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Lisa Granshaw/TODAY.com
A small portion of my graphic tee collection.
I'm a pop culture addict. So much so that most things in my life are pop culture-themed, whether it's posters, knickknacks, jewelry or even, occasionally, food. This addiction has even seeped into my fashion sense and led to my obsession with the most prized items in my closet — graphic T-shirts.
About 98 percent of all my tees have a logo, image, or writing of some sort depicted on them, and it's not an obsession confined to the summer. Even in winter, I prefer to wear one of these T-shirts with a cardigan over it. Why the graphic tee? Frankly, I just find solid colors boring. Why waste shirt space when instead of a plain blue tee I could wear a shirt emblazoned with a vintage 80s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle image?
I know some people buy these types of shirts to try to fit in with the latest trend, especially for movies or bands, but not me. I love how each one of my tees has its own story, making them so much more fun to wear. Whether it's my Ben Kweller shirt from my first Boston concert or the "Star Wars" shirt I wore to my first midnight movie ("Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"), it's not just a shirt to me but a way to express something I experienced or just plain love in pop culture.
When this obsession began years ago, most graphic tees were only in the men's section, so my drawers began to fill with rather unflattering men's small T-shirts. Luckily, times have changed; increasingly, I'm able to find stylish, well-fitting graphic tees for women. My tees come from three main sources: Junk Food, Delia's, and Hot Topic. Recently I've also discovered Her Universe, a great website trying to fill the dearth of sci-fi graphic tees available to women (a genre that definitely tends to skew male). Usually you can find these tees for decent prices, between $15 or $20, though occasionally I'll spend $30 on an awesome vintage tee.
So why not be fashionable AND show off something you like? If you can't understand, that's OK – that's why it's called an obsession! But if you are a fellow graphic tee fan, tell me what your favorite T-shirt is and why in the comments section below.
Lisa Granshaw writes and produces for TODAY.com. She enjoys matching her graphic tees to the occasion, like wearing her "Harry Potter" shirt when watching one of the films or her "Pinky and the Brain" tee on days she feels like taking over the world.
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Leave a Comment:
Your Star Wars to other shirt ratio is impressive. I think I love you.
Ah, the Force is strong with you! You've discovered my true obsession...
I have an official U2 Zooropa 1993 tour shirt that I treasure. I have only worn it once because I want to "preserve it" if that makes sense (it's black, with colorful paint, I was worried it would get ruined from washing too much so I decided to keep it in a drawer, like a treasured moment, plus I figured it might become a collector's item someday so I wanted to keep it in excellent condition). It was given to me by a dear friend in Australia I haven't heard from for the past like, 13 or 14 years. It was my first concert shirt and my first shirt (or gift!) ever given to me by a male, other than my father. This is what it looks like:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4742529327_07b3b62f6f.jpg
That's an awesome shirt! I totally understand the sentiment of wanting to keep it in good condition. It still looks fantastic as a result of your great care! It's nice having something you can look at and relive a truly treasured experience. My first concert was Cake and I bought a t-shirt that I wore once before deciding to just save it. It's not quite as cool looking as yours though!
Have you ever counted how many you actually own?
I would hazard a guess of around 20 but I've never officially counted :)
"Amazing timing on this article. In the last 48 hours I have spent more on some individual graphic tees than what I've spent on my cashmere sweaters, dresses, and professional clothes. Granted, almost all my professional wear purchases are made at consignment and thrift shops.
I just discovered some amazing tee websites, starting with TeeFury (limited edition artist original tees offered for only 24 hours for $10 - with links to artists' sites in their Gallery of past offers). In addition to your named sites, ThinkGeek has amazing tees and gifts.
I couldn't post about some of the best recent finds on my Facebook page because my husband is on my friends list and it is Christmastime. Even though his massive worn out t-shirt collection drives me crazy, I couldn't resist buying him "Grover as Captain America", "Doctor Whoville" (one for me, one for him), and "The Doctor (Who) is In" Peanuts crossover (he gets Tom Baker, I get David Tennant). I bought two Vote Smuggler (Captain Mal & Han Solo) tees, one for me and one for my son. I also ordered myself a Wookie the Chew tee (Star Wars characters as classic Winnie the Pooh).
My favorite current owned tees are "Daddy's Little Girl" (with Leia and Vader), "Support the Troops" (with LEGO stormtroopers), "Respect Your Mother" (with planet earth), and "I Love Nerds" (with Nerds candy). Oh, and we won't even get started on my geekling kids' collections. My daughter and I have a sharing agreement in place. The large number of geek options now available in the flattering babydoll cut make this a much more attractive option for both of us."
Sounds like you also have an amazing list of tees. I’ve never been to TeeFury before! And for some reason I never explored ThinkGeek enough to find the t-shirt section! I am already making a list of ones I want. I have a feeling it will definitely become another constant source of tees for me. Thanks so much!
Another great place for Graphic Tees is Fuego. Check it out! shopfuego.com
Thanks, I'll take a look!
I live in graphic tees. I have them from bands, comics, cartoons, and my favorite - coca-cola. I have some plain tees but not really all that many. One of my favorites is my Flinstones shirt from Bedrock City, SD. I am glad I'm not the only graphic tee nut out there. I am still working on getting some Doctor Who shirts. I also love my Muppet shirts. They always make me smile.
Nope, you’re not alone :)
I would LOVE a Doctor Who shirt! I have yet to find one that’s really cool in babydoll BUT the above commenter suggested checking out ThinKGeek for graohic tees and I have to say from my first look through they have a few awesome DW ones! I have my eye on the “Keep Calm and Don’t Blink” one….
There are tons of really cute Doctor Who shirts, all of which are available in babydoll style. I'm new here so I can't post direct links, but do a search for the following artists:
Ian Leino: source for my "Doctor Whoville" tee, plus has another with all the doctors tumbling out of TARDIS
James Hance: twelve (12) different Doctor Who shirts, and was the source of my "Wookie the Chew" tee (part of a series). Lots of amazing Star Wars crossovers.
AJ Paglia: two different versions of "The Doctor (Who) is In" Peanuts crossover (Tom Baker & Smith), plus one more with a Dalek
Also there is a webcomic called "hijinksensue" with a shop section, featuring a handful of graphic tees, including "The Doctor (Who) is In" peanuts crossover with David Tennant.
Thanks! I'll check them out!
shirtwoot.com
My favorite tees are from Focsi...because they feature tshirts with women who look like me, and frankly that is hard to find. So images of African American Women of all shapes and sizes with kick a$$ afros is awesome!