As work and off-duty styles merge, the vintage t-shirt is seeing a massive resurgence. From the busy mums or celebs running errands rocking the princess Di. To the sports fans reliving the glory, or 90’s babies wearing their throwbacks. We’re seeing vintage Tees EVERYWHERE and it’s no surprise. They just don’t make em’ like that any more.
As famed Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh states “fashion is gonna go away from buying a box fresh something”. What he means is, we’re turning away, more and more, from the newly made clothing, toward a more sustainable style. Enter the classic vintage t-shirt, the oversized boxy kind that fits right, stays soft and tucks effortlessly into jeans.
The huge variety of vintage t shirts makes them endlessly adaptable to our own tastes and moods, allowing us to switch between designer vibes to cute Disney sweats in a second. Nostalgic branded t-shirts articulate who we are, where we have come from and what we care in a similar manner as the traditional sports jersey. When the world feels more than a little chaotic, a lived in t-shirt has that comfort factor that can’t be replicated in a brand new shirt.
It’s a tactile experience more than anything, where flaws become bonus characteristics for the lived-in look. Our craving for vintage has been attributed to our need to belong to a tribe, whether that’s an era like the 80s or 90s, subcultural movements, music genres or important events in history.
As a result of this reverse trend in fashion, online boutiques like Official Vintage are changing the face of vintage shopping. We no longer need to go searching through second hand stores in hope of finding that one-off piece, rather, online retailers are doing the work for us by curating vintage t-shirt collections that respond to current trends.
While it may seem counterintuitive to style yourself after old photos of your parents, we have to remember that fashion is cyclical and what goes around comes around. For that reason, the classic vintage t-shirt doesn’t discriminate in popularity between generations, adding to its unifying appeal. While you might have made fun of your dad's old windbreaker, now it’s time to go ask him to dig it out of storage.
For fashionistas, it also represents an affordable way to add designer pieces to your wardrobe like this Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Sweater in block colour red and purple. Metal fans will love this authentic Vintage Korn T-Shirt in slouchy graphite that features the album artwork from Chopped & Screwed.
Whereas mums and dads will enjoy this Vintage Looney Tunes T-Shirt that is both easily styled and bound to impress the kids. But if you really can’t decide then pick up the Official Vintage Vintage T-Shirt Mystery Box consisting of a selection of 3 vintage t-shirts from a wide variety of brands such as Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Harley Davidson, Reebok, Guess and Calvin Klein.