Heraldic Tees

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     heraldic tees, heraldry clothing, heraldry t-shirts, vintage t-shirts

Heraldry Clothing are a Charlotte NC based high-end t-shirt label with a love for heraldic art. The word “conservative” is bandied around quite a few times in their biog, I’m guessing they mean an older crowd, although I’m getting on and I’m still as left-field as ever. I can’t imagine red-carpet events skipping the black tie affair for high-end tees, but hey you never know.

I was intrigued by something else I read at their store, “We chose to name our company ‘Heraldry’ because all of our designs are based on a meaningful story taken from our lives; they are part of our heritage, and spoken from the heart. ” Unfortunately I can see no sign of those elusive stories, it would be nice to have something juicy to read on each product page. Ah well, I’m just nosey I suppose.

To be honest I’m not a great fan of heraldry, being British and the son of a school teacher I was dragged around hundreds of castles and manor houses as a kid, call it ‘historical overload,’ although I can imagine it must all seem rather splendid from across the pond. Despite all that, Heraldry Tees have managed to wake me from my slumber and catch my attention, they have some high quality gear on offer, there are even a few foil printed burnout tees at relatively fair prices when you consider their competitors in the high-end market. I can’t help but think that Heraldry needs to focus more on the boutique chic market, tiny indie stores on the swanky side of town. They do seem big in Carolina, however I’m thinking they’d do better in NY (they have one retailer there), Paris, Tokyo, London etc. Then again they do have a big PR company working on their campaign right now so who knows what’s around the corner. Here’s a big saving for you though… 25% off at checkout with the code BUYTEES)

Harbinger Tee

Here’s the first of two lush tees for ladies I want to feature, this one has a really nice Japanese style to it. Appreciating the detail on the back too. But… “where is the heraldry?” I honestly never thought I’d ask that question in this lifetime, still, they do seem to have spun off the conceptual road a little. Who cares – it’s pretty, my gf likes it, it looks like crushed velvet and women still like flowers don’t they? It’s pricey at $48.50 (S-XL), then again, if you’ve got it flaunt it. (25% off at checkout with the code BUYTEES).

Infinity Tee

Again a little Japanese in style this time (and not at all heraldic) with a little foil-print which always go down well. The sheer burnout fabric is rather sexy too. Available in sizes S-XL  from $48.50…. Sure we’re in a recession but this stuff is so posh the Queen probably wears it on her day off :p

Royal Eagle Tee

Finally a real heraldic tee. Sure it looks a little Germanic, perhaps even Albanian, but it’s symmetrical, there’s a shield, some eagles and even a crown. Definitely heraldic. I love the worn-out look of the print, if you put one of these in a Medieval museum collection I doubt anyone would bat an eyelid. Who knows a knight in shining armour has to wear something to stop the chaffing?

If you’re not too fixated on the whole heraldry idea, which is after all a massive part of the brand, it’s a pretty good collection. See more at www.HeraldryClothing.com.

New Tees By Maiden Voyage

admin    T-Shirt News, T-Shirts     Maiden Voyage Clothing, classic tees, vinateg tees, vintage t-shirts

If you’re more olde worlde than old skool you might remember our post in March about the Maiden Voyage Clothing Co. One of our only criticisms at the time was their Adobe Flash site which asides making it difficult to access for those on slower connections and crappy cell phones, the fact is reviewers like myself can’t poach pictures from their store so easily, so I for one am glad to see they’ve updated (or should that be downgraded?) their store back to lovely cuddly HTML. On a far less geeky tack, do have a butchers at their latest offerings in t-shirt form, yet again no doubt with the aid of some kind of time travelling device, MVC have captured the essence of the past, delving into the curios and curiosities of history to come up with these potential classics available in all sizes from £32 each…

Council of Crows Tee

Siamese Fencing League Tee

Dark And Stormy Night Tee

I hate to say it but it’d be nice to see some larger product images at the site and perhaps some more competitive prices, oh well, perhaps I should’ve mentioned that last time. On a side note, I think the model is superb, if anyone is going to sail the ship through stormy waters, it’s this old codger. Anyway do take a look at the rest of MVC’s tees (and handmade leather products if you fancy a new wallet – even if you have nothing to put in it) at www.MaidenVoyageClothing.com.

Adam Jackson Tees

admin    T-Shirt Designers     Adam Jackson, illustration, retro tees, vintage t-shirts

If you love beautifully drawn illustrated tees then do keep an eye out for Adam Isaac Jackson, an amazingly talented Seattle-based designer, brought up in Japan, with an incredible knack for retro/vintage pin-up designs, tattoo art and a generally moody style that has to be seen to be believed. If you love your t-shirts dark and sexy then this is the guy to look out for. You can read up on all his latest t-shirts at his blog at www.adamants.wordpress.com. Although you’ll have to be quick, almost all his designs sell out straight away, still you can always sign up for his newsfeed.

Medusa T-Shirt

This tee is “coming soon”, I can’t give you an exact date, but when it does you’d better be quick or you’ll lose out! It’s just $20 and gloriously designed, one of the slickest one-colour print tees I’ve ever seen… if you’re desperate for more info all I can recommend is that you hook up with them at their MySpace page or contact Diamonds and Demons via their contact form!

This one has almost sold out already, considering it’s the only t-shirt for sale so far I think you get my drift…

Death Becomes Her T-Shirt

Perhaps the most beautiful zombie tee ever made. Check out this pic for a better idea of what you’re missing.

Day of the Dead meets retro pin-up nostalgia, love it, and so does everyone else by the looks of it, there’s only a few left in XL size, so hurry! Get it here.

For those with a slighter build don’t worry, I’ve found Adam Isaac Jackson’s own little t-shirt store with a couple of tees on offer, including this beauty:

Land of The Free T-Shirt

The Land of the Free T-Shirt is gorgeous, on sale for $30 and available in all sizes, yes all of them, it’s even signed by the artist! Well worth a gander. Get it here.

This guy needs to get cracking, or at least a few labels he’s worked for before need to get their act together and re-release a few of his past designs like Deadly, which used to be for sale at Imperial Motion, (one of my personal faves). Wake up Adam, we want more, more, more!

REAL Vintage Tees

admin    T-Shirt Articles     pre-owned tees, retro, retro t-shirts, vintage t-shirts

‘Scuse the uppercase but I just wanted to make sure you got the message loud and clear. This quickie post is only for the eyes of true t-shirt fanatics. If your money is burning a hole in your pocket and you lay awake at night wondering how on earth you’ll find another t-shirt exactly like the Simpsons tee you had as a kid in the 80s (only in a larger size), or if you’re desperate to get another original 1981 Pac Man t-shirt after your dog ate the last one, then listen up!

VintagePimps.com has been selling vintage t-shirts since 2004 and enjoy every second of it, if anyone is in love with retro chic and cornball nostalgia, across the board mind you, it has to be these guys. They sell their finds at Ebay and remember these aren’t reprints, in fact they may be the last of their kind in the world, so you’re going to have to pay through the nose for a slice of T-history. Here’s one of theirs I’ve picked out…

Vintage Prince T-Shirt (1982)

Totally mad original Prince tee, way before he became ‘symbol’, you know, back when he knocked out stompers like 1999 and When Doves Cry. This ultra rare, and take it from me almost all of them for sale at Vintage Pimps are, excellent condition Prince ’1999′ Tour t-shirt will set you back a massive $200 and only in a small size!!! Yes for Prince fanatics and potential stalkers only. Okay maybe not, but he is open to offers, not sure how much anyone can knock him down, but I bet that in the next few years this one will end up at a retro/vintage store in a trendy quarter of a city somewhere with a price tag at double that amount.

I thought whilst I was roaming around Ebay land I’d check out what else was on offer there and realised it wasn’t so easy to find genuine originals. You have to watch out, the word ‘style’ is a big giveaway, it means it’s a reprint, some might be fakes too, if they include a photo of the tag and it looks genuine or you know your t-shirt history you might even snap up a few vintage bargains without the seller even realising what they had! For mere mortals you will most likely come a cropper from time to time, so many merchandise t-shirts have been reprinted time after time, still if it’s obscure you’re probably safer.

Still I did find another major Ebay seller who specialises in genuine vintage tees, their feedback is superb and they try wherever possible to include all the info they can on each shirt including photographing labels and any defects. Labels give you a big clue, it doesn’t take long to realise if a t-shirt printers was even established a few decades ago, let alone if they had a license to print at the time of the original license. Sounds tricky but if you do your research you could make a tidy packet from selling on used tees just like Black Rebel Vintage.

Vintage ‘The Runaways’/Joan Jett ‘School Days’ European Tour T-Shirt (1977)

This seems to be the real deal, especially when you look at tag and the price, which is a record-breaking $1,499! Yes it’s rare but I can’t ever imagine paying that much for a tee, and I have a horrible feeling that someone probably dropped it off in a local charity store without even knowing the value. The fact is there are people willing to pay this much, imagine what an original official 1950′s Elvis T-shirt in mint condition would for? Probably enough to buy a new car at the very least.

Vintage Harley Davidson/Evel Knievel Tee

Supposedly 30 years old, it looks new because it’s ‘deadstock’ as in stored in a box or crate for decades without being sold to the public. It’s an incredible $999, again a mad mad price, but obviously it’s real slice of  Americana. Who knows, you might see one like this crop up at your local thrift store one day. You know what to do if it does ;)

If you’re thinking of retailing genuine vintage tees through your own store or site you might want to check out the British fashion sourcing company The Vintage Clothing Company. They sell real vintage tees by the pound (as in weight) to vintage fashion shops around the world. They grade them by quality and rarity, essentially nothing new gets through. Well worth a think if you’re tempted to set up shop.

But as always when it comes to real vintage bargains, the first place to check out is TeeCycle.org – they donate $1 from every sale to charity and even if their tees aren’t as rare they’re cool and affordable!

Vintage Beastie Boys Tee (Ladies)

Original Beastie Boys tee for women in a large size for just $15 + $3 shipping here!

Here are a few more worthy mentions:

Thriftstore Cowboy

Ghetto Vintage

Stormcrow Vintage

But to be honest you’re better off popping down your local boot fair, thift store, charity shop, flea market, you name it, if it’s cheap and local the effort of finding a rare vintage tee is worth it!

A Trip Back in Time – Maiden Voyage Clothing

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Maiden Voyage Clothing, graphic tees, illustration, maritime shirts, vintage t-shirts, vintage tees

I bumped into these guys on Twitter and was immediately besotted with their site. Normally I don’t approve of website music but I have to admit it adds to the oldie-worldie atmosphere at Maiden Voyage Clothing although if the Laurel and Hardy in Egypt old-time jazz tune is starting to grate then you’ll find an on/off switch bottom right of the screen. There are only four designs on offer right now, but I’m guessing that they haven’t been going long, and besides they are rather cool so give them a break. BTW I can’t provide links to each tee, it’s a Flash site however they are in the process of redesigning the website in a more traditional and link friendly fashion.

MVC definitely want evoke a times past, a culture of tall ships and tall stories. Everything from the music, the store design and the tees themselves seem more akin to the turn of the 20th Century than the 21st. They’ve really put a lot of thought into the whole set up, and I’d imagine if they packed the store with more top-notch t-shirts they’d build themselves a rather respectable following. The name was inspired by the excitement and endeavours of a slice of history where every trip was a big adventure, be it via Zeppelin, ship or propeller driven plane, most likely you’d be one of if not the first to visit your destination in that fashion.

A slice of history where fantasy and reality merged quite frequently, still following a tradition for, let’s shall we say exaggerating, be it the splendour of lost cities, the size of unknown creatures or a race of giants, the abundance of gold and other precious finds. At this, perhaps in hindsight one of the most exciting times in history suffered from a Chinese whisper syndrome, exaggeration was infection, the world of mass-communication hadn’t quite arrived yet and many adventurers did have a habit of fibbing.  MVC want to recapture that spirit of mystery and excitement for the undiscovered, something we on this overcrowded world sadly lack these days. Roll on the space age I say.

Bears in Tandem T-Shirt

The Bears in Tandem tee is probably my favourite, available for $28 in sizes XS to M. I love the use of all-over printing and the illustration itself is rather gorgeous. Fur is a tricky texture to draw in monotone. Nice sepia effect too.

Fishtachio T-Shirt

Here’s a lovely piece of surrealism in the form of the imaginatively titled Fishtacio. The fish leaping through the loops of the tash and the subtle lines marking out the reflection really add to the design. Available for guys in sizes XS to XL for $28.

Flagship T-Shirt

Aptly enough the Flagship tee features an impressively drawn clipper ship in both white (XS to XXL) and blue (XS to XL), both available for $28. A very slick piece of old fashioned etching style illustration. A really smart incorporation of the brand too.

You can visit Maiden Voyage Clothing’s store at www.MaidenClothingCompany.com or keep up with them at Twitter.

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. read more

T-Shirts For The Starry-Eyed

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Blondie, Cobain, Worn Free, celebrity t-shirts, cool tees, famous, famous t-shirts, retro t-shirts, vintage t-shirts, wornfree.com

Do you idolise? Do you love your celebrities? I must admit I have a love-hate relationship with them all in general, I mean they’re for the main part paid beyond the wildest expectations of the ordinary man or woman, but nevertheless they have to be at the top of their game or they wouldn’t be able to afford their grand mansions in the leafier suburbs of Beverly Hills and the like. Still I have a soft spot for a few, the faux-genius of Andy Warhol, the dark hymns of lost soul Kurt Cobain, the machine-gun delivery and lambastery of Bill Hicks, hang on wait a minute they’re all dead? Hmm… perhaps that’s the trick, you can only truly be a star if you’re dead. Still there are plenty of living celebs with more than a smattering of cool about them and that’s exactly what WornFree.com are all about. read more

Vintage Vantage Have The Advantage

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     classic designs, funny tees, retro, retro tees, vintage t-shirts, vintage vantage, vintagevantage.com

Now, I don’t normally ‘do’ funny t-shirt sites, there are plenty of them out there and for the main part they all clone Busted Tees style, quality, format, and even jokes to a tee, well no they don’t, because if they did they’d be as successful if not more. But VintageVantage.com have a distinct advantage over many of their competitors in the humorous t-shirt field, not only are their jokes genuinely funny, they actually create stylish shirts you’d be proud to wear, well proud if you’re a cynical nostalgic like me at least. read more

Top List of Recycled T-Shirt Sites

admin    T-Shirt Articles     old tees, recycled cotton t-shirts, recycled plastic t-shirts, recycled t-shirts, second hand t-shirts, used tees, vintage t-shirts

The t-shirt industry or rather the t-shirt retailing industry (as opposed to a vast majority of the t-shirt manufacturing industry) has finally begun to fall in-line with many other markets in regards to our planet’s environmental issues and their own responsibility to help reduce its own impact on the future of our ecology. Apart from the positive publicity and pr recycled t-shirt sites have received over the last year, it also makes great economic sense for everyone concerned.

The economic and environmental costs of all raw materials is shooting up. Be it the oil crisis, ongoing natural disasters, levies on pollutants, war, or the growing demand from developing countries, more and more t-shirt companies are turning the tables and making positive gains both in public credibility (including fair trade issues) and price, by recycling/reclaiming cotton for t-shirts and promoting the fact as a key selling point to their customers. read more