Wipe the Slate Clean

>> I’m known for not taking care of whites in our house. White garments that is. Steve’s give once-pristine white t-shirts and four white shirts have suffered the fate of incorrect washing machine procedures. What makes matters worse is that Steve is the type of guy who cares deeply about the state of his fresh whites. The other day I had misplaced a pizza box and Steve’s brand new Christophe Lemaire jersey interlock t-shirt with a neat breast pocket collided into the oil-soaked cardboard. Reacting immediately, I frantically scrubbed at it but managed to make the stain worse and seemingly permanent (final verdict yet to be revealed as it’s still at the dry cleaners). It was another perfect white to the pyre and Steve’s mood was almost inconsolable. Apparently it was THE perfect white t-shirt, exacting in cut, proportion and weight of cotton and was destined to be his new wardrobe cornerstone. Oh, and this happened on the morning of the first day of LC:M when we were both supposed to be out at shows. His white shirt “mojo” was shot. Crestfallen, he opted for one of those aforementioned “dead” white tees instead to get on with his day.

That the white shirt matters to people like Steve isn’t news. That I still look at one and think that a spag bol stain is a surefire inevitability is both a stumbling block and a shame. Look at palmer // harding and the wonderful things they’ve done to elevate the white shirt. Their pleats, drapes and clever bits of detailing do distract me from the amped up odds of ruination. But the inevitable was There is a reason why my dry cleaners smile broadly when I walk in.

At the same time as I had dropped off Steve’s perfect Lemaire tee for salvage, at the post office I had picked up a neat package from New York label Tome and lo and behold, inside it – a white shirt that could turn me. Namely that behind the mandarin collar trimmed with canvas, the side slits and longer back hemmed oversized shirt, there’s a poignant cause. A few weeks ago, Tome launched their White Shirt Project with this single style on sale on Net-a-Porter, with all proceeds going to the Freedom For All charity, which works to emancipate people from modern day slavery – with cheap and forced labour set-ups, human trafficking and domestic servitude still rife all over the world. Here the white shirt is significant as a symbol of a clean slate and a fresh start for victims of slavery. Clothes with a cause are also nothing new but this one is a lovely marriage between what is on its own, a beautiful garment and a meaningful charity. Tome aren’t new to the nuances of a white shirt as they already have a hit on their hands with a sold-out backless tie back shirt from their S/S 14 collection. It more than an impetus to get over my white shirt fear. That said, I’m sure as retribution for my previous white wash sins, this shirt will still probably fall prey to one of the following – kimchee juices spluttering from a hot pot, bacon sandwich grease or a glass of Rioja. Then my dry cleaners will bail me out once again. Once again a clean slate.