Trippin’ Through Time With Homage T-Shirts

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Homage Clothing, retro t-shirts, retro tees, vintage t-shirts, vintage tees, www.homageclothing.com

There’s retro and then there’s retro. We’ve reviewed plenty of “themed” retro t-shirt labels before, sometimes movies-orientated sometimes music, but Homage Clothing take it to all the way, to the bridge and back again, and then some. If you’re hooked on the past you’re not alone, retro and vintage styles are a mainstay of the modern fashion scene. Perhaps it all started with hip hop, sampling to be exact, the hip hop fraternity realised through a blend of necessity (such as lack of budget) and lessons learned in history, that sometimes the best has been and gone. What’s the point in emulating the classics of post-modern culture, be it the greatest beats, the slickest movies, the highs and lows of sports, or the most fabulous of fabulous of fashions when it’s already there, laid out like a feast of cocaine caviare on a bed of the sweetest tasting mutual memories that mankind will ever muster. I know at least one label who’ll back me up on this and that’s Homage – www.HomageClothing.com deliver what their brand promises. More than merely peeking in to the past, this label ’s tees proudly toots the horn of nostalgia, lighting the way towards a triumphant past strewn with the glittering memories of both the highs and lows of the 20th century, and to be honest I doubt that anyone out there, however attached to the present they maybe, can blame them.

You can find their unique blend of authentic vintage tees all around the world, including stockists in N.Y, UK and Japan, their quirky taste for the eclectic past are self evident from the moment you visit their online store, expect a barrage of long forgotten (but still loved) cultural titbits such as Cheech and Chong, Rubik’s Cube, the Moon landing and even jelly beans (which is actually a cunning jibe about the quirks of Ronald Reagan when he was in presidency). Anyway I won’t give it all away, take a trip through time yourself and see what you’ve been missing at Homage T-Shirts – or keep reading on to see a few of my faves from this slick and sassy vintage label for kids of an uncertain future hooked on the warm glow of the past.

Bicycles Don’t Pollute Tee

Imagine you’re a hippy in the 60’s or 70’s, someone drops a Californian Sunrise in your herbal tea and before you know it you’re scribbling the best idea you’ve ever had on the back of a phone directory, this must be the result of something similar. Except this time instead of waking up the next day and finding a nonsensical psychedelic doodle of large breasted female hippies riding unicorns or stoners with melting faces you find this little beauty. What a score! I love it, it’s simple, it’s serious, yet there’s still a generous spoonful of kooky home-made inspiration to ease that message through (without all the well meaning hectoring a lot of modern equivalents offer these days). A funky font and a marvellous composition, I am sold, I have a Raleigh Chopper with a flat tyre in the basement, all I need is one of these tees and a pump (and a lot of hair) and I am set for the road. Five out of five peace signs for this classic vintage t-shirt Bicycles Don’t Pollute. Now if someone could just invent a pedal-powered plane and a solar-powered Internet we’re made. Available in yellow, unisex sizes XS to XXL for $32 (cotton/poly blend). Groovy man.

Skyway Drive-In Tee

On the other end of the cultural scale we have Homage’s Skyway Drive-In tee. Their blurb tells us that Skyway have “been in business since 1952 when the Large family opened its first location on Market Street in Fairlawn.” This is as vintage as it gets, over half a century of big fat greasy burgers served without their customers leaving the comfort of their cars. The gorgeous font belies the essence of what is for many the downturn of the West, I can see a future when most obese burger lovin’ dopes will be weighed on arrival, and if their BMI (body mass index) is out of kilter they’ll be forced to run on a treadmill to get the slightest bite. It’s getting just as bad over here in the UK, the government reckons that almost 20% of British school kids will be technically obese in the next few years, so much for Wii Sports. If they hadn’t sold off all the playing fields the schools wouldn’t need to take so much of the blame. Anyway the first drive-in in London I heard of was in New Cross some 20+ years ago. There was a news report on the radio that one of their customers had found they were eating fried and battered rat nuggets as opposed to the usual chicken variety – franchising hasn’t done the Colonel any favours over here. I’m no fitness freak, far from it, but don’t give me all that glandular crap. Oh well the more big ass shell-suited carcasses that use drive-ins the better, I just wonder if that joint in New Cross is eyeing them up for a future alternative to rat nuggets. Nice and simple tee for anyone who fancies rolling back the years (and the pounds) – available in (cotton/poly blend) red, sizes XS to XXL (unisex) for $32.

Skate Or Die Tee

Totally totally rad dude – this is so non-bogus! If you have a hankering for the New Wave 80’s, then get out your board, trim back that mohawk and grab a Skate or Die tee. If you do have the skills this has to be the t-shirt for you. Forget all the fancy schmancy skater wear you can get out there nowadays, this was def the uniform when it really counted, the kings of the car parks, riding garbage tip ramps and sewer tunnels to earn your stripes. I love it, so old school it hurts. It’s not pretty, it’s not clever, but this t-shirt drags you back to when the underground didn’t give a damn about style, they just made what they wore in the back of some kids’ garage and if it got ripped up in a serious scrape all the better. Loving the gross out luminous font and skull, and before you sneer at the pink tee, think about it, how tough would you have to be to wear something pink? Exactly. Now imagine a terrible John Carpenter style soundtrack playing out in the background as you and the rest of your gang wear matching t-shirts, if you do lose the fight just say it’s blood that faded in the wash – your enemies’ blood that is :p Get this classic skater tee for $32 sizes XS to XXL (unisex).

Cleveland T-Shirt

Now you’ll have to forgive me I don’t know much about Cleveland but this t-shirt made me laugh, at first I thought wow that has to be a city with a massive ego and then I realised no, this is a city with a massive inferiority complex. My suspicions were supported by the following video I saw at Homage – which is in all honesty bloody hilarious.

My only other cultural encounter with Cleveland is via the title music for the Drew Carey Show, it was probably being repeated at 4am on some hardly seen UK channel but this track really caught my attention. I like the tune but even this limey could tell it was being facetious. We have cities like Cleveland in the UK, cities where should an American rock star deem it worthwhile to play a gig they will come out with something like “Milton Keynes YOU RULE!” which even people who live in Milton Keynes would have trouble agreeing. The fact is there are always going to be big show-off cities like London, L.A, N.Y and then there are going to be those that never really got the hang of “cool”. It’s just the way things are. Very very funny tee – Cleveland is available for $32, orange, sizes XS to XXL.

I really had fun at Homage, you might too, go pay your respects to a history that won’t make the weighty tomes of the future but should always ahve a place in our hearts at www.HomageClothing.com. Whilst you’re at it check out their groovy blog too – they’ve met Buzz Aldrin you know – but then again who hasn’t :p

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