Golden Boy

What is it about the t-shirt that everybody loves? It's one of the essential, and eternally classic articles of clothing that EVERYONE, or at least most everyone in the world, owns and dons day-in and day-out. And whether the label says Hanes, Fruit-of-the-Loom, Michael Stars, Splendid, Velvet, LNA, or James Perse; or whether it's a 'Beefy-T', or combed cotton, wring-spun cotton, jersey, pima, or organically made, everyone has a favorite. From Paris runways to the local auto repair shop it's worn by every class of people in every country. There's a classic Seinfeld episode (entitled 'The Marine Biologist') in which Jerry extols the virtues of one old t-shirt that has been with him for years.

Jerry: Elaine, see this T-shirts, six years I've had this T-shirts, it's my best one, I call him...Golden Boy

Elaine: I'm on the phone here.

Jerry: Golden Boy is always the first shirt I wear out of the laundry, here touch Golden Boy!

Elaine: No thanks. (to the phone)Yeah, Yeah I'll hold.

Jerry: But see look at the collar, see it's fraying. Golden Boy is slowly dying. Each wash is brings him one step closer, that's what makes the T-shirts such a tragic figure.

Elaine: Why don't you just let Golden Boy soak in the sink with some Woolite?

Jerry: No!!! The reason he's iron man is because he goes out there and plays every game. Wash!!! Spin!!! Rinse!!! Spin!!! You take that away from him, you break his spirit!

What is the mystique of an old favorite T? My niece composed a poem that compares the old t-shirt to a best friend, and that's truly what it is. The good ones stay with you for years during good times and bad. They're there to support you on those days you need it most, or when you just want to feel comfortable. And when paired with a favorite pair of old jeans, life just doesn't get much easier than that.

As many jeans I have stacked in my closet, I must have twice as many t-shirts stacked in my dresser drawer. It's sad when the time comes to retire a Golden Boy out of a collection, but the good news is, there are always new ones to add to the rotation.