We drive through Gray's Ferry and Point Breeze fairly often (rather than take 76 2 exits to get to quatermaster plaza) and are allways puzzeled as to why nearly everyone in the neighborhood seems to be wearing the exact same outfit: long plain white T-shirts with dark jeans and white sneakers. It seems to us that every young man we see is dressed this way. But then today, we saw an entire group in black T-shirts and lots of people other than young men in the white ones.

We've gotten curious enough about this "uniform" to finally ask: can someone please explain this?

Gangs, they're in gangs.

Or they want to look like they're in gangs.

According to my social worker wife who works in a hospital in Trenton they don't wear their colors as obviously as they once did, and tend to dress their women (AKA: Baby mamas) in their colors.

Not sure what the black tees are about, but probably the same thing.

Its not necessarily as nefrious as all that but it is weird fashion trend. For one thing the style these days is to wear an XXXL even if in reality you are barely an L in size. Either you pay a lot of moeny to buy some very high-end sports gear 3 sizes too large with you favorite pro athlete on it or you just buy really cheap white tees.

Also, because people buy such cheap shirts - its common not to wash the shirt if it gets stained - just toss it. By wearing clothes that are disposable in a way even the poor can seem to be sporting brand new duds all the time.

It was a trend when I was in high school some 10 years ago... Do you really think it's meant to look good just because they're usually new?

Anyway, we figured they were gangs, but wondered gangsters seem to mostly get around on little pink bikes.

I'd like to think it's all fashion, but if it is indeed fashion, it's a fashion of imitating gang members. My wife deals with several per month who have been shot, and most admit to their gang affiliation.

We've got 'em in Fishtown, too. Apparently police officers are calling this "Uniform 1" since they were describing the exact same attire so many times. Kind of amusing in a way. There's a whole discussion about this on fishtown.us.

From my non-hip perspective, it's sort of like a bad school uniform they all look fat in.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

There was a song a couple years ago by Dem Franchize Boys called "White Tee" that extolled the virtues of the tall white tee-shirt. They're cheap, so you can buy a lot of 'em and throw 'em out cheaper/easier than laundry money. Personally, I think they're pretty refreshing. You can look at 'em as a backlash against the logo-encrusted brand loyalty of Nike clothes or, as the song says, the recent throwback jersey phase. It's minimalist.

Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee
Yup in my white tee

[Hook]
I slang in my white tee
I bang in my white tee
All in the club spitting game in my white tee
I bling in my white tee serve feigns in my white tee
F**k a throwback i look clean in my white tee

[Hook]
I slang in my white tee
I bang in my white tee
All in the club spitting game in my white tee
I bling in my white tee serve feigns in my white tee
F**k a throwback i look clean in my white tee

[Verse 1]
Step on the scene with some green and some hard white work
Real clean fresh jeans and a all white shirt
We all get money and we all smoke twerk
Hit the dirt one squirt will leave all yall murk
Cause im fresh in my white tee they glance at my white tee and i
Got the hat that match my pants and my white tee
Whoever that you might see
I know they got a white tee
Uncle brother sister mother dad or ur wifey
Hanes or fruit of the loom be the
Name of my white tee
I gotta change man its a stain on my white tee
Lames in a white tee i bring the pain in my white tee
Hispanic, cracka, *****, even yang's wearin white tee
Hit the club deep and we all got a white tee
A throw back no that hell naw it dont excite me
You dont need no throwback cause you will be set on your white
Tee you can get a circle or a v neck on ur white tee

[Hook]
I slang in my white tee
I bang in my white tee
All in the club spitting game in my white tee
I bling in my white tee serve feigns in my white tee
F**k a throwback i look clean in my white tee

[Hook]
I slang in my white tee
I bang in my white tee
All in the club spitting game in my white tee
I bling in my white tee serve feigns in my white tee
F**k a throwback i look clean in my white tee

[Verse 2]
I hit the mall in my white tee
Ooh I think they like me or they like the diamonds cause they shine so brightly
Yeah u know i how i be under my tee it the wifey
Double tucked or tightly
For them niggas who think im soft ***** come and try me
They going to find your body
White tees in the club and while we drinking on bacardi
F**k throwbacks white tees in party
Now dont get me started gotta try bacardi
Drama we avoid it
Everyone one wear white tees cause they can afford it
Girls wear white tees, boys wear white tees
Niggas in the trap now i bet they got a white tee
I wear a white tee, you wear a white tee
The next day catch me with a brand new white tee
Oh they buy clean white shoes fresh jeans
But on that boy shirt what it say not a thingg

[Hook]
I slang in my white tee
I bang in my white tee
All in the club spitting game in my white tee
I bling in my white tee serve feigns in my white tee
F**k a throwback i look clean in my white tee

[Hook]
I slang in my white tee
I bang in my white tee
All in the club spitting game in my white tee
I bling in my white tee serve feigns in my white tee
F**k a throwback i look clean in my white tee

I gotta couple throwbacks it just I choose not to wear them
White tee extravganza ***** like a foot locker sale
Niggas think i done fail but my paper stacking a lot
Or you can throw back this but
Partner check my nine
And im a ghetto gangsta white tee laws gone hate ya
Street gangs with a little fame them hoes gonna chase ya
Can't exscape from this white sh*t it done covered the map
Like crack been here in the 80s and it took over the trap
Come to the hood you can find me trapping in my white tee
Standing with a full grill niggas might try me know how i be still in my white tee
Rock jeans tiger green yeah girls like me
Haters try to bite me
Some try to dislike me
Became a rich ***** and the feds try to indicte me

Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee
Yeah in my white tee

God, if I wore a white tee, I would have to carry a big bag with five of them in it around as back-ups. I ALWAYS spill something on myself when I wear white, it NEVER fails. Wearing black is so much easier.

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Freixenet, Moët. Doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s not Great Western. -- Henri David

I wear white t-shirts, doesn't mean I wanna be in a gang

It's essentially evolved that it's meaningless if someone's wearing a 3xl shirt, but I guess it's loosely 'fit the profile' type stuff for some

jermain's probably right though

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I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake

- On the lookout for black people and immigrants

REPLY

This is partially correct. It is only a fashion faux pas
if you wear it with open-toed shoes.

Joel

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