Crossing cultures, generations and even tax brackets, the lowly T-shirt is being rethought and reworked-not to mention being snapped up at the cash register with a resounding cha-ching.
Printed T-shirts are the style statement du jour on the street, the runway and the red carpet. Models, “It” girls and Britney Spears wannabes ranging from junior high girls to Madonna have taken to wearing their hearts on their chests rather than their sleeves.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana even managed to top the level of irony presented by the Material Mom wearing a Britney tee. The duo’s latest collection is highlighted by T-shirts that bear images of their most famous client as she’s appeared through the years. The heavily embellished shirts are available in every incarnation of the star, so you can choose between “True Blue” Madonna and “Ray of Light” Madonna. The tees currently are topping the most-wanted lists of everyone from fashion editors to drag performers.
“The T-shirts showed up on designer runways-a lot of the designers have their heads stuck in the ’70s and ’80s, with a sort of flash-and-trash embellished thing,” says Gregg Andrews, fashion director for Nordstrom stores.
But even on a non-designer level, a jaunty printed T-shirt is the perfect little something to lift your spirits from the lack-of-sunlight-induced funk that sets in this time of year. “It is an affordable, accessible fashion trend for mainstream women,” Andrews says.
Combining old-school nostalgia with girl-power punch, statement T-shirts have become not only a year-round wardrobe staple, but a way to express yourself and, for some, a method of identifying yourself as a member of a certain style tribe.
Of course, some people wear T-shirts to set themselves apart. Playing into this desire for exclusivity, Cheryl Gaskill and Leslie Hoskuld have created a line of tank shirts that just may be the shirt equivalent of Noah’s Ark. Dubbed 2-of-a-Kind, the tanks come in very limited editions. Only two of each design will be produced, so if one of the tanks bears a word that sums up your mood, you can be secure in the knowledge that only one other person has your eye for style.
So have some fun with this T-shirt moment. It’s not often we get to be a little silly with our clothes. This is one area of your wardrobe where it is OK to indulge yourself and go a little crazy. Whether you’re looking to fit in or set yourself apart, there is a T-shirt out there with your name on it-maybe even literally.
