T Shirt Trends and Trendsetters

It is well known that the t shirt design in its present form has progressed from the lightweight cotton undershirt worn by soldiers during the First World War, after which, by the 1920's the term "T-Shirt" was included in the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. By the time World War Two came around, both the Navy and the Army included the T-Shirt as standard issue. All the different t-shirt design that have come into being make it such a versatile garment that it is perhaps the most popular article of clothing known to Americans.

A survey conducted revealed that more than 90% Americans have a ‘favorite T shirt’ which may be  funny tshirts, or graphic tees or one from any number of different kinds of tee shirt design. The color white is apparently the most favored color of T shirt, closely followed by blue and black.

A majority of Americans own more than 10 t shirts each, making that over one and a half billion tees! Apparently if you line them up, they would circle the globe 34 times!  It isn’t just the younger people who have lots of t shirts, older people also like t shirts almost as much, with the number one reason for loving their tees cited by people as being Comfort.

T shirts have always been a way of making a statement or a protest. The Hippie movement relied on the t shirt to make a statement thru their distinctive tie and dye, batik and psychedelic tees. Message tees have been popular since the 1970s when Americans were looking to make a protest statement against the Vietnam War.

Among celebrities who have looked to making a sartorial statement through their tees, Britney Spears and her screen printed tees immediately come to mind.  She has been seen sporting a tee saying “Soon to be Mrs. Federline” and “I am the American Dream.” Then with ex, Justin Timberlake, dating Cameron Diaz, she appeared with a tee saying "Dump Him"! At the premiere of  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a pregnant Ms Spears was spotted with a custom tank top that said "I have the Golden Ticket" with and arrow pointing down to her belly.

Tees are also a way for celebrities to sway political opinion among people, with A-listers often sporting t shirts that declare their allegiance to one or other candidate and even encouraging people to vote with the words “Vote or Die” emblazoned on t shirts of celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z, Paris Hilton, and Ashton Kutcher.

The untailored trend is a popular one among tees, with Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, and other teen icons setting t-shirt trends by wearing tees that have the collar missing or the bottom shortened or with the designer distressed or frayed look. Couture tees from Adam Saaks are considered works of art and favored by celebrities such as Pink, Jennifer Lopez and Lil’ Kim.

This high visibility of the stars with their customized tees makes people more inclined to wear their own custom t-shirts which they can design themselves or customize as per their own tastes and requirements. For this reason, sites offering people the options of designing or customizing their own t shirts or holding tshirt design contests are gaining tremendous popularity.