A Letter From the Founder: The Thea
A Letter From Eleanor · Founder of Eleanor & Co
Australia · August 2026
Every plain tee I owned made me look like I had given up. So I had this one made instead.
On the six things I would not compromise on when we made our 100% cotton Thea tee, how it compares to the tees you have been buying, and why it is $64.95 under The Final Edit.
I have lost count of the plain tees I have bought and quietly stopped wearing. Not because there was anything visibly wrong with them. Because of what I saw when I caught myself in a shop window: a top that said I had stopped making an effort, on a day I had made one.
The Thea is the tee I had made so that would stop happening. It is the one I reach for most mornings, and of everything we have brought in for the warm months ahead, it is the piece I most wanted to write to you about properly, rather than just putting a photograph of it in front of you.
I should tell you what I was arguing against, because it explains the whole thing. The tees made for women our age fall into two piles. The first is the cheap blend that clings the moment the day warms up and pills by the third wash. The second is comfortable, plain, boxy and apologetic — as though comfort were something to be embarrassed about.
I never accepted that a woman has to choose between the two. A tee is the piece you wear most, so it is the piece worth getting right. The Thea is my answer, and there were six things I insisted on, usually against a supplier who wanted me to do the cheaper thing instead.
1 Real 100% cotton that breathes.
Not a polyester blend with a soft name. Real cotton, woven light, so it breathes on the warm days, comes out of the wash soft, hangs dry overnight and never needs the iron unless you are fussier than I am. It gets better with every wash, not worse.
“It washes beautifully and dries on the line overnight. I have never once ironed it, and it still looks better than tops I fuss over.”
Helen W. · Brisbane
Real 100% cotton, washed soft before it ever reaches you. The label is the whole argument.
2 The little row of buttons.
Down the front, set a little off to one side. They do not open anything, and they do not need to. They are the difference between a plain tee and a top that looks chosen — the small detail people stop you about at the shops.
“My hairdresser spotted the buttons from across the room. It is such a simple thing, but it makes it look twice the price.”
Margaret D. · Gold Coast
The whole tee, laid out. That little row of buttons, set a little off to one side, is the only thing between it and a plain one.
3 A hem cut longer at the back.
So it drapes down over exactly the zone every woman I know would rather have covered, and works over slim trousers and leggings without looking like a tent. You wear it out, not tucked, and everything is quietly taken care of.
“The longer back is the reason I bought a second one. I can wear it with my white slim trousers, which I normally avoid, and feel completely covered.”
Patricia N. · Adelaide
The hem from behind, dropping lower than the front and left to drape rather than grip.
4 A cut that skims, and never clings.
Loose where you want it loose, so the air moves underneath and the fabric does not stick to the small of your back in the car. Relaxed through the body without being shapeless — the line between the two is narrow, and we spent the most time on it.
“It skims over the part of me I am most conscious of instead of clinging to it. That is what I love most about it.”
Lyn K. · Newcastle5 Sleeves that land where sleeves should.
Little turned-up cuffs that sit at the exact spot on the arm where sleeves flatter and almost never do. Not capped, not flapping at the elbow — the length you would fold them to yourself, already done.
“The sleeves are the thing nobody gets right, and these are right. They hit exactly where I want them, every single time.”
Janet R. · Perth
The turned-up cuff, at the exact spot on the arm where sleeves flatter.
6 Five soft colours that go with what you own.
Rose, white, blue, orange and green, each chosen to sit with the trousers, jeans and skirts already in your wardrobe, so the Thea earns its place from the first day rather than waiting for you to buy something to go with it.
“I started with the rose and went back for the white and the blue. They go under everything I own, and I have barely worn anything else since.”
Maureen C. · GeelongThe Thea, against the tees you have been buying
You can find a tee for sixty dollars almost anywhere. I know, because I bought a great many of them first.
- A blend that pills by the third wash
- Clings the moment the day warms up
- Plain, boxy and apologetic
- A hem that rides up over leggings
- Sleeves at the wrong spot on the arm
- Needs the iron to look presentable
- Real 100% cotton that breathes
- Skims, and lets the air move underneath
- The button row that makes it look chosen
- Cut longer at the back, worn untucked
- Turned-up cuffs that land exactly right
- Off the line and straight on, no iron
I refuse to sell a tee that asks a woman to choose between being comfortable and looking like herself. That is the whole reason the Thea exists.
Why it is $64.95 under The Final Edit
The Thea is part of The Final Edit — the one time of year we let the prices go like this. The summer pieces have come in early and landed in the middle of winter, which is exactly why the price is what it is. I would rather they went out now, to women who will have them hanging ready for the first warm week, than sit in a warehouse while I wait for the weather to make my argument for me.
I will be plain about it. The margin at this price is thin, and it is thin deliberately. I would rather introduce the Thea to you properly, at a price that makes it easy to try, than advertise it at the price I would eventually like to charge and hope you take my word for it. That is the whole of the bet I am placing by writing you this letter.
Five colours, sizes AU 10 to AU 24. Full measurements are on the product page.
It is the tee I would put in your hands myself. I would rather it go to women who will wear it all summer than sit in a box waiting for the price to make sense.
If you have ever wanted a tee that feels like a soft old favourite and looks like something you picked out on purpose, this is the one I would recommend — and it is a far better thing to have hanging in the wardrobe before the first hot week than to go looking for in January, when every good one has gone.
— Eleanor
The Thea — Chic Summer Tee
- 100% soft cotton — washes soft, never needs the iron
- The offset button row that makes it look chosen
- Hem cut longer at the back, worn untucked
- Five colours, sizes AU 10 to AU 24
- 30 day returns
Stack and save: buy 2 save 20%, buy 3 save 25%, buy 4 save 30%.
This is a personal letter from the founder of Eleanor & Co. Prices and availability are accurate at the time of writing.