Underneath It All

While thrashing around in search of a suitable topic, I recalled an exchange I've been having via email with A Proper Bostonian regarding undershirts. She mentioned that her husband's undershirts are getting old and need to be replaced.

I find that somewhat interesting, because I've always taken care of that sort of thing myself and I have a hard time imagining the Mrs. buying undershirts (or any other item of clothing, for that matter) for me. But everyone's different; APB's spouse is a busy guy, and so he's lucky to have someone to worry about such things for him.

My stance on undershirts is that I consider them to be more or less disposable, and therefore I buy them as inexpensively as possible. Same goes for underwear bottoms and socks. That doesn't mean I buy the cheapest ones I can find, because that's almost always a bad idea. Saving a couple of bucks doesn't do you any good if the things fall apart after a few washes, or shrink to child size, or stretch out too much. You need to find the right balance between thrift and value.

Most of the time, a multi-pack or two of Hanes or Fruit of the Loom T's is all you need. You can easily find these at the local department store or mega-discount emporium of your choice, and nowadays a lot of CVS and Walgreens stores carry them too. In my case that doesn't quite fill the need, because most of my undershirts are gray rather than white. As with so many other things, I have to be a bit of a contrarian about my undershirts; I do have a few white ones, but I prefer gray, and it's harder to find those in multi-packs.

For the past couple of years I've been buying them at Old Navy. For whatever reason they come in packages of only two, so I wait for sales and buy a couple of packages, adding them into the rotation and disposing of any that have gotten too ratty. But at the moment they are also selling basic T-shirts that are slightly heftier and come in an array of colors. The quality of these is surprisingly good, and are currently on sale for $5 each (regular price is $8.50, still fairly cheap), making it an excellent time to stock up. I got two in dark gray and two in a heathery cream that is typically called oatmeal. These are good colors to have when you want to wear something other than basic gray or white. They also come in black, navy, red, and a few other colors.

I take a similar approach with briefs, which I also prefer in gray. Several years back I discovered that the late, lamented Filene's was carrying something called Hanes Ultimate. Of course this was just marketing spin, but I hadn't seen them anywhere else and they were on sale, so I decided to try them out, and I liked them so much I bought several more packages. When Filene's closing was announced, I ran all over the metro area, buying up as many of the briefs as I could find in my size, and I still have five or six unopened packages tucked in a corner of the closet, so hopefully I'll be set for a few years yet.

As for socks, you get the idea: multi-packs of black, gray, and khaki athletic-type socks with extra cushioning for comfort. I have some socks in other colors, but they were bought in pretty much the same way, and in one or two cases I have another package of the same socks in reserve for when the others wear out. I wear white socks only in the summer with white sneakers, either the short ankle-high kind or the no-show kind. (I recommend the Macy's house brand, which are nice and plush, amply cushioned, made in the USA, and can sometimes be found on sale.)

Practicality, comfort, and value, with the least possible amount of fuss, are my primary motivations.