C&C California

The simple, shapeless T has taken a fashionable turn: It now has a body-skimming fit, is offered in a rainbow of colors and has a more luxurious hand thanks to new fabric blends and washes.

Pop star Mandy Moore created her own line and label, Mblem, so she could have an unlimited supply of "functional, casual and sexy" Ts.

"It all evolved from the fact that I'm totally the jeans and T-shirt girl. If I can get away with wearing jeans and a T-shirt somewhere, I'll do it," she says.

Ease really is the appeal of the T, but designers and manufacturers have realized comfort doesn't necessarily mean sloppy. The Los Angeles-based Juicy Couture is widely credited with making casual clothes cool, but why stop with the hoodie and drawstring pants? asks Claire Stansfield, co-founder and co-president of C&C California, another West Coast sportswear collection that made its mark with signature T-shirts.

She and business partner Cheyann Benedict "were T-shirt connoisseurs since high school. Our favorites were always the ones we'd had for a long time. We liked them because they were broken down from years of washing; the only 'new' ones we'd buy were from vintage shops because they had the same feel," Stansfield says. C&C's mission became creating a more sophisticated version of the old T that would be more appropriate for more occasions.

"Everyone has a T-shirt from high school or college that they stole from their boyfriend that is their 'go-to' shirt when they wanted to be comfortable. But we also wanted you to able to wear it out," Stansfield says. Read More…