The Elusive “Plain” Tee

I’ve been getting inquiries about long sleeved shirts, and so I thought I’d do my best to compile what I’ve seen.  This is obviously not an extensive list, but here goes…

• Infant and toddler boys:  Target has striped tees, but their solids have pockets. Target does have long sleeved polo style shirts for little boys in a few different colors. Wal-Mart has striped, solids and thermal tees (I’ve been happy with the quality, and they’re the lowest price point in this category.)  I also saw some turtlenecks there, so they may be starting to arrive, as well.  Carter’s remains my favorite for onesies, and they have a few solids in a set in addition to the standard white.  Old Navy also has solids (can’t remember, but probably striped, too).  Lands End has some really nice long sleeved polo shirts.
• Big boys:  Sorry, not a lot of info on this one.  Old Navy had some awesome raglan sleeved tees (think baseball t-shirts) that I LOVED but didn’t come in a size small enough for our household.  OK, a quick check for that link showed me that Old Navy has solids, stripes, and waffle tees for big boys. Lands End has some really nice long sleeved polo shirts for big boys, too.
• Infant and toddler girls:  Target does have some nice solids.  Carter’s has some really sweet solids and of course white onesies for the little ones.  They have a set with pink, brown, and (I think) white that are all trimmed in a complimentary color of crochet edging that would look great with a matching monogram. (Carter’s and Old Navy are a great source for both interesting and basic leggings, by the way.)    I have to admit that I didn’t look at Wal-Mart, but they usually have something, so it’s worth checking if you’re in the neighborhood. Carter’s is the only place that I’ve seen turtlenecks for girls at this point, though I’ve always used the boys’ Target version for monogramming for my daughter.
• Big girls:  My favorites this season are at Target.  Nice weight of knit, slim fit, quite a few colors (they have hard to find black, red, and navy, as well as lots of other brights), and good price point.  The ones at Wal-Mart have a little gathering at the shoulders, but that won’t interfere with the monogramming at all as it’s not at the neck, so they’d work, too, and there are some different colors than Target.  (They have chocolate brown which can be tough to find.)  Children’s Place had some solids, and Old Navy had some stripes in addition to a good array of solids.  Again, the color selection differs, so if you’re looking for something particular, it’s worth shopping around this season.

And just a note, all stores are not created equal.  I struck out at my first Wal-Mart but went to a different store today and they had lots more of what I was looking for.  The same goes for Target—even perhaps more so.  They seem to get one shipment in, and once they’re out of your size, you’re out of luck.  If you’re serious about scoring some plain tees, shop early and shop often.  Return later.

Good luck, and if you’re looking for something specific, let me know.  I might be able to save you some time and give you an idea of where you should look first!