Opinion | Why We Love a Movie Star in a White T-Shirt

This is the first installment of Visual Studies, a series that explores how images move through and shape culture.

I consider the white T-shirt to be a star maker.

Whether it’s on Marlon Brando or James Dean, Glenn Close or Glen Powell, we’ve seen how a white T-shirt at just the right moment can burn its way into an audience’s memory — as happened this summer when a showstopping scene featuring Mr. Powell in a wet white T-shirt in “Twisters” became a sensation.

What’s more, the white T-shirt onscreen and on celebrities has become a symbol of how Americans want to imagine ourselves: unfussy, hardworking, laid-back and egalitarian.

As a costume designer, I see the white T-shirt as the ultimate blank canvas. I’ve cut up white tees to define a character’s unique style; I’ve used their simplicity to accentuate the silhouette of a suit. I always start by thinking: Will I find a way to create an iconic moment, as so many white T-shirts from cinema’s past have done?

It’s the perfect garment for the heroic figure who bears our dreams and aspirations. Its simplicity and adaptability make it a powerful tool, communicating understated sexiness and absolute coolness, a combination that’s birthed many a cinematic legend.