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Viewing T-Shirts: Individual Fashion Statement for the 21st CenturyT-Shirts: Individual Fashion Statement for the 21st Century
By Paul McIndoe
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The T-shirt has come a long way since it appeared during the First World War. T-shirts are a symbol of self-expression and fashion. They have also become a standard for expressiveness and advertising, combining words, graphics, and photographs. For many children, a T-shirt emblazoned with a current favorite TV icon ranks among their most prized possessions, and for T-shirt manufacturers, producing such garments can be an extremely lucrative market. In fact, think of any cartoon character - from the Mr. Men to Walt Disney's Donald Duck - and you will likely find a T-shirt to match. Although the origins of the T-shirt can be traced back to the First World War, it wasn't until the 1950s that the garment moved away from its plain exterior, as companies in the United States began experimenting with adding letter and character decorations to the material. The 1960s saw the introduction of the 'Ringer-style' T-shirt, a T-shirt where the jersey is one color, while the ribbing around the collar and sleeves is a different, contrasting color. Ringers quickly became popular with youths and rock-n-roll fans. The style enjoyed another brief renaissance in the early 2000s. The same period also saw the emergence of tie-dyeing and screen-printing, which led to a massive boom in customized T-shirts, especially throughout the heavy metal era of the 1970s, once bands of that era realized the commercial opportunities available to them. Bands and musical groups began to mass-produce T-shirts to promote themselves, many of which would feature album covers and logos on the front, while on the back fans would find tour details and concert dates. These proved to be hugely popular with concertgoers, and the trend has continued with unwavering popularity into today's subcultures. During the early 1980s, some musical bands chose instead to emblazon promotional T-shirts with slogans instead of graphics. For instance, the Frankie Goes to Hollywood 'Frankie Says...' and Wham!'s 'Choose Life' T-shirts became synonymous with 80's pop culture. They could be seen in every town and street in Britain. From the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, T-shirts with prominent designer-name logos were also extremely popular, and allowed consumers to exhibit their taste in designer brands in a less expensive manner, while retaining their sense of fashion. Among the many major brands to produce T-shirts for a mass public were Calvin Klein, FUBU, and Ralph Lauren. There have been many fashion trends involving T-shirts. Although they were originally worn as undershirts, often in place of vests, T-shirts are now more frequently worn as the only upper body garment. T-shirts have also become a standard for expressiveness and advertising, with an unimaginable combination of words, graphics, and photographs. Other fashions include over-size T-shirts, as seen in modern hip-hop outfits, tight-fitting 'girly-fit' T-shirts which are short enough to reveal the midriff, and short sleeved T-shirts worn over a long sleeved T-shirt of a different color. For adults, perhaps one of the most notable fashion trends in recent years involves T-shirts that feature cartoon and TV characters that hearken back to the wearer's childhood. With the much-touted 80s revival and the current resurgence of yesteryear's TV being remade into Hollywood blockbusters or enjoying a TV renaissance, men's T-shirts have seen an increased demand. Popular designs proclaim the wearer to be a fan of the latest incarnations of Transformers, Spiderman, Dukes Of Hazzard, The A-Team, and Knight Rider, among many other 80s favorites. However, T-shirts featuring cartoon characters from the 80s and even earlier have proven to be equally popular with young adults, both men and women alike, eager to revisit their younger days. These shirts feature designs incorporating Thundercats, Mr. Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, M.A.S.K., etc, and are readily available and waiting to be seen on High Street! About the Author: Adam Singleton is an online freelance journalist from Scotland. His hobbies include traveling and hiking. Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
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