Row 1: HS Favorite | Hometown Sports | Vinyl
Row 2: The Pointing Finger | Elvis | Hula Pinball (Similar here)
Row 3: Tourist Destination 1 | Tourist Destination 2 | Favorite Author/Book
Row 4: Favorite Band/Album | Hometown Sports | Tourist Destination 3
Ever since the 2019 Camp Met Ball I’ve been thinking a LOT about t-shirts. And while a t-shirt can certainly be camp (with a few appearing on the red carpet the night of the Gala) it can also be much much more. The right T can silently communicate your life philosophy, favorite sports team, travels, tribe or musical preferences. T’s are like the workhorses of the clothing world: no other type of clothing serves as many diverse purposes for its wearer. It’s really a rather remarkable when you think about it. Did you know:
- International t-shirt day is June 21st
- The word “T-shirt” was first used in 1920 by author F. Scott Fitzgerald in his novel, This Side of Paradise.
- The first promo t-shirt was produced for The Wizard of Oz in 1939 (sadly no image exists fo this art)
- The first t-shirt to bear a slogan was the “Dew-It with Dewey” shirt made for Thomas E. Dewey’s 1944 presidential campaign.
- Tropix Togs was the first company to decorate T-shirts with pop culture icons and slogans in the early 1950s.
- In the late 60s tie-dye t’s became popular, largely due to Rit Dye ad mogul Don Price. Rit gave away hundreds of dyed shirts at Woodstock, starting a counterculture trend still in style today.
- Coca Cola was the first brand to promote itself using t-Shirts
- Over 2 billion t-shirts are sold worldwide every year.
- 60% of American have more than 10 t-shirts, which is enough to circle the earth 34 times.
- At least once per week, 89% of Americans put on a t-shirt.
- The Salvation Army receives several million t-shirt donations every year and auctions them off by the pound, exporting them to third-world countries.
- T-shirt recycling keeps 5 billion ton of textile waste out of landfills annually
I am, unfortunately, part of the 40% of Americans who owns less than 10 t-shirts. I plan on rectifying that situation over the summer by adding a few choice designs purchased during my upcoming summer travels. How about you? Do you wear t-shirts? Do you own more or less than 10 t-shirts? Are you a plain t or design t advocate? What’s the best t you ever owned? Drop me a line…I’d love to know.
The Grey Goddess 