If It's Tuesday, I Must Be Wearing The Heather Grey V-Neck
October 23, 2013 10:47 AM Subscribe
Ladies: what are your sources for cool and/or geeky t-shirts these days?
I recently realized that my supply of t-shirts is dwindling. I have multiples of the same plain American Apparel unisex v-neck and ladies' scoop-neck in different colors. I have one graphic tee that I actually like and wear regularly. I have a couple of other v-neck tees from places like the Gap and Urban Outfitters. And then... nothing.
I wear jeans and either a t-shirt or button-down pretty much every day. And with only 5-10 virtually identical t-shirt options, this is starting to feel repetitive.
I need t-shirt inspiration. I know graphic tees are no longer "cool", and I'm open to figuring out what kind of tees are cool now. But really I just need some variety. I am somewhat open to other kinds of tops, but I'm definitely more tomboyish and not really into ruffly girlie blouses or anything. I work in a casual workplace and dress very casually most of the time. I live in southern California, so while sometimes I wear button-down shirts, the climate here is on the warm side for that.
I'm especially looking for either visually interesting designs or designs with geek cred. I'm less into slogans. Liberal political stuff is also cool, especially feminism, though again, not so much with the slogan tees.
But wait, there's more! I'm also extremely specific about what t-shirts I'm willing to wear. I hate crew necks, and prefer a v-neck or scoop neck. A crew-ish neck that is very open, like the American Apparel Summer Tee, is also OK.
Thoughts? Where are you guys getting all your cool casual tops these days? Bonus points if there are comic book characters or the TARDIS on them.
I recently realized that my supply of t-shirts is dwindling. I have multiples of the same plain American Apparel unisex v-neck and ladies' scoop-neck in different colors. I have one graphic tee that I actually like and wear regularly. I have a couple of other v-neck tees from places like the Gap and Urban Outfitters. And then... nothing.
I wear jeans and either a t-shirt or button-down pretty much every day. And with only 5-10 virtually identical t-shirt options, this is starting to feel repetitive.
I need t-shirt inspiration. I know graphic tees are no longer "cool", and I'm open to figuring out what kind of tees are cool now. But really I just need some variety. I am somewhat open to other kinds of tops, but I'm definitely more tomboyish and not really into ruffly girlie blouses or anything. I work in a casual workplace and dress very casually most of the time. I live in southern California, so while sometimes I wear button-down shirts, the climate here is on the warm side for that.
I'm especially looking for either visually interesting designs or designs with geek cred. I'm less into slogans. Liberal political stuff is also cool, especially feminism, though again, not so much with the slogan tees.
But wait, there's more! I'm also extremely specific about what t-shirts I'm willing to wear. I hate crew necks, and prefer a v-neck or scoop neck. A crew-ish neck that is very open, like the American Apparel Summer Tee, is also OK.
Thoughts? Where are you guys getting all your cool casual tops these days? Bonus points if there are comic book characters or the TARDIS on them.
Best answer: I covet these - I don't own any, yet - but
Out of Print Clothing - more book nerd that comic book nerd. There's a shop in a Little Tokyo in the Japan Village Plaza outdoor mall that sells them, but I don't think they have a great selection and I can't remember what the place is called. It's across the street from Pinkberry on 2nd Street (?)
I also keep almost ordering a bunch of Gawker Artists t-shirts. Not very well-organized by topic, though.
posted by ablazingsaddle at 10:58 AM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Out of Print Clothing - more book nerd that comic book nerd. There's a shop in a Little Tokyo in the Japan Village Plaza outdoor mall that sells them, but I don't think they have a great selection and I can't remember what the place is called. It's across the street from Pinkberry on 2nd Street (?)
I also keep almost ordering a bunch of Gawker Artists t-shirts. Not very well-organized by topic, though.
posted by ablazingsaddle at 10:58 AM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
If you do searches for things like "screenprint blouse" around etsy and the like, some neat options pop up. Stuff that's unique and interesting, a little more grown up, and not as on the nose mainstream-geek as snorgtees and the like.
posted by phunniemee at 10:58 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 10:58 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I am definitely looking for resources that provide women's tees in non-crew neck styles.
posted by Sara C. at 10:59 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by Sara C. at 10:59 AM on October 23, 2013
The Out of Print Clothing shirts are really nice quality. I've got the women's v-neck Alice in Wonderland one, and the fabric is a really great medium-weight with the perfect v-neck shape - not too shallow, not too deep. I'd definitely recommend them.
posted by augustimagination at 11:02 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by augustimagination at 11:02 AM on October 23, 2013
Uniqlo's patterned longsleeved/half sleeve t-shirts work really well for me, with sightly non-standard necklines, reasonable prices, and interesting prints.
Their limited edition collections can be hit-or-miss; the terrific House Industries shirts are what caught me in the first place, but I'm not madly in love with the other designers featured right now. However, the lines do feel original and tasteful, and don't ask for the same viewer participation as, say, a Threadless t-shirt. It's a good mix between comfortable and casual office-worthy.
Caveat: Their website navigation isn't great, and I've spent way too much time zooming in on every single patterned shirt on the site, since it's often difficult to get a good sense of the pattern from just the thumbnail image.
posted by redsparkler at 11:02 AM on October 23, 2013
Their limited edition collections can be hit-or-miss; the terrific House Industries shirts are what caught me in the first place, but I'm not madly in love with the other designers featured right now. However, the lines do feel original and tasteful, and don't ask for the same viewer participation as, say, a Threadless t-shirt. It's a good mix between comfortable and casual office-worthy.
Caveat: Their website navigation isn't great, and I've spent way too much time zooming in on every single patterned shirt on the site, since it's often difficult to get a good sense of the pattern from just the thumbnail image.
posted by redsparkler at 11:02 AM on October 23, 2013
Best answer: We Love Fine is worth a look, depending on what you're looking for. Much more design-oriented than "we licensed a bunch of old art from Marvel." (They tend to be more open crew necks than scoop necks, though.) Quality is pretty standard, but I've been happy with the ones I have.
posted by darksong at 11:03 AM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by darksong at 11:03 AM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Wait, graphic tees are no longer cool? Why is Threadless still so packed every weekend? So that said, hit up Threadless.
posted by like_a_friend at 11:05 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by like_a_friend at 11:05 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
If your liberal politics extends to a vegetarian/vegan diet, I like the Herbivore Clothing Company and they have a handful of V-neck women's T-shirts.
posted by vegartanipla at 11:05 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by vegartanipla at 11:05 AM on October 23, 2013
Best answer: Along the ThinkGeek lines, and well-stocked with TARDIS (and other geek/comic/nerd) shirts in girly fits and V-necks, is Redbubble. I have a few hoodies from them and wear them often.
posted by picopebbles at 11:07 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by picopebbles at 11:07 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Just to be clear, Thinkgeek does have women's non-crew tees (just fewer of them.) For example, a women's v-neck TARDIS shirt.
posted by restless_nomad at 11:07 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by restless_nomad at 11:07 AM on October 23, 2013
Threadless. Sooooo many cool designs.
Of course most of them are on crewnecks, but googling "threadless v necks" got me lots of cute designs that come in v neck.
posted by GastrocNemesis at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2013
Of course most of them are on crewnecks, but googling "threadless v necks" got me lots of cute designs that come in v neck.
posted by GastrocNemesis at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2013
Nthing Out Of Print. I have the Charlotte's Web shirt which is very nice and soft and comfortable as is their long sleeve Raven shirt. The Winkle In Time shirt is not so comfy unfortunately.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:18 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:18 AM on October 23, 2013
Fuzzy Ink! I bought a couple at Crafty Bastards in DC a couple weeks ago, and they are *awesome* print quality! I bought the whale and the elephant in v-neck.
posted by ersatzkat at 11:33 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by ersatzkat at 11:33 AM on October 23, 2013
Amorphia Apparel has many great science/intellectual/philsophy-geeky lines, including Teach the Controversy, Science!, and Monsters of Grok. I believe the owner may be a MeFite.
posted by matildaben at 11:56 AM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by matildaben at 11:56 AM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Dirty Coast is mostly crew neck, but they do some nice tanks you could wear under a jacket or sweater, too, and they're awesomely NOLA.
posted by ersatzkat at 11:59 AM on October 23, 2013
posted by ersatzkat at 11:59 AM on October 23, 2013
Homage makes some scoopy women's t's (and all their products are made in the USA).
posted by jabes at 12:40 PM on October 23, 2013
posted by jabes at 12:40 PM on October 23, 2013
Best answer: I also hate the crew neck.
I have four, no wait, five t-shirts from Binary Winter Press. There's also an Etsy store with a different selection.
From my Etsy favorites:
Mad Love Handmade - I bought a Day of the Dead t-shirt from this shop a few years ago.
Ahpeele
Megan Lee
ScatterBrains Tees
Circular Accessories
James Anthony
Xenotees
Marty May
Zen Threads
Leah Goren
posted by Squeak Attack at 12:52 PM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
I have four, no wait, five t-shirts from Binary Winter Press. There's also an Etsy store with a different selection.
From my Etsy favorites:
Mad Love Handmade - I bought a Day of the Dead t-shirt from this shop a few years ago.
Ahpeele
Megan Lee
ScatterBrains Tees
Circular Accessories
James Anthony
Xenotees
Marty May
Zen Threads
Leah Goren
posted by Squeak Attack at 12:52 PM on October 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
I use Day of the Shirt to follow a number of Woot-like (inclusive of Woot) daily t-shirt sites.
posted by koucha at 12:57 PM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by koucha at 12:57 PM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I like making my own with the Avery iron-ons you make on your ink-jet printer.
I particularly like the kind made for dark fabric because you can use a darker background or border for your design that blends well and doesn't look stuck on, and you can make anything you can think of. For example, I once made a shirt for a BF that was a QR code of an inside joke. I enlarged the QR code, colored it yellow on a black background, and ironed it on to a black shirt. Also, a lot of very specific images you find online can be re-sized for a shirt without losing resolution, and since it's a one-off that I'm not selling I feel okay about using it.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:54 PM on October 23, 2013
I particularly like the kind made for dark fabric because you can use a darker background or border for your design that blends well and doesn't look stuck on, and you can make anything you can think of. For example, I once made a shirt for a BF that was a QR code of an inside joke. I enlarged the QR code, colored it yellow on a black background, and ironed it on to a black shirt. Also, a lot of very specific images you find online can be re-sized for a shirt without losing resolution, and since it's a one-off that I'm not selling I feel okay about using it.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:54 PM on October 23, 2013
Best answer: For basic tees that have a little more design or something adult feeling about them, I love LA Made. Their clothes are always so soft too.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 options.
I also really like this leather pocket one but it's pricey.
Next time I wear out one of my plain tees, I am getting one from Everlane.
posted by rmless at 2:18 PM on October 23, 2013
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 options.
I also really like this leather pocket one but it's pricey.
Next time I wear out one of my plain tees, I am getting one from Everlane.
posted by rmless at 2:18 PM on October 23, 2013
Response by poster: Huzzah!
I found some really awesome t-shirts via all of your recommendations, and now the question is how to narrow down the possibilities.
Thanks, everyone!
(And yes, apparently the title of this AskMe is apropos because they are pretty much all either grey or black.)
posted by Sara C. at 3:05 PM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I found some really awesome t-shirts via all of your recommendations, and now the question is how to narrow down the possibilities.
Thanks, everyone!
(And yes, apparently the title of this AskMe is apropos because they are pretty much all either grey or black.)
posted by Sara C. at 3:05 PM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm late here, but the Our Lady Of... series hits a massive number of your requirements. Also they are awesome.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:09 PM on October 23, 2013
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:09 PM on October 23, 2013
Response by poster: Sad the Our Lady Of... shirts don't come in a v-neck option, but come summer I will definitely pick up a few of the tanks.
posted by Sara C. at 9:17 PM on October 23, 2013
posted by Sara C. at 9:17 PM on October 23, 2013
Almost all webcomics seem to make their money largely on t-shirts, so you might check the shops of the ones you like and see if any of them have shirts that fit your requirements. Topatoco has a lot of really great shirts from webcomics, artists, people like Jonathan Coulton and Welcome to Night Vale. Most of them are crew neck but some of them are "scoop neck", "boat neck" or other types of word before "neck" that I've never heard in that context before. Topatoco also lets you sort by theme, so you can look at all the geeky stuff at once or all the dinosaur stuff or whatever.
I also have a lot of Diesel Sweeties shirts, which I like a lot. Most of these are crew neck too, with a handful of ringers and maybe one v-neck.
I also like John Sumrow's stuff, but full disclosure I'm biased because he's a friend of mine. He sells at cons, though, and if there are any of those that you're interested in they are a great place for t-shirts.
posted by NoraReed at 9:23 PM on October 23, 2013
I also have a lot of Diesel Sweeties shirts, which I like a lot. Most of these are crew neck too, with a handful of ringers and maybe one v-neck.
I also like John Sumrow's stuff, but full disclosure I'm biased because he's a friend of mine. He sells at cons, though, and if there are any of those that you're interested in they are a great place for t-shirts.
posted by NoraReed at 9:23 PM on October 23, 2013
« Older Did religious cults of Archaic Greece interact... | How many people can I keep track of? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by restless_nomad at 10:55 AM on October 23, 2013 [3 favorites]