Fit, cotton quality, and color are the obvious elements when evaluating a t-shirt.   But what about weight? 

Standard men’s t-shirts have an approximate 5 oz range between the lightweight and heavyweight.   

The lightweight can be luxurious.  The heavyweight has perceived value in durability.  But both have drawbacks; let’s take a look.

The Lightweight

Luxury brands create a buzz with their buttery soft fabrics; they’re lightweight and drapey.  When you feel them at the store, it’s an “oh my goodness, this is so soft reaction”. 

The luxury brands take a lightweight, high-quality cotton fabric and load it with enzymes and softeners to create that super-soft hand.   Its airy-weight and soft feel against the skin should make for your next favorite t-shirt.  But beware…   

When we were testing the best weight for Todd Shelton t-shirts, we developed a range of fabric weights, made t-shirts, then wore them and studied the results. 

We included a lightweight, buttery soft t-shirt in our testing.

The lightweight fabric felt great against the skin, but the t-shirt was so soft it became limp.  The fabric languished on the body.  The drapiness showed every curve of the guys chest and waistline – and that was the problem. 

If we knew a better way to say this we would (if you’re squeamish, don’t read this paragraph):  the lightweight fabric shows nipples, the curve of the boob, and the exact location of any belly rolls when you’re sitting relaxed. 

Since we believe it’s our job to make our customers look better, we eliminated the lightweight, buttery-soft t-shirt from our testing.  Now you know.

 The Heavyweight

The risk of a heavy weight t-shirt is that you feel it – as you wear it.  It’s warmer than necessary and it doesn’t move as freely.  It may last for decades, but you may not want it lingering around for that long.

The Todd Shelton Weight

If there were a scale showing standard men’s t-shirt weights, with 1 being the lightest and 5 being the heaviest; the Todd Shelton t-shirt would be a steady 3.4. 

Our t-shirt could never be confused as lightweight; it’s not unnecessarily heavy either.  It’s simply substantial.

Through our testing, we found a substantial weight fabric helped maintain a consistent shape.  The (slightly) heavier fabric stands on its own and doesn’t cling to the body. 

It doesn’t possess the “fashion” of a luxury brand t-shirt.  Instead, it looks like a high-quality American guys t-shirt.  It compliments his shape no matter what kind of shape he is in.    

The sturdiness of the fabric will ensure the t-shirt can absorb years of wearing and washing.

The Cotton

In August 2010, Todd Shelton will be releasing new t-shirts made from 100% American grown Pima cotton, considered the best internationally.  The yarn is provided by America’s highest quality spinning mill, Buhler.

There is no difference in yarn quality between Todd Shelton and what we titled the “luxury brands”.  We’re both using the best cotton yarns available.  The difference is the knit construction and weight, both designer preferences.

The increased cost of American grown Pima will subsequently increase the price of our t-shirts.  Please expect a price increase in August 2010.  We’re confident the quality will exceed any initial reservations you may have with the new prices.

Todd Shelton received the cover of Bucks Life; a lifestyle magazine for Bucks County, PA.  If you live in Bucks County, pick up a copy.

The pictures of Paul in Todd Shelton will release when the new product releases.  Here we show you a couple of pictures from the night at the carnival.  We’d also like to introduce a new face to Todd Shelton, Kendra (the bottom two pictures), who we hope you will see more of in the future.

The rain just cleared.  Although we had to wait for the rain, we didn’t mind, the wet pavement created beautiful reflections from the carnival lights.

The star of the “World of Wonders”.

At the “World’s Smallest Horse” exhibit, this guy tells us his little horse has a much better life than him.

Kendra, a new face around Todd Shelton, pops a balloon on her first try.  Good aim.

You’ll see more of Kendra accompanying Paul when the pictures from the photoshoot release.

All Todd Shelton products are made in America and we use American made fabrics whenever possible, but not all of our fabrics come from America.  Why?  Some fabrics are no longer made here.

Fabrics Still Made in America 

America no longer produces all fabric categories, most fabric mills have shut down.  However, denim and cotton knits (t-shirt fabric) are still made here. 

Denim and cotton knits are high volume categories, enabling some US mills to remain open, despite the challenges from foreign competition. 

At Todd Shelton, we use American made denim and t-shirt fabric, both produced in America’s south.  The American mills we work with are regarded as World-Class.

Fabrics No Longer Made in America

Shirting fabric and trouser fabric are no longer made in the USA.  Some of you will find that hard to believe for a country our size.  It’s true.  The exception may be a limited line of uniform/workwear fabrics; certainly not suitable for your casual or dress wardrobe.

The best quality shirting and trouser fabrics are made in Europe.  We use shirting and trouser fabric from Italy, Germany and Portugal. 

Today, the European mills face the same challenges from Asian competition that shut down the American mills.  It would be devastating to lose these European mills.

How We Select Country of Origin

When American fabrics are not available, we search for mills located in countries that share a similar world view with America.  A history of artisanship is critical.  And philosophically, we appreciate working with a country whose government views America as an ally, and a population that views Americans as friends.

Then we identify the mills within those countries that are respected as being the best.  We try to get an understanding of the mills culture; how they treat small customers (such as Todd Shelton) is an indicator to their values. 

We select a few mills that fit well with the Todd Shelton brand, and then sample and wear test their fabrics.  Regardless of price, we search for the best performers. 

If one mill offers a clearly superior fabric, but it adds $10 to the price of the product, we’ll accept the increase.  The quality exceeds the additional money spent, and owning the product will be more rewarding for our customer.  

Conversely, if two mills offer nearly identical fabrics, and by using one mill we could reduce our products price by $10, we’ll save our customer the money.  We put much effort in identifying fabrics that offer the best quality, price and value.

In Conclusion

When American fabrics aren’t available, we support and use fabrics from mills that we believe our customers will be proud to have as a partner in the making of their garment.

You can wash your jeans as you do any garment, but if you want to preserve the integrity of the denim and bring out the high’s-and-low’s (which makes denim beautiful and your jeans unique), you’ll need to make a few adjustments to your standard wash process.

Each time you wash your jeans, you wash away a touch of the denims natural indigo color.  This color loss not only changes the color of your jeans, it also fades the distinct high-and-low distress marks created each time you wear them.  Keeping this distress visible is desirable; with it, the jeans become unique to you.

Here we offer you a few simple ideas to keep your denim looking special after the wash process:

 Wait Till You Can’t Wait Anymore

If you learn anything from this article, learn that you don’t need to wash your jeans as often as other garments.  The more you wash your jeans, the more character you strip away.

Denim has the ability to “shake off” most anything you’ll accidentally or purposefully rub on it during a day (almost magically), so constant washing isn’t necessary. 

The day will come when you know it’s time for a good cleaning.  Until then, resist “knee-jerk” washing.  “I’m doing a load of darks, do you have anything you need washed”, she asked.  “I guess you could wash my jeans”, you should avoid responding.  “I’m good for now, but thanks”, may be the more thoughtful response.

Turn the Jeans Inside Out

Most guys won’t turn their jeans inside/out before washing; it’s an extra step they’re unsure makes any difference.  But turning your jeans (or any garment) inside/out has a purpose. 

During the wash process jeans rub against each other, this abrasion (over time) breaks down the integrity of the denims cotton fibers. By turning your jeans inside out, the abrasion takes place on the under side, preserving the surface.

Don’t Stuff Your Washer Full

Imagine a washing machine packed solid with jeans; during the agitation cycle the jeans constantly rub against each other.  They have no room to move freely, increasing the abrasion and deteriorating the cotton fibers.    

Now imagine a washing machine half full of jeans; during the agitation cycle the jeans are suspended in water.  They can move without obstruction, reducing abrasion and wear. 

Less abrasion will preserve the cotton fibers and indigo color.  So instead of jamming in those last few garments set on doing just one load, break it into two loads.

Wash Cold, Gentle Cycle

Washing in cold water helps preserve the denims indigo color.  Washing in hot water can cause the denim to bleed indigo (no good).  You want to minimize the color reduction during the wash process.  Wash in cold water, your jeans will get clean and you’ll preserve the natural indigo.  

The “Gentle Cycle” is the best setting to reduce abrasion and minimize color loss, while still cleaning the jeans.  A less vigorous wash cycle will help maintain the high-and-low distress.

Don’t Tumble Dry, Air Dry Instead

From the washing machine, turn your jeans right-side-out and lay them over a chair to dry.  Once dry (several hours later), they’ll be a bit more stiff than if you tumbled them, but they’ll loosen up quickly once on.  

By air drying, you save the jeans about 40 minutes of heat and abrasion from the dryer.

The Romance and Quirkiness of Denim Care

If you don’t already know, there is a cool subculture of denim enthusiasts affectionately called “denim-heads”.  They think about denim like some guys think about Star Wars. 

Some denim-heads never wash their jeans, but if their denim absolutely needs cleaning, they’ve developed creative alternatives to the washing machine.  Here’s a few:

• Wash your jeans in the ocean. The salt water preserves the indigo and kills bacteria. 
•  Wash your jeans while wearing them in the shower.  The denim will be cleaned as they form to your body. 
•  Put your jeans in a plastic bag and place in the freezer overnight.  The cold will kill bacteria and your jeans don’t have to come in contact with water.

Although these solutions are intriguing, they might not work for every guy, that’s why we titled this article “Washing Jeans: A Practical Guide for Denim People”. 

Wash only when necessary.  Turn inside/out.  Don’t over stuff the machine.  Wash cold.  Air dry.

If you’re interested in “Made in the USA”, you already know we’ve lost the ability to produce the many things we once could.  Sweaters may be one such casualty.  American clothing makers have faced such troubled market conditions the past two decades; they’ve had no flexibility to invest in new machinery or facility upgrades.  The makers that remain are small and their machinery is non-modern.  But is it modern machinery that makes clothing meaningful?  Or is it the people and their traditions in craftsmanship?    

Last Spring (2009), we decided it was time to develop a wool sweater for the Todd Shelton brand.  We knew it would be one of the biggest manufacturing challenges we’d faced in America; the infrastructure (machinery and skill) had exited the country over 10 years ago.  Two shops in our area remained open (shells of what they once were), but they only produced cotton knits – not wool.  These shops had the experience, they’d made wool sweaters years ago, but the machinery and the market were different now.   

Could the non-modern machinery and the vintage construction that made American sweaters for generations compete with the quality of the modern machines in Asia?  The modern machines make a “fully-fashioned” sweater; the machines knit the entire sweater in one piece.  The shops we are loyal to make a “cut & sew” sweater; the body, sleeves and neck are cut individually from knitted fabric and sewn together. 

It’s been fully fashioned sweaters that have taken over the market.  Asia has the machinery. Fully fashioned sweaters are in stores from Target to Barneys – the construction is modern and clean; considered by buyers to be the most desirable.  Cut & sew (in contrast) was the method considered “old hat”, but it had two advantages:  stronger seams (think no holes under the arms) and the spirit of American heritage. 

Starting in Spring 2009 we worked on refining our knitting and “cut & sew” construction techniques, we were making progress weekly, with the hope of releasing our first sweater for Holiday 2009.  But we missed that release, we needed more time for development.  Nearly a year after the project started, we are meeting this Saturday (5/22/2010) to see our most advanced sample (being made this week).  This sample brings together one year of development. 

We plan on having good news to report.  The sample we receive Saturday will determine the future of this project.  If the news is not good, we do have a backup plan, unfortunately it would delay any release until Fall 2011.

There are a few different dyeing methods used for t-shirts.  We choose to garment dye, which means the t-shirt (or garment) is made then dyed.  Although garment dyeing is the most extensive of the dyeing methods, it enables us to achieve a softer, broken-in feel and it takes out 99% of the shrinkage to ensure consistent sizing. 

What Does Garment Dye Mean to You

No shrinkage.  If the t-shirt fits right the first time you put it on, it will fit right for as long as you own it.  Why?  The fabrics been commercially washed and dried, twice.  Garment dye also results in a softer feel and richer color.

Here’s How Our Garment Dye Process Works 

• We purchase cotton yarn from a yarn spinner in Georgia, it comes in a bleached cotton color (on cones); the spinner sends it to our knitter in North Carolina. 
• The knitter knits the yarn into our t-shirt fabric and puts it onto rolls. 
• The knitter sends the rolls to a wash house, also in North Carolina, where the fabric is rinsed and tumbled dry to stabilize the shrinkage.  This process removes 95% of shrinkage. 
• The wash house sends the fabric to our cut & sew shop in New Jersey. 
• The cut and sew shop cuts one t-shirt from the fabric and sends it to be dyed, rinsed and tumbled to determine additional shrinkage.
• The t-shirt patterns are adjusted to account for the additional shrinkage and the t-shirts are cut & sewn.
• The (nearly finished) t-shirts are then sent to the dye-house in New York to become the desired color (blue, red, grey, whatever). 
• The dye-house returns them to the cut & sew shop where they are inspected, labeled and pressed.  Now they’re complete.

 Other Types of Dyeing for T-Shirts

Piece-Dye:  the most common t-shirt dyeing method.  Piece-dyeing is the process of dyeing the “piece goods”.  The t-shirt fabric is knitted in a natural cotton color and put onto rolls, it’s then unrolled through a dye bath to become the desired color.  The fabric is then framed (stretched to the intended width specification) and rerolled.  The rolls are sent to a cut and sew shop where they’re cut into t-shirts and packaged. 

Yarn-Dye: the yarn is dyed the desired color before the t-shirt fabric is knitted.  Used mainly for Heather colored t-shirts.

We hope you found this article helpful.  To read more about our American made t-shirts, please see Todd Shelton T-Shirts

About Natirar

Natirar is a 500-acre historical estate in Peapack-Gladstone, NJ – which up until recently was the summer home of the king of Morocco.  The vision for Natirar is a 76 guest room mansion, an eco-friendly spa; a farm, restaurant and culinary center.

This is a picture we took.  See more dramatic pictures of the estate at the Natirar website

About the Restaurant

Their website puts it best, “Farm to table is one thing, Ninety Acres is a table at the farm.”  Much of the restaurants menu comes from the livestock and produce from the estates farm, with nearly the entire menu being local.  It received a four-star review from the New York Times. 

If you are from the area or plan to be in the area, we’d recommend visiting Natirar for a meal at Ninety Acres.  It’s surprisingly affordable for such a special meal on a beautiful estate.

The Chest

Fitting the chest is the best place to start.  We’d prefer our customers wear a tailored fit and we size our shirts accordingly.  A tailored fit (in comparison to a baggy fit) reduces unnecessary bulk, adds shape and style.   

If you’d prefer more room, choose one-half size up.  If you’d prefer less room, choose one-half size down.  Since we offer “In-Between Sizes” you can tweak your fit without going up or down a full size. 

The Shoulders

The cut of the shoulders will frame your upper body; establishing the proportion between your chest, shoulders and neck.  A proper fitting shoulder, with seams that lay on your shoulders edge, will add structure to your shape.  A overly generous shoulder, with seams that fall well over your shoulders edge, adds unnecessary bulk to the chest and armholes (visually weakening the proportion).

The Collar and Neckline

The fit of the collar is the “deal-maker” or “deal-breaker” for many guys, including us at Todd Shelton.  No other detail on the Todd Shelton shirt receives more attention.   We put endless thought into the shape, style and construction of our two collar options, and we put even more time into the ensuring the collar wraps around the neck properly.  To do this, our collar widths are generous and we developed proprietary “collar-controls”, both help keep the collar from spreading open.

The Length

Our shirts are designed for dual-purpose: office and casual.  For example: you need to be able to tuck your shirt in with trousers and untuck your shirt with jeans or khakis.  The overall length is critical to being able to wear the shirt (with style) for both purposes. The length needs to be long enough to tuck, but not so long that it looks like a business shirt pulled out. 

The Armholes and Sleeves

Often overlooked when evaluating a shirt, the armhole measurements have a meaningful function in how well your shirt fits.  An armhole cut too generous leaves excessive fabric to sag and fold.  In contrast, an stingy fitted armhole will create pulling and comfort/mobility issues.  As with all fit categories for shirts, finding the right balance is the answer.

We hope you found this article helpful.  Please view our shirt collection

Todd Shelton shirts are made in America

In other words, jeans are not true to size.  All the denim brands we’ve evaluated are between 1” and 3” over the labeled size.  For example: a jean with a 34 size label could measure anywhere from 35” to 37”.  To make sense of this, you’d need to understand the designer’s intentions.  Levi’s has a longer rise, it needs to sit higher on the waist to prevent sagging in the crotch, and for this Levi’s may target 1 1/4” over the label.  In contrast, Diesel has a shorter rise, it needs to sit lower on the waist to keep the crotch from riding up, and Diesel may target 2 1/2” over.

At Todd Shelton, our target is 1 ¾” over our labeled size (for jeans only), we have a ¼” tolerance meaning that our waist can measure between 1 ½” to 2” over; this applies to our trim and generous fit.  If you’re considering ordering a Todd Shelton jean, we’re going to show you how to determine your waist size based on the jeans you already own.

Grab your jean with the best fitting waist.  Lay it flat on a counter, smooth out the wrinkles in the waist.  With a ruler (or tape measure), measure across the middle of the waistband.  Double the measurement and that will be your target spec.  Keep in mind we add 1 ¾” to a labeled size, if your target is 34 ½” – you should order Todd Shelton 33”.

Compared to dress trousers, jean waist measurements are more generous for two main reasons.  First, jeans today are designed to be worn lower on the waist; the more generous the waist, the lower the jean will rest on the hips.  Second, jeans are more casual than trousers, designing for comfort is more acceptable and a more generous waist is more comfortable (and forgiving).

There’s the theory that clothing brands will put smaller size labels in larger clothing to make the customer feel smaller than their actual size, with the goal of improving self image.  We’ve heard from our girl friends that Banana Republic does this; they may be an actual size 6 but wear Banana Republic size 2.  They like the idea of being a size 2, so they shop at Banana Republic. 

If this type of resizing is being done, we believe it’s being done for women’s brands.  We haven’t seen this with men’s brands.  As mentioned above, there is a reason for increasing the waist measurements for men’s jeans; it has more to do with style than psychology.