American apparel

[matadorpoeta]

american apparel sells t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc... for men and women. they advertise that they use the finest cotton, make their clothes with a slim fit, and are sweat-shop free. everything is made in downtown l.a. (which is loaded with sweatshops.) i bought three articles from them at their west hollywood store; a short sleeved leisure shirt, a v-neck t-shirt, and a basic crew neck t-shirt. though i like the fit and look of the leisure shirt very much, and will be buying a couple more of them in different colors (order one size up unless you are very thin), i was disappointed with the t-shirts. they are not slim fitting. my jockey brand shirts in size M are much smaller than the american apparel shirts in the same size. i also find the shirts to be too long (i'm 5'10") to be worn untucked. the softness of the fabric compares well to jockey, but not to calvin klein, which is still my favorite. americanapparel.net

 

[Brian SD]

American Apparel is by far my favorite brand for the basics. I found their clothes to be quite fitted (in size Sm anyway), as we use them for all our printed clothing at the office here.

 

[LA Guy]

I find American Apparel pretty fitted as well. Not tight - just well fitted, which is what I want. Rule for guys: If the tshirt shows either your nipples or your belly button, it's way too tight. Either that, our you need to get yourself to the gym, posthaste.

 

[Oltmann]

They fit me well too, and I'm 6'3 so the length is fine. The fabric is fluffy soft but not smooth soft. James Perse makes good shirts that are more silky if you like that, but they aren't a screamin' bargain like AA.

I have noticed some variability from one shirt to the next though. Also, I have gotten some that are tube knit and some that aren't from the same order. I'm talking about the t-shirts.

 

[matadorpoeta]

i agree the length would be perfect if i were 1 or 2 inches talller.

when you guys say you think the shirts are slim fitting, what brands are you comparing them to? they are much bigger than my jockey and calvin klein shirts of the same size (medium).

 

[Oltmann]

If you find the shirts too big and too long, perhaps you should try a small?

Also, I think that most Calvin Klein and Jockey t-shirts are meant to be undershirts, and thus they make them tighter because they can rely on the top layer of clothing to redress the aforementioned nipplage issue.

 

[Brian SD]

Comparing them to fruit of the loom, bella, hanes, and other blank shirts that we get in the office to print on. American Apparel - 1) lasts the longests 2) retains its soft, comfortable texture for a shocking amount of time without collecting lint on the surface 3) has a much more comfortable collar than any other blank shirt brand whose collars scratch your neck badly, and are about 2 inches slimmer on the chest than any of the others.

Never dealt with Calvin Klein stuff, but isn't that from the "Undwear" line, meaning that they would be undershirts?

 

[matadorpoeta]

d'oh. i'll stick to my undershirts.

 

[Alias]

I just received a zip-front cotton sweater from American Apparel. I ordered a small. It fits GREAT. I wish more companies made clothes that fit this well.

The finish could be a bit better. At the zipper, on the inside, the fabric isn't cut as well as it could be, or finished with one of those looping stitches (I don't know what they're called.) It's just cut, and you can tell it's been done with a pair of hands and scissors. I could probably get a lot more for the money; sweatshop or not, I would expect a $40-$50-something sweater to be finished better than this.

But the FIT. Oh, the FIT. I'm probably going to buy more based on the fit alone.

 

[j]

Comparing them to fruit of the loom, bella, hanes, and other blank shirts that we get in the office to print on.

Brian, what do you do, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Brian SD]

I do. It's a secret. Kidding.

I work in a marketing office and we make shirts for athletics programs that are run at my school, and so I am quite familiar with the basic t-shirt makers. I know, it's disappointing, not as interesting as you would hope (but I am working on some t-shirt designs myself, but who knows how far that will go).

 

[Baron]

I too like American Apparel T's. I used to be a Calvin Klein devote, but I prefer the AA's. I too have found that there are two different "lots" with the t's - some with seams on the side and some wthout. The ones with seams are slightly thinner and stretchier. Also, wait a few washes before you decide about length. I found that the AA's are actually a bit shorter than the Calvins of the same size. And AA has way more color choices.

 

[Phil]

I have really gotten into their tshirts, and one thing you may not have noticed is their shirts have 2 different fits. There is the basic tshirt, which is not slim fitting, and then there is a second fit, called either slim fit or modern fit or whatever, and trust me, its plenty tight. I love really tight undershirts, and I am a pretty thin guy, and they fit like a glove. Another nice thing is the slim fit versions are cut a bit shorter.

 

[j]

I know, it's disappointing, not as interesting as you would hope (but I am working on some t-shirt designs myself, but who knows how far that will go).

Aww.. you're right, I was fully expecting you to be a secret agent who works with different blank t-shirts to counter the Red menace.

Keep us apprised on the t-shirt designs, I'd be interested to see.

 

[d.h.]

I have really gotten into their tshirts, and one thing you may not have noticed is their shirts have 2 different fits. There is the basic tshirt, which is not slim fitting, and then there is a second fit, called either slim fit or modern fit or whatever, and trust me, its plenty tight. I love really tight undershirts, and I am a pretty thin guy, and they fit like a glove. Another nice thing is the slim fit versions are cut a bit shorter.

I love their T-shirts, but I never knew they came in two fits.

AA's Online Store only seems to offer one kind of T. Does anybody know which one it is?