The Bear is the newest hit series from FX that has everyone saying: “Yes, chef.” But what caught the attention of one eagle-eyed viewer more than the appetising food featured in The Bear was the clothes worn by the show’s star, Jeremy Allen White.
White – known for his work in the Showtime series Shameless – plays Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto in The Bear, a James Beard Award-winning chef who returns home to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after his older brother Mikey dies. White is this summer’s breakout star, with his scruffy hair and edgy tattoos making him the most popular chef on TV right now. It also helps that his wardrobe on the show – spearheaded by costume designers Cristina Spiridakis and Courtney Wheeler – has put a spin on a classic kitchen uniform.
Author Kayla Ancrum, a self-proclaimed lover of men’s fashion, took to Twitter on 4 August to share with her followers some interesting digging she did on Carmy’s white tee shirt in The Bear. “If you’re a fan of menswear like me, and adored The Bear, you were probably wondering what T-shirt Carmy was wearing. I have the answer for you!” she began the thread.
“It’s a visibly heavier material, with a sturdy collar, shorter sleeves (for muscle viewing obviously) with an inch shorter hem,” she explained. Carmy – tasked with the pressure of reviving his dirty, unorganised sandwich shop – is often seen sporting the white T-shirt under The Beef’s blue apron, of course so that his tattoos are on full display in every shot.
Ancrum discovered that White actually wears two white shirts throughout the show: Whitesville’s Japanese Made T-shirts, available online through the company Sugar Cane, and the 215 Men’s Loopwheeled T-shirt from Merz b Schwanen.
“Both are pricy but honestly, the pay off is worth it when it comes to sartorial benefit of a wardrobe basic,” she said. The Sugar Cane T-shirt is currently priced at $90 while the Merz b Schwanen shirt is $74.90.
With the slightly cheaper shirt from Merz b Schwanenm, Ancrum said the sleeves appear shorter online than they do in The Bear. In an interview with Vulture, costume designer Courtney Wheeler confirmed they had to shorten it to fit White’s stature. As a backup, they purchased the Sugar Cane tees that were “very heavy and have a thickness.”
Spiridakis and Wheeler, the masterminds behind The Bear’s costume design, visited kitchens throughout Chicago to capture the accuracy of their costuming, and asked restaurateur friends what they wore in their own kitchens.
“I had no idea that by finding the hottest white T-shirt possible Jeremy would become some kind of sex symbol,” Spiridakis told Vulture. “I get ten DMs a day about this T-shirt.”
The Bear, which premiered on 23 June, is exclusively available to stream on Hulu.
