The Dude abides. No further justification is really needed than that.
Many of you will likely be surprised to hear that I wear v-neck t-shirts quite often. Although I talk about tailored wear most of the time here on The Fine Young Gentleman, I wear suits less than half of the time. But I chose to write about them most of the time. That said, I still rarely leave the house in anything less than a collared shirt, but when I do chances are pretty good it is my ambulance company’s shirt or a v-neck. Why the v-neck? Well, The Dude abides, man.
The Big Lebowski is one of my favorite films and the main character, one of my favorite characters of all time. In fact, back in the day when I drank what was arguably too much I was The Dude for halloween 5 years in a row. I would go around with bottles of homemade White Russian and bags of ‘joints’ while wearing a robe and v-neck. Those were the days…
Anyway, enough of my nostalgic musings… There is something about his minimalistic, practical and easy going life style that is so enchanting. His flow is also flawless. I suppose there is a bit of a romantic aspect to it.
Like any man, a key part to The Dude’s life style is his clothing style. Which mirrors his approach to life. His clothing is epically relaxed and laid back, to say the least. Perhaps the most central part of his wardrobe is the v-neck t-shirt (followed closely by his flawless flow). A majority of the time The Dude is seen on screen he is wearing a v-neck. No reason is ever given as to why he chooses a v-neck over a crew neck so the viewer just has to accept it as is. I personally think a v-neck looks better in a solid color than a crew neck. I also think it fits better with the ethos of The Dude better than a crew neck as well as being more elegant.
On the subject of styling; V-necks can be paired with many things; jeans, pajamas, cardigans, shorts and some even pair them with a suit or blazer (which as you can imagine I am not a fan of). I most often pair a v-neck with shorts, I think it is a great super casual summer look. In the photo above I pair it with my beloved drawstring Reds and shoes from Jay Butler (my shoe and leather accessories brand that I’ve been putting together). What are your thoughts on v-neck t-shirts, do you wear them? If so, with what?
–JLJ
Most of my t-shirts are solids or horizontal stripes, though most of them are crew necks. The v-neck I own is my favourite of them, so perhaps I should get more. I wear tailored clothing through my work week, however, so I rarely ever wear a t-shirt, jeans, and shorts except on the weekends.
Yes, that film was very impressive and extraordinary, but I never viewed Dude as a lifestyle model. He does not qualify as someone who understands himself. He’s an imaginary creature, a fiction, who destroys his own thinking by alcohol and THC, etc. California dreaming.
I have many v-neck Sea Island Smedleys, which I wear as undershirt under my Extreme Cutaways. But since the joint seams under the short sleeves decompose and develop holes, I’m going to replace them with with hopefully sturdier tough cotton Sunspel Tshirts, which offer colors in round, not v-neck model. Since I love color.
I don’t know, man, if I were spending that much money on Sunspel I’d get a few of their great polo shirts instead.
I dont know, I’d have to say the amazing message from the Big Lebowski was that the Dude was just happy living life. All he wanted was his rug, man.
If you happen to catch me in a t-shirt, it’s almost always a v-neck. V-necks look especially good on people with broad shoulders and people with bigger trap and neck muscles, in my opinion. Plus it helps you stand out from the ground a little bit when everyone around you opts out and goes for the crew neck.