Walk down the street in any city and town in America and you’ll find that 99% of the people are wearing t-shirts. Prior to the 70s, however, it was fairly rare: t-shirts were primarily worn underneath a collard shirt. On occasion, folks would walk around with their plain white tees, but that was generally just for doing sweaty, dirty jobs. After A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), greasers would wear them, and it was fairly common for younger kids to play around in their plain whites.
So, how did the t-shirt become such an omnipresent fashion in the U.S.? In large part, we can thank the hippies. Not only was the t-shirt popularized as a source of self-expression (example: tie dye shirts), but the entire culture changed to a less buttoned down lifestyle. Starched collars were out and t-shirts were officially in.
I bring this up mainly because I'd forgotten that, not too long ago, the t-shirt with a saying or image on it was a novel idea. Kids in the 60s didn't have Incredible Hulk or "I'm with stupid" T-shirts. I remember when stores offering only iron-ons were extremely common.
Back in the 70s, I valued my t-shirts as prized possessions. True story: one Summer I was walking a dog for a neighbor who was away on vacation, when the mutt took off and literally dragged me on my stomach the length of a stretch of sidewalk. My chest was horribly scraped and bloody, but I remember being more upset about my now torn to shreds Close Encounters of the Third Kind t-shirt. Skin would grow back - but I may never get another t-shirt like this!
So, as a salute to the glory days of the t-shirt, back when it was new and exciting, here's a few of my favorite vintage tees. Enjoy!
