Groceries Apparel Lazy Tee | medium, made of Lyocell & Spandex*
Goldsign Virtual high-rise jeans | size 29
Everlane street shoe | sent for review from Everlane
My (unstated) mission lately has been to find more sustainable and/or eco-friendly and/or locally and/or ethically-made alternatives to “basics” and popular fashion items. I started with the Madewell Transport Tote, and have featured denim and workout wear that is made in the US, and now I am pleased to tackle the white t-shirt. Either you love them (I do!!!) or you hate them, but I don’t know many people who don’t need at least one or two in their wardrobe, so this week I’m going to feature my favorite sustainable alternatives to the basic white t-shirt. (but of course I don’t mean basic, boring, I mean basic, interesting!)
I’ll start with this “lazy tee” by Groceries Apparel, which is a wonderful alternative to the rayon T by Alexander Wang tee that’s been a blogger/fashion-girl staple for a few years, for good reason. I have a long sleeve white T by Alexander Wang tee and I love it, it’s indispensable for layering in cooler weather, mostly because it’s long and fits nicely over my hips/butt.
This Groceries Apparel Lazy Tee is quite similar (here’s a long sleeve version on sale), although it’s a little thinner. (and since Everlane’s long-sleeve ryan tee is similar to the T by Alexander Wang tee, it’s also similar, but I found Everlane’s version to be slimmer at the hips and sized up so it would be more drapey. It also has dolman sleeves, so not as easy to layer). It drapes similarly (it might be a little shorter), and feels heavenly. I will wear this mostly as a layering piece, under sweaters and cardigans as it gets cooler, and with leggings since it’s long enough to cover my ass.
My only “issue” with it is that it’s not blindingly white, which I generally prefer and am used to. I’m guessing it’s not white white, because they’re eco-friendly, and use more natural dyes/no bleach, but I can’t find any evidence of that. If that’s the case, I’m okay with it being slightly off-white, and it might be a nice change from my usual WHITE WHITE layers.
The company, Groceries Apparel, is small LA-based company that uses sustainable materials like hemp, organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled cotton and Lyocell to create useful and interesting basics. They have a nice selection of items online at Rodale’s, which is where I got my tee (they have the long sleeve version in black and white in size large on sale).
*This tee is sustainable because it incorporates a blend of 95% Lenzing Lyocell (TENCEL) – along with 5% spandex (which isn’t ideal, but I suppose it was necessary in this case?):
TENCEL® is the lyocell fiber from the house of Lenzing. It is of botanic origin, since it is extracted from the raw material wood. Fiber production itself is extremely ecofriendly, due to the closed loop system. …Textiles of TENCEL® are more absorbent than cotton, softer than silk and cooler than linen.
Later this week I’ll be looking at white v-neck tees (another by Groceries and one by Alternative). Do you have any brands to recommend? Or specific items you’d like me to review?
Happy Monday!!!
Thank you for keeping ‘sustainable alternatives’ as a continuing theme in your posts. I still find myself sucked in by sales, but the guiding vision of buying sustainable has lodged itself into my common sense. Have you tried the Emerson Fry white v-neck t-shirt? It is linen, which I think of as a summer fabric, but I see that they are keeping it around in their shop. I’d also love to hear a followup on your Emerson Fry pieces at some point when it cools down enough for you to wear them.
My favorite basic white t-shirt is still your James Perse standard. I wish we could influence them to put out an organic cotton version of some of their classics.
I’ll be curious to know how this tee by Groceries wears/washes. I bought an adorable black swing style dress by Groceries this summer in a cotton/hemp blend and unfortunately it faded with the first wash (I hung to dry). I still love it, but the fading makes it quite casual. Still ok, but for a $125 dress, I was a bit disappointed.
I love the Emerson Fry linen tees–great quality/weight linen and perfect for year round.
You can never go wrong with a white tee 🙂 I like the style of the tee and how it hangs + the cute pocket, but it looks a bit thin on the web site .. ?
Monica.
ah, interesting. i’m guessing the dye just doesn’t hold up as well as some others? or hemp doesn’t hold on to it as well? i think i’ll look into that more! could be a tradeoff of having more sustainable fabrics/dyes…i would be disappointed as well. when i buy black, i want BLACK.
I’m sure it has something to do with the dye. I agree about buying black though…black should stay black!
ah, yes, an organic cotton JP casual tee? the BEST ever. i’ve seen pieces here and there with organic cotton. and i had a skirt that was made with recycled poly blend, so i know the mindset is there…
i haven’t tried the emerson fry linen tees yet. i have no idea why not. possibly because i can’t get over the “hurdle” of considering it a summer fabric. and i was gifted the zady linen tee this summer. i know it doesn’t HAVE to be, but it just is. to me. i was considering getting the long sleeve linen tee though, to try it out though. see if i can do it…LOL
I have not purchased anything from them yet–but I think I will because I am all for supporting a company that is on a mission to make quality t-shirts and make the world a better place!
Grechen, I got those shoes last week and love them. I chose them because of the description–narrow– and indeed they are! Love!! Many shoes slip on my heels, not these thus far. The toe area is quite tapered, perhaps a problem for some as well, but not if you are a narrow gal. Hope you like them, too.
hi lane! i love them!! i haven’t worn them much since I got them because it’s been too hot, but now that it’s cooling off, i’m wearing them all the time.
i like the narrow toe, a lot, it’s comfortable, and quite flattering i think.
interestingly, these do slip up a bit on my heels, the more i wear them, so i’ll just get a heel insert, which will fix it. easy peasy 😉
My favorite Ts are (gasp) JCrew vintage Ts. I know, I know…so UNsustainable and UNorganic and NOT made in the U.S. I love the neck line, the fit and the feel and weight of the cotton. I’ve been searching high and low for a sustainable, organic, and/or made in U.S. replacement. Any ideas? I don’t like drapey and it must be 100% cotton. I like James Perse ok, and have a few, but I’m not crazy for the super low neckline. The JCrews are perfect, except for everything about their business model…
you like v-necks?
i think you’ll like the groceries apparel v-neck – i’m reviewing mine tomorrow 🙂