Not too long ago, one of my colleagues dubbed me the “undisputed king of tees.” Initially, I laughed — I mean, sure, I’ve got a nice collection of novelty graphic T-shirts, and I certainly love sporting them anywhere and everywhere, no matter the occasion. But once I actually took the time to peruse my casual wardrobe, I found that I had more than 100 T-shirts in my closet.
Perhaps my colleague was right. My love for T-shirts initially grew out of a desire for comfort in a world that demands button-downs and polos, but I soon came to realize the power certain designs possessed. I began wearing shirts that expressed feelings and wants, revealed aspects of my personality. Some, like my numerous Marvel Comics shirts, with their reproductions of superhero logos and comic-book covers, allowed me to express my inner geek. Others enabled me to espouse social commentary, such as the one that reads “Black Girls Are Magic” in a simple script font. I have countless tees that feature beautiful women, including supermodel Kate Moss, rapper Nicki Minaj and reality-TV star India Westbrooks. And one of my absolute favorites identifies me as a writer. “You are dangerously close to being killed off in my novel,” it warns. And it never fails to get a laugh.
My collection is so varied and eye-catching that I’m sure my fashionista friends would say that I’m currently “on-trend.” Although it’d be preposterous to say T-shirts have ever fallen out of favor, it seems novelty tees have gotten something of an upgrade, and they’re seeing a surge in popularity among the celebrity set.
“The novelty [T-shirt trend] was really generated predominately through vintage,” says Seth Weisser, founder of New York City high-end vintage boutique What Goes Around Comes Around. “A lot of people look at T-shirts as a form of expression, and with celebrities, they’re always trying to have something other people don’t have. I think that’s the [novelty tee’s] key allure.”
Shaggy-haired heartthrob Harry Styles was fond of rocking a tee bearing the phrase “Hipsta Please,” and Joe Jonas sported a retro-style Kodak logo tee designed by Opening Ceremony. (I’m not sure if he had his Lomo with him at the time.) Another A-list fan of novelty T-shirts is Robert Downey Jr., who was not afraid to pair a distressed bull’s-eye logo tee with a suit on a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He’s also been seen sporting a tee with an image of Bruce Lee DJing — a shirt that’s also in my collection.
And then there are the truly luxe creations, like Givenchy’s Screaming Monkeys T-shirt or any of the various skull-themed designs coming from Alexander McQueen. Even plain, solid color tees, such as the textured knits from Public School, will set you back a few hundred dollars. And if you really want to go for something a bit on the silly side, check out French fashion label Vetements’ It tee of the moment: a near reproduction of a DHL courier’s shirt. Although it retails for about 50 times the official tee found on the DHL merchandise site, Vetements’ version was a hit on the runway and sold out immediately.
It seems that if I want to keep up with the current arbiters of style, I definitely need to make several additions to my T-shirt arsenal. After all, I’ve got to maintain my reign. All hail the king.
