Lemaire Rib Tank Top

A rib is a knit structure rather than a pattern printed or pressed onto one. Columns of stitch are alternated front and back so the fabric folds into vertical channels, and because those channels can open and close the cloth stretches widthways and springs back, which a plain jersey does not do nearly as well. That is why ribbing is used at cuffs and collars on almost every knitted garment ever made. Made into a whole tank it means the garment follows the body without being cut close, and it recovers its shape rather than seating out at the chest. Doing it at a mid weight rather than a fine one is the decision that separates this from an undershirt: there is enough substance in the cloth to be opaque and to hold a clean edge at the arm and the neck. The collar and the straps are ribbed to match, so there is no contrast binding anywhere and the whole garment is one continuous structure.

Why we selected it

A rib tank at a real weight, with matched ribbing rather than a bound edge, is a properly made version of a garment that is usually an afterthought.

Materials and construction

100% cotton, in a mid-weight jersey knitted into a flexible rib, with a ribbed collar and ribbed straps. Made in Portugal, in squid ink.

Fit notes

Rib stretches widthways and recovers, so it follows the body rather than hanging from it and will suit a range of shapes in the same size. We do not hold measurements, and there is no Lemaire size chart on this site.

Care

Wash cool and dry flat. Ribbed cotton is stretched permanently by hanging it wet, since the weight of the water pulls the channels open and they do not fully recover, so this is a garment to lay flat rather than to hang. Our fabric care guide has a section on cotton.

Related pieces

In jersey, the LS Relaxed Tee. The Seamless Top is the knitted layer cut close. Everything we carry from Lemaire is listed together.