In Search of Old Fashioned Roundtree & Yorke Tank Top

Lot’s of email activity going on over here at HQ. What’s really interesting is that the questions keep getting harder and harder! I love it! Of late, I’ve received several emails, like this one, from readers looking for certain tank tops from the past.

A Question About Roundtree & York Tank Tops

Hi Tug-

I am an old fashioned guy (76 years) and am looking for an old fashioned undershirt.

Several years ago, I bought eight of the perfect undershirt at Dillard’s department store. The brand was Roundtree and Yorke.

But, they are wearing out now and I have not been able to find them again. Not at Dillard’s store or website or even with a lot of Google searching.

Can you help me find an equivalent?

Here is what I need.

The undershirt is sleeveless (but not a “muscle shirt”) and looks like the usual ribbed undershirt. But, this material was NOT ribbed.

Also, there is no seam down either side. The 100 percent cotton material was soft, like a Jockey sleeved tee undershirt. The material was very heavy compared to a typical ribbed undershirt.

I found and order three Anvil undershirts that were advertised as 100 percent cotton with a weight of 6.1 oz.

The undershirt were of the proper shape and did not have a seam down the side. But, the cotton was very rough and aggressive feeling, not smooth like the Roundtree and Yorke shirts (or the Jockey tee shirt).

Also, the material might have been a little heavier than standard, but it was not what I would have considered to be “Heavy”.

I don’t want tight fitting, moisture wicking, self cleaning or whatever. Just an old fashioned soft and heavy cotton undershirt with seams down the side.

Any help would be appreciated.

Lloyd

After Some Digging…

Hey Lloyd,

Good to hear from you and thanks for your question!

To be totally honest, I’m not a big tank top guy, so I defer to a few of my tank top experts for help on the topic.

Not too long ago a reader wrote in looking for a replacement for his non-ribbed champion tank top and we put together a list of potential products for him in this tank top article.

I did a quick scan of the recommended products, and found some of them might meet most of your criteria, but not all.

Also, I recalled a couple other options that might be suitable as well. Below you will find a series of suggestions to take a look at.

The main thing i couldn’t find are tanks with no side seams (“seamless” or “tubular” body):

Closest match:

Black socks tank – http://www.blacksocks.com/lang/us/prod/products/shirts/whitetanktop-colette.htm (2-pack $47)

Hugo boss basics tank – http://www.mensunderwearstore.com/prod/hugo-boss/HB-50125013.html ($13.50, but based on photos it looks like it could be fine ribbed)

Other options:

Gildan – http://www.t-shirtwholesaler.com/Gildan_G220.htm – not sure if it’s non-ribbed and may be softer than the anvil you discovered ($4.12)

Hanro cotton pure tank – https://shop.hanrousa.com/product/tank-top-1987.cfm ($62)

Hanro cotton sporty tank – https://shop.hanrousa.com/product/tank-top-1999.cfm ($70)

Emporio armani – http://www.freshpair.com/Emporio-Armani-Stretch-Cotton-Tank-110828.html – not 100% cotton, but non-ribbed ($25)

I will check with my tank top guys to see if they have an updated recommendations.

Additionally, I will see if I can track down some contacts at Dillards to see if they have any RoundTree and Yorke intel – but that might take a while.

Take a look at the options above and let me know if anything seems like it might be a fit.

Also, keep me posted on what you decide to buy and how it works out for you so we can make a full article on this topic!

Hope the above helps out!

Tug’s Tank Top Experts Chime In

So I heard back from a couple of my tank top experts, and we added the following tank tops to the list:

Nautica A-Shirt (available at Hisroom.com)

DNKY loose fitting A-Shirt (no longer available)

Calvin Klein loose fit tank (available at Macy’s, but made from ribbed cotton)

Dillard’s To the Rescue!

I did some back channel investigation and was able to track down the email addresses of some folks at Dillard’s who I thought might be able to help.

Never in a million years could I have guessed who promptly emailed me back to help out – the super hot Annemarie Dillard herself!

Check Annemarie & her sister Alexandra out on their Fashion Files at Dillard’s Facebook page

Let me tell you,  not only was Annemarie extremely responsive to my inquiry and subsequent follow-up emails, she also facilitated the introduction to the folks who took time out of their busy schedules to track down the definitive answer.

It goes without saying that Annemarie and the rest of the team there really went over and above the call of duty to help yours truly out.  

Now it’s time for me to repay the favor, go buy a shit load of undershirts from Dillard’s and give’m some love here.

Here’s what they sent me:

Roundtree & Yorke no longer has a similar undershirt to what your reader was describing.

However, our men’s undergarment buyer located the Murano option below.

Murano Tanks 3-pack – 02614868 ($28)

This is the closest option that we have! Hope this helps!

A big shout out and thank you to Kimberly at Dillard’s who was also super responsive and got me that info above!

A Follow-Up To Lloyd

I’ve sent Lloyd all the above information.

So far, I know he’s purchased the Gildan tank I recommended above, but hopefully he’ll go out and buy the Murano’s from Dillard’s and let us know what he thinks!

I’ll keep this post updated as we hear back from Lloyd.

Update from Lloyd

Hi,

Since you specialize in undershirts, you might be interested in a user report.

I bought three Anvil 215 and two Gildan G220 undershirts. The good thing about both shirts is the price is around $5.

The 100% cotton cloth on both shirts was relatively coarse. They were not made from fine cotton, but they did not itch.

The Gildan cloth had a slightly finer weave and was a little bit smoother. Next, the Gildan had a better length to width ratio.

The Anvil was very wide (good for a fat guy).

The Gildan had a narrower tape surrounding the arm holes and neck.

So, I have a few new undershirts and can move on to other bigger problems!

I would probably buy Gildan again, but I will keep my eye open for something better.

Thanks for your help and interest,

Lloyd