Lemaire Rib Tank Top

A rib is a structure rather than a pattern printed or pressed onto one. The cloth is built in alternating columns front and back so that it folds into vertical channels, and because those channels can open and close it 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 garment that has to give and recover. 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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