FASHION : Humble T-Shirt Emerges to Make Bold Statement : Once just an ordinary piece of clothing, it now is a bearer of messages that range from the serious to the ridiculous.
There are many forms of self-expression: theater, dance, music, T-shirts.
Yes, this garment has in a few short decades evolved from benign underwear to a fashion statement / personal billboard that offers public voice to the common man. (And the common woman, of course; but women prefer not to think of themselves in those terms.)
Oh, pundits still write letters to the editor. The conversion-bound hand out Scripture on the streets. And pallid students still gather in stark coffeehouses to read existential verse.
But, might they only realize: There is no medium as sweet as bold letters on one’s chest.
That Americans should launch this form of communication seems fitting after long years of toting banners to proclaim their feelings, such as “Don’t Tread on Me” or “Down With Demon Rum!”
Indeed, one of the earliest recorded T-shirt slogans was political. “Dew it with Dewey,” was emblazoned on shirts in 1948 for presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey, a man who was at least aphoristically ahead of his time.
Had he become President, Mr. D might have brought the fad to fruition sooner. As it was, Harry Truman did nothing whatsoever to promote T-shirt expression, instead popularizing gaudy Hawaiian leisure wear.
But in spite of this setback, the message T-shirt has made it into popular culture and has evolved to include diverse current themes. Protest is still one of these, especially as adopted by the eco-hip.
“Save the Whales” is a favored motto of the genre. This particular plea has been around long enough to produce spinoffs, such as “Save the Males” and the newly coined “Save the Ales,” although there is no indication what might be threatening malted liquor. Possibly tea drinking.
Observing shirts, one notes that protest itself is becoming better humored, from the well-known “Stop the Violins” and “Visualize Whirled Peas” to the whimsical “Free the Bound Periodicals!”
Other shirts promote bonding with ones peers. These include feminist Tees (“Anonymous was a Woman”) and macho Tees (“The First Rule of Manhood: Never Ask for Directions”).
Arrogant messages have long been common (“This is no ordinary person you are dealing with”) and gaining favor is their antithesis, the self-deprecating tee: “Bad Spellers of the World, Untie” or “If Found, Drop in Any Mailbox.”
A sub-genre of this category is the shirt declaring infirmity due to age, such as, “Insufficient Memory at This Time” and our personal favorite: “OVER THE HILL--What Hill? Where? I Didn’t Notice Any Hill.”
But, the culmination of Tee diversity is found in the individualized Tee, intended to express any imaginable personal sentiment. And here in Ventura County is a plethora of shops ready to supply them on request.
The local population may not be using this option to its full potential, however.
“Usually, what people want is a shirt that says, ‘Chuck is so and so old,’ ” said Amber Mullenix, store manager of Wild Tops in Thousand Oaks.
Other big sellers, she said, are “Fifty is Nifty” and “Forty and Sporty,” also inspired by birthday observances.
A similar report was given at Plum Pretty, a shirt printing booth in the Oxnard Esplanade Mall. Said owner Dolores Gragg: “Most of it is: ‘I love my Grandma’ or ‘Mom Always Liked You Best.’ ”
That is not to say that no unique messages are ever coined. Not that long ago, Mullenix printed a shirt for a customer reading, “Tonka, Tonka.”
“It’s a saying that her husband would say all the time when they were playing poker,” she said.
Other local shops had trouble recalling innovative shirts.
Paul Lisak of Factory Screen Printing in Camarillo conceived a shirt reading “I Survived the Malathion,” which has been popular in that city. But by and large, retirements and birthdays dominate the local slogan scene.
Why is it so? When you think of the sentiments expressed in daily dialogue--are none of them worth wearing?
We determined to combat the trend, to choose a message that would set us apart from the crowd.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Should the phrase be philosophical, flirtatious, witty? What if it offends?
We came to understand the common dilemma.
So, we turned to the idea book that Wild Tops keeps handy to help customers brainstorm. Right away, we were reassured. Here, agreeable titles abound--on such subjects as diets, sports, hobbies and pets.
It took a while. But, after careful deliberation, we found our personal manifesto: “Backgammon Players Clear the Board.”
There’s a certain elan about it. And, it hasn’t offended anyone yet.
