The Great White Shirt

I don't know what it is about the white t-shirt that has gotten me hooked, addicted, dependent. Call it fetish or obsession, I've had it since I was a child. I grew up in Davao and back then I wore whatever it was that my mom threw my way--I was so not into clothes. I kept wearing this one light green Cinderella brand t-shirt that my mom brought home from Manila with my favorite pair of jeans that had appliqued fruits and flowers on them (ode to the Seventies) that a schoolmate, Doris Tagle, said unabashedly, "Don't you have other clothes?" I didn't take offense; not at all. She was just being truthful. But I think my mother did, after I had told her. She probably felt as thought it were an indictment of her parenting so she dumped a pile of new clothes on my bed the next day. The problem was, none were as comfortable as my trusty light green shirt and jeans.

During one of the annual summer breaks spent with grandparents in Manila, Manang Charing, my grandma's mayordoma, got me white Crispa t-shirts from Kamuning; it was love at first wear. I wore them until they were threadbare. I've been addicted to white shirts ever since. I've gone through many brands: three dots, petit bateau, Armani, Ralph, Gunze, but I wear them out like nobody's business and it got too expensive to buy branded ones. Now, I'm happy with the Zaras, the Topshops, and the H and M's. I've tried pure cotton; cotton blends; cotton silks, which feel like you're enveloped in a cloud; cotton lycra for that suck-in-the-gut effect,and cotton elastin, which holds its shape for a few more washes compared to the rest. Once in a while I am still suckered into dishing out serious bucks for a luxurious one but I instantly regret it because I always get the 100 % cottons, which have a definitively short shelf life.

Today, I go through the motions of shopping--this exclusively female sport that we all excel at--only to end up wearing what is known around my family circle as my "uniform"--white shirt and jeans. I try to spice it up with a vest or hide it under a blazer, but no one is ever fooled. They're on to me! Even my five year old has taken notice. She asked me recently, "Do you not have enough money to buy other clothes?" Just to end the heckling, I've taken to wearing colored tees but only when I've sort of worn my favorite whites for consecutive days and always, always with a heavy heart.

I really can't explain this preoccupation with white t-shirts, maybe because dressing up becomes a no-brainer? How can you go wrong with jeans and a white t-shirt? And with too many kids and too many other things to worry about, they simplify this whole fashion business.

Oh, and here's my attempt at diversification: colored t-shirts. My current favorites are these Theory ones.