers told me about the jeans they’re wearing for fall and fall’s not over, yet!
Ordering in multiple sizes. The quest for the perfect white tee never ends!
Clicked add to cart so fast! I got a small and medium :) What a cool denim shop...I wish it were online too for those of us not in LA!