'Good Things' is Esquire's celebration of the very best stuff you can buy, via the personal endorsement of our editors. "Best" doesn't mean most expensive, and it won't just be clothes (although, that's kind of our vibe). Just know that when you see the Good Things logo, it has the Esquire seal of approval.
We could go into the history of the white T-shirt; its heritage, its shouty roots in the military, its ‘iconic’ status on the back of ‘iconic’ men that were described as such before that word lost all actual meaning. But we won’t. Because nobody cares. What they do care about is its ubiquity, and its strange, blanched power to either support a mad outfit, or make one all on its own – a white cotton expanse of nothing that still looks cool all these years on. Well, providing it fits properly.
Because that blank canvas is a bit of an albatross if it’s misshapen, or unflattering, or made from ghostly thin cotton. Too big and you’re painting the spare room. Too tight and you’re the deeply unwell son from We Need To Talk About Kevin. Just right is the elusive point at which the white T-shirt sings under a Cuban collar shirt, or above a pair of solid true blue jeans. And it comes from Arket.
The Nordic wardrobe filler has been around for some time now, and its boxy, crisp signature has filled a huge gap in the market for men who just want nice clothes at a nice price. But Arket really comes into its own with the basics. They’re a cut above other names on the high street, but not quite the expense of blue chip brands. And the quality. The quality. Its midweight T-shirt has that weighty closeness that comes with well-made stuff, clocking in at 170 GSM. Which, by the way, is a measurement that’s become all-important among nerdy, fashiony circles. Shorthand for grams per square metre, the higher the GSM count, the thicker it is, and the longer it’ll survive.
So Arket’s T-shirt is a thicc boy. That’s good. But it’s also about the fit. While we can’t ascertain the sweet spot of your own personal favourite – some guys like boxy, others like form-fitting, and lunatics like longline – Arket’s is a good midpoint in that it’s fairly traditional. This easily slots with other things. Better yet, it’s been specially formulated by the good folk at The Brand to last.
And it’s £17. We’ll take four.
ARKET Grey
ARKET Green
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