I'm Officially Mourning the Loss of My Favourite-Ever T-Shirt

There are good T-shirts, and then there are great T-shirts. While American Apparel has been derided over the years for its blatantly overt imagery and the behavior of its controversial former leader, Dov Charney (the less said about that, the better), I have to admit that I'm in a jersey crew neck–related spin over the fact that I can no longer buy the brand's perfect tees. American Apparel, as you may already know, is no longer on British soil. All stores have closed, and e-commerce has been cut off from the UK. I've been able to bob along with the existing tees I bought some time ago, but reality is finally catching up with me.

While I was never fan of the disco pants (too tight, too shiny), tube dresses (too tight, too clingy), crop tops or skater skirts (too tiny, too tweeny) I was and still am a big fan of their soft-touch T-shirts. The two I own—both in different shades of marl grey, because they go with everything—have actually lasted well over seven years, and they still don't look worn out. They've been on photoshoots, travelled the globe and even met Victoria Beckham. With an eagle eye, I can spot anyone else wearing one because there's something about the fabric and cut that sits just right. It was one of the first fashion things Who What Wear assistant editor Elinor Block and I discovered we had in common. She too has a light grey marl version she wears at least once a week.

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(Image credit: Phill Taylor)

Me and the American Apparel Tri-Blend tee in happier times.

So what's a girl to do? Well, you could start by checking out our edit of the best affordable T-shirt brands as a quality backup plan. But you could also get really savvy and seek out the exact same tees on Amazon—just be warned that finding the right size in the colour you want can prove to be tricky. Aside from that, I'd recommend taking an S if you're a size 10. A fellow enthuasiast recently left the below review: "I have now bought eight of these tee shirts over the years and will carry on doing so." Me, too, hun. Me, too.

Shop my favourite colourways below, wear them to death, and thank me later.

Next up, the best jeans on the high street.

Opening Image: The Style Stalker

Hannah Almassi
Editor in Chief

Hannah Almassi is the Editor in Chief of Who What Wear UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was headhunted to launch the UK sister site and social channels, implement a localised content strategy and build out the editorial team. She joined following a seven-year tenure at Grazia magazine, where she led front-of-book news, fashion features and shopping specials as fashion news and features editor. With experience in both print and digital across fashion and beauty, Hannah has over 16 years in the field as a journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant. Hannah has interviewed industry heavyweights such as designers including Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson through to arbiters of taste including Katie Grand and Anna Dello Russo. A skilled moderator and lecturer specialising in the shift to digital media and e-commerce, Hannah’s opinion and work has been sought by the likes of CNBC, BBC, The Sunday Times Style, The Times, The Telegraph and MatchesFashion.com, among many others. Hannah is often called upon for her take on trends, becoming known as a person with their finger of the pulse of what’s happening in the fashion space for stylish Brits. Hannah currently resides in Eastbourne with her photographer husband, incredibly busy son and highly Instagrammable cat.