The Item: The Basic T

Quick Poll: How many of you have this problem of taking too long to find the perfect outfit? That's right, just what I thought.

Fret not, though, for I too will admit to this. So many times, I've put together an outfit and was ready to go only to glance at myself at a mirror on the way out and say, "Hmmm. That's not right." That's when the grueling process of mixing and matching starts anew until I am fully satisfied.

Needless to say, this practice of mine has caused much tardiness in my time. And in an effort to eliminate this undesirable side of me, I've found a simple solution to this problem. Listening to the lesson my wise English teacher passed on to me (Keep it Simple, Stupid!), I bought a bunch of basic monochrome t-shirts and made them my signature.

The great thing about plain colored Ts is that they go with absolutely anything. Their solid canvass can provide the perfect base for any accessorizing you may or may not want to do. For me, though, I prefer to keep it as simple as possible: Solid shirt, well-cut pants, simple sneakers, and a belt. That's the minimalistic chic look I adhere to as my casual uniform.

Just make sure though that the fit of the basic T is just right: not too tight, not too loose. The cut of the sleeves too should cut across the bicep area and the length should stop just below the belt line (just like how Steve McQueen does it). Worry not, a lot of labels already make the plains I just described. So go ahead and save yourself some time and excuses. In this case, the hardest of questions indeed has the simplest of answers.

Steve McQueen: Style Icon

The Topman Crewneck

The Gap Crew Neck

Photos courtesy of GQ, Topman, and Gap.