Here’s a little history lesson for you: plain white T-shirts first appeared in the late 19th century, when some manufacturer decided to split the union suit into separates. And originally, they were meant to protect one’s finer outer layers from the perils of, well, sweat.
Like boxers for your chest.
But the rules have changed in the past century. The undershirt has, on occasion, been called to take sartorial center stage. Like before bed. Or between takes on set. Or during takes, for that matter. And throughout it all, some brave, overtly stylish men have succeeded in proving that these baser layers can be worth way more than their thread count.
So we’ve assembled the finest moments in Style Icons Wearing Undershirts for you…
James Dean
Dustin Hoffman
Marlon Brando
Paul Newman
Jon Hamm
Ryan Gosling
John F. Kennedy
Sean Connery
Steve McQueen
River Phoenix
Bruce Springsteen
Brad Pitt
—S.P.
Source:
http://www.getkempt.com/the-past/style-icons-wearing-undershirts.php