Back to basics

Much as I love those pricey, super-soft, ultra-lightweight tees, let's be honest: they're only for the ultra-rich and ultra-wasteful. After you shell out $75 and up for the things, they last about two heavenly weeks before they're riddled with tiny holes, snags, pills, and unraveling seams.

Which is why I prefer my basics cheap, sturdy, and from American Apparel.

But if you've got to go the disposable route, cradle-to-cradle sustainability says, well, let's make it as environmentally friendly as possible -- and there are more and more organic cotton lines out there to fill your needs. Case in point: Australia's Bassike, written up in today's JC Report.

While organic cotton is great, watch out for bamboo fabric, often marketed as an eco-alternative. The fast-growing Asian weed is a great alternative to wood, but it takes some pretty harsh chemicals required to turn tough bamboo stalks into soft threads, and after all that, the fabric tends to disintegrate pretty quickly. There's a thorough investigation on the Organic_Clothing blog.

Photo via JC Report