Lines are wrapping down the Bowery for a chance to slip into one of these new tank tops. Okay, not quite, but celebrity designer and stylist Patricia Field can’t keep her new Hanes tank tops in stock!
But why are New Yorkers so crazy over a cotton shirt?
At $10, the cropped Hanes shirt is nowhere near a luxury item, there’s no Birkin-style waiting list,– perhaps the affordable price point and the designer name makes fashionistas eager for the hard-to-find item. Think Lilly for Target, only local.
Field, who has designed costumes for ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ explained to amNewYork that the classic Hanes tank top is “a classic and it always will be.” She attributes the brand recognition of Hanes to some of the popularity of her new Cropped Boy Beater.
“As crop tops are very current these days, I thought, why not take one of the most classic of classics and chop it and crop it?” Field said. .
“I would be more comfortable using the word ‘modify’ regarding the classic Hanes top, as opposed to ‘re-create'” Field said of her new design, which is available in white, grey and black versions.
Women have used the classic mens Hanes tank top for years as a layering piece or exercise top, so Field knew New Yorkers were familiar with the design and could “totally understand” her new interpretation.
“The response from my clients has been more than excellent,” she said. “I did not re-create the wheel; I just took the classic Hanes tank to another dimension by customizing it.”
Field envisions New Yorkers (and women elsewhere) wearing the top with “their jeans, their pants, their skirts, their shorts…whichever bottom suits their taste and body.” The stylist says that the cropped top works with low hiphuggers, a pant that comes to the waist, a pair of denim shorts or a tulle skirt, ala Carrie Bradshaw, prolific wearer of crop tops.
“It’s an easy top that can be worn in many ways,” Field said.
Perhaps it’s this ease that leads the tank to be in such high demand.
“Women like it because it is easy, affordable and relevant to today’s fashion trends,” said Field.
While Field is baking up limited quantities with Hanes, Dominique Ansel Cronut style, you can hope to find the $10 top at PatriciaField.com or in her boutique at 306 Bowery.
