#COOLEST WOMEN GRAPHIC TEES 70S FULL#

#COOLEST WOMEN GRAPHIC TEES 70S FULL#

The plain white T-shirt may have caused a stir in America in the 50s, but it had miles to go in realising its full potential for, as Nothdruft terms it, ‘disruption’.

“It was rebellious, because were actually undergarments … It was a tough political statement.” More than they could have ever imagined, Brando and Dean nailed the style and spirit of what had thitherto been an unassuming piece of underwear to a tee.

“It’s just a white T-shirt, but it already has that kind of disruptive potential,” Nothdruft says of the kind worn by Brando and Dean. Prior to this, the T-shirt was, by and large, an undergarment meant to be worn beneath one’s ‘proper’ clothes, and was seldom regarded as an article in its own right. “So early in September Amory,” the author wrote of his protagonist, “provided with ‘six suits summer underwear, six suits winter underwear, one sweater or T-shirt, one jersey, one overcoat, winter, etc,’ set out for New England, the land of schools.”Īlthough the tees worn by Amory could, in the 30s, be found in department stores throughout the States, as well as seen all around American high-schools in the 40s, it wasn’t until heart throbs like Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire and James Dean in 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause rocked them on the silver screen that the T-shirt truly became the T-shirt, no matter how plain and simple it still was. In the same year, it also happened to find its way into Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Things changed, however, with the publication of F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920 novel This Side of Paradise, which marked the first-ever appearance of the name. Until the 20s, the T-shirt was called by every name but its own. Shortly afterwards, the Cooper Underwear Company began marketing the tops - sans buttons - as ‘bachelor undershirts’ (as there was no need to resew buttons back into place), and in 1913, they became a part of the uniform of the US Navy, where they were known as ‘lightweight short-sleeve white cotton undervests’. Frustrated with its design, workers cut them in half, tucking the top bit into the bottom. Effective at keeping one toasty in colder temperatures, it wasn’t exactly suited towards heat or warm weather. Its origins lie in the ‘union suit’, a sort of button-down onesie worn by both men and women (but particularly male workers) towards the end of the 19th Century in the US. “ is a really basic way of telling the world who and what you are.”Īlthough T-shirt-like garments, such as the tunic, date back to ancient times, it was only recently (relatively speaking) that the T-shirt as it is now known first appeared. “It feels quite relevant … it was a matter of the personal as politicised,” says Nothdruft in reference to the exhibition’s premise. Generally speaking, the baggier the T-shirt, the more casual your outfit will look.įor a smarter aesthetic, turn your attention to something fitted.While the garment’s history is a highlight of the exhibition, it isn’t the focus rather, curator Dennis Nothdruft and team have decided to showcase – as per the show’s title – the various subcultures that have surrounded the T-shirt, as well as its power as a socio-political medium. This depends on personal preference, so you need to decide what type of look you want to go for. Not only will you notice the difference when you wear it, but you’ll also get more bang for your buck.Ĭotton should be your first choice, while the cotton jersey is a popular option it feels great while offering optimum durability and enough stretch to keep you comfortable. This goes for any purchase you make, but be sure to invest in quality. It’s all about balance, so if you’re choosing a modest print, keep the rest of your look simple to allow it to take some of the attention. Your graphic doesn’t have to be big, it simply needs to be significant in comparison to the rest of your outfit.

Honestly guys, size really doesn’t matter. What makes the best graphic tees? Here are three key things to consider before dishing out the dollars.

What to look for To Find The Best Graphic Tees

Coolest women graphic tees 70s