Once upon a time T-shirts were just unadorned undergarments. But with the evolution of screen printing and the birth of merchandising , T-shirts became so much more. Now every brand, band, movie, tv show, icon, with an ounce of savvy knows the importance of T-shirts not only as a lucrative sideline but also as a means of self-promotion and a way for people to show their allegiance, express their personality, or just wear stuff they like.

These days T-shirts are a visual history of perennial fashion statements and a beautifully illustrated archive for hipsters, fashionistas, serious collectors, and fans of all genres, that come complete with images of the most important, influential, iconic, and ironic moments in time. (reading that back to myself that sounds like a complete load of rubbish, but I’m going to leave it).

So with all that in mind choosing the right t-shirt is a long process for the serious collector. This Zoners collection currently runs to around 50 t-shirts, so when my luggage was recently lost in the USA (eventually found) I was facing the horrible realisation that I may never get some of them back.

Obviously this isn’ t the end of the world, there are people suffering greater injustices all around the world, but for someone who lives in t-shirts and jeans it is important to find the right shirt. So to lose 7 of your favorites, carefully selected for your USA visit, can be quite traumatic. Even more traumatic was the lack of good t-shirts in Boulder. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places, but all I could find were shirts with cowboys riding bulls on them. I finally relented and bought one and even though it won’t be in high rotation, it will always come with a good story of why I got it. A story I can bore people with for the rest of life. So even the most rubbish t-shirt can be good, and that’s what makes them an essential part of life.

Below are some images of shirts (not essential to any collection but I like them)….

tshirts.jpg

 

And if you are ever feeling artistic and want to design your own shirt you can submit here and maybe they will become the next fashion must have (be warned prepare yourself for open forum rejection and harsh criticism of anybody with an opinion)…

http://www.threadless.com/

Good Luck!

Blog.Tim

Bizarre Fact #17:
Did you know…
A sheep, a duck, and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

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