Currently, when it’s hot, there is nothing more that I want than to be compacted into a tight-fitting, elastane-infused tank top that I can sweat and live my life in. And no, it’s not a camisole. The cami is the camisole’s spunky little sister. The camisole has more of an elegant ring to it, like you can imagine the piece coming with sort of a lace trim. But a cami? It cami is exactly how it is enunciated: simple, tight, and no-frills. The piece of clothing typically comes in a selection of primary colors. Sometimes they come with a bra in it, sometimes they don’t. There’s really nothing to the spaghetti strap piece, and that’s the point. It’s had a fashion moment, too. It “was the de-facto tank of the noughties, an era that keeps on rearing its maximalist head in today’s world.”
Part of revisiting my obsession with the clothing is that I really have become pared-back this summer with what I’m wearing. I’ve worn a rotation of white men’s Hanes tanks, but the cami gives me more of a barely-there kinskida-sexy feeling. It’s had a resurgence, too, thanks to the boom of shapewear. Currently, Kim Kardashian West, who has long been a cami-wearer, has a few cami-looking on her Skims site chicly titled as “Summer Sleep Tank.” It’s also the no-think basic that most people have in their wardrobes, and can be thrown on with anything. I can wear it with a skirt, I can wear it with shorts, and I can wear it with a pair of boyfriend jeans. A cami gives the wearer a cornucopia of styling options thanks to its simplicity.
