by Amber on October 15, 2009
My sweet ickle brother turned 22 recently, and like all responsible sisters, I rushed out and bought him a very very last minute present. Thankfully the first shop I came across on my mad dash was The Cool Store.
As the name implies, they are retailer of rather cool and covetable goods, aimed at the more masculine shopper. Working with the double entendre, the whole space is set out like a modern butcher’s shop.
There’s fresh cuts of jeans hanging from the ceiling, stacks of sweet tees in a fridge and chunky gold watches and other accessories in a chiller cabinet. To get to the changing rooms you have to make your way through swathes of industrial grade plastic. It’s heavy – and makes a satisfying thwap, thwap, thwap noise.
My favourite part of The Cool Store experience? The gift wrap. Your purchases will be nicely wrapped up in brown paper and tape. Simple yet effective. It’s just how you’d get cuts of steak at your local butcher!
So what did I get Hemi in the end? A soft cotton Deus Ex Machina Union tee. Good times! The kid was stoked…
Thinking I might post a few of the cool tees that I snap here and there. Stories too, if there is one.
Jess’ Osaka Castle tee was purchased by my friends Jerm & Jules in Japan, a souvenir of their adventures through Asia. Apparently they had bought a ‘cooler’ shirt earlier, but as is the life of backpackers, one of them ran out of clean shirts and pilfered from the stash of gifts. This one is still very nice! It reminds me of cyanotypes and classic pottery.
If you have a graphically devastating or favourite t-shirt you’d like to show off, email me!
by Amber on March 1, 2009
If I’m ever in sartorial doubt, I like to get shirty. Yes, the humble T-shirt is revered as my saviour when things get tough. Over the next while I’ll be chronicling some of my favourite pieces of cloth.
To start with let’s look at that ubiquitous trifecta of kitsch: the wolf, eagle and stallion tees. Of course there are other animals, I am partial to this hilarious rhino one… but those three take the cake. Why do hipsters and tourist dads and I love them so?
(All the t-shirts featured are from the delightful AnimalShirts.net)
WOLVES…
Raw, gorgeous and mystic. Or something like that. Wear a wolf shirt, howl at the moon or your favourite band. Feel unstoppable energy coursing through your veins. It’s more fun and looks better than carrying a crystal in your pocket.
EAGLES…
Eagle shirts are all about paying homage to the good ship America. Or your manliness. Feeling like people aren’t respecting you? Throw on a massive bald eagle shirt and watch the peons bow at your feet in awe (I gave this advice to a creative director once).
HORSES…
The top left shirt, the Grey on Grey, would look brilliant on a guy. For myself, it would have to be the wyld stallion ripping up the main stage. I think for many girls, horses are part of the fantasy of a perfect childhood. For me it’s all about Patti Smith and rock.
Speaking of horse shirts, Martin Margiela (all hail mystery!) was in the news last year for his colossally expensive rip off of a British artist, David Penfound. It’s a really interesting case, yet apparently this level of ‘appropriation’ happens all the time.
If you’re digging the look, Vain and Vapid suggests buying one of Penfound’s tees to alter (available on eBay). Simply buy one in XL size and slit the sleeves at the bottom, attaching the excess fabric to the side of the shirt. Finally, sew in shoulder pads. Easy to do and you’re supporting the true creative.
It’s not a horse shirt, but something even better…
Behold! I picked up this emerald green horse sweatshirt at Urban Outfitters in Liverpool. It’s actually from the menswear department but that didn’t (and never will) stop me. It’s paired up with a tee, black jeans and funny little brogue inspired lace ups.
Aw nah, I take it back, I love ponies – ❤ – What’s your spirit fashion animal?
by Amber on January 25, 2009
I adore these One Last Ounce T-shirts by Veronica Saints (aka designer Jake Jelicich). They remind me of cigarette smoke, playing blackjack at home and lying back on the bonnets of cars, watching the stars. According to the design notes, they have been created to be abused – to be worn until the cotton is transparent gossamer.
Made of organic cotton, the oversized shirts are good for both boys or girls. Choose your print on the front or the back. For a distinctive tee they are well priced, at only AU$98 a piece, with free global shipping! Apart from the temptation of walking along the street with a satisfied sneer on your face while wearing one, it’s hard to go wrong…
by Amber on November 18, 2008
Ruby Republic makes clothes for the lazy gal. By lazy, I mean those girls who want to look casually fabulous by throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
I like these ridiculously buttery looking tees with pretty prints. It’s a direct route to simple chic, just like this:
Check out their cute itty bitty news feed too – there are some gorgeously soft pictures tucked away in there.
by Amber on November 12, 2008
Spring has sprung, or rather, erupted in blossoms. I can now safely venture outside in the mornings without a sweater, which is very, very heartening.
- T-Shirt printed with Holga photograph of Japanese bicycles
- Chunky wooden bracelet
- Navy bangle + ivory look bangle
- Black jeans
- Pink chucks
I think this outfit could be improved if the shirt was more fitted. Since then I have refined my general appearance by layering a long charcoal cardigan over the tee – bringing it all in a bit more. Really, refinement is the point of daily outfit photos – if not on the day, make it the next time you reach for the same look). Remix and experiment – give yourself the opportunity to learn from your errors or capitalise on moments of genius.
That said, I love this new shirt and sometimes I just wear things because they look good to my eye, rather than look good on me. The print is very impressive in person – at 45 by 45 centimetres it is hard to ignore!
The print on my T-shirt - photo by Sam Montgomery.
by Amber on August 13, 2008
Salutations and celebrations, a package addressed to me from Threadless has finally arrived. These are the first two I’ve ever bought, despite all the hype. To mark the occasion I’ve done a little shirt review, in the form of a pros and cons list.
This is t-shirt number 1, a jaunty wee day-glo number entitled the King of Clubs:
AWESOME POINTS…
+ Discovering new artists. Threadless lets you mine through a thousand new illustrators and designers.
+ People do win, and get something out of it for their efforts! In fact a guy I work with has won with two t-shirt designs (he’s a professional designer but nonetheless).
+ Colourful tees, oh yeah! Threadless shirts seem to be rather bright all round. I love the King of Clubs shirt for it’s poppingly bright yella and the pink highlights – which match perfectly with my magenta sneakers.
+ The prices. While that Marc Jacobs tee may be perfect in every possible way, it’s still priced in the stratosphere! Threadless lets you buy five for the price of one, so it’s an easy way to pick up some limited edition garments.
Napoleon in War Paint, one of two Bonaparte themed shirts available there:
NOT SO GOOD POINTS…
- For a relatively busty lady such as myself, I found the shirt cuts really tight and clingy. Which is fine at the beach but not if I want to wear them to work – Monday mornings aren’t the best days to make cleavage statements! I recommend you go a size up, just in case.
- A lot of the shirts are along the same vein and style. You can only wear so many visual pun shirts. Thankfully I haven’t seen any ‘Corn Star’ (use your imagination) ones yet, so far so good.
- In my experience the shipping was rather slow. It took around a month or so for the package to get from the Threadless-universe to my sphere in the South.
AND IN CONCLUSION…
While the sizing thing is annoying, it may have been a one off experience. I understand that different prints come on different shirts; if all that tightness bothers you, one solution could be buying something in the hoodie format.
Overall the good outweighs the bad, and if they’re on sale, a Threadless tee is a good bargain maketh. And considering all the compliments I’ve had, Threadless tees are a good casually sartorial move too! What are your thoughts? Any excellent Threadless enabled discoveries (designers, new buddies united over fashion, crazy outfits)?
by Amber on June 29, 2008
While nursing a flat white on Saturday morning, I spied some fashion nugget rocking this shirt with tighty-tight blue jeans and a vest. I had completely forgotten about this tee and very excitedly described the aesthetic joy of it all to my companion… Please say hello to the ‘Que Sera Sera’ t-shirt by Sass and Bide! The sequins are much more vivid in real life.
I am not usually a fan of creamy/white shirts but this one certainly urges me to change my mind. To that I say: whatever fashion dictates, whatever will be! Wouldn’t it be fantastic to bring some sparkle drama to the every day? This t-shirt serve the cause perfectly, without coming off all naff like an amateur figure skater. It looks mighty comfy as well, coming in with a ratio of 10% bean, 60% viscose and 30% modal.
Bonus fact – for all you language boffins out there: ‘que sera sera’ is of no true language origin. It is in fact, *gasp*, made up… merely deriving from the so called romantic languages. Anyway, back on track – in the collection you will also find these two pretties:
Shiny! However if you feel these are all a bit too mild for your tastes, try this Rebecca Taylor sequined jacket, heaven for all hardened sheen queens.
From humble beginnings as a small outfit selling iron-on prints in New York’s Lower East Side, Heavy Rotation have fast become my pick of the bunch as the forefront of excellent t-shirt design.
Merging the ’60s concept of fantastic orginal artwork with new ideas in print techniques, each season brings exciting advances in t-shirt and garment design which consistently stay ahead of the pack in the world of the t-shirt.
Each season keeps me excited and my wallet empty!
T-shirts available for both men and women, and also infants & tots.
Shop!
USA: Heavy Tees
Intl: Palmercash
[Guest post by t-shirt connoisseur Zep]
