T-SHIRTS THROUGH THE DECADES
From corporate advertising, to political movements and even bands, tshirts have become a staple of modern wardrobes all over the world. But what made them iconic? How did they get to this status? How did people design a shirt from the 60s ’till today? Join us and travel through decades of amazing designs and get inspired on your next one.
1960s
As a means of self expression, and breaking with traditional suit & tie looks, teenagers in the 1960s started wearing tshirts to display art and protest imagery (popular designs included political cartoons by psychedelic artist Warren Dayton).
1970s
Did you ever get a “My parents went to Los Angeles, and all I got was this lousy tshirt!” shirt? These, and other graphic quote tees became popular in the 1970s and some of them can still be seen today. Also iconic for this decade? The ringer tee.
1980s
Oversized or cut out tshirts? Bring it on! The 80s were all about pushing the norm, embracing color and larger than life prints and designs. Also, graphic tees grew in popularity and became a fashion staple of teen’s wardrobes.
1990s
The 90s is the decade when we start to see tshirts mixed into everyday wear, who didn’t use a solid tee under a blazer or a graphic one under a button down shirt? The grungier the better. Also popular in this time? Temperature sensitive shirts that changed colors depending on how hot it was, remember those?
2000s
In the 2000s, slogan t-shirts were all the rage. From the poetic to sarcastic, using shirts to display your thoughts was the way to go. Models like Victoria Beckham and Gisele Bündchen wore them through the decade making them a part of every It girl’s wardrobe.
2010s
This decade so far has been a major call back to styles from the 80s and 90s so tshirts have been front and center. There’s a reason why they call it the nostalgia decade. A clear example of tshirts being a permanent fixture in fashion? At Paris Fashion Week 2017 designers like Balmain featured t-shirt designs on the runway.
The t-shirt has been one of the most iconic pieces of wardrobe for more than half a century. It dressed teens and young people trough the flower power movement, bands and punks during the 80s, skaters during the 90s, socialites throughout the 2000s and everyone else in between, because a t-shirt isn’t just a shirt, it’s a means of self expression for people all over the world.
Choosing to wear a certain graphic tee is making a statement of an era. No one knows what the future holds for our generation, but one thing is for sure, t-shirts will be around to tell the story.
Theresa Stone 5/5