PRINTWearing your music on your sleeve
Vintage band T-shirt designs get reproduced for the masses
Target
November 30, 2006 | 12:00 a.m. CST
In the past two to three years, the vintage band tee craze has morphed into a mainstream, mass-produced fashion staple. From the real deal to big-box knockoffs, retro band T-shirts allow connoisseurs and posers alike to faithfully wear the faces of the rock stars they admire (or at least have heard of).
Laura Wilson, owner of Blackberry Exchange, says the trend has been around for a few years now, and more and more stores are jumping to join the fun. “It’s strange,” she says. “It used to be this rare, threadbare and fantastic thing where you could get a Van Halen shirt from 1984. Now, it’s not fantastic at all. You can go to Wal-Mart and get a brand new 1984 Van Halen tee for $10.”
Sarah Davis and Danielle Chapman, MU textile and apparel management students, and Laurel Wilson, MU professor and curator of the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection, offer their takes on the reasons for the popularity of a few T-shirt remakes.
Beatles — $9.99, Target
For their time, the Beatles were really political and daring, Wilson says. Even the longer hair was sort of a protest statement.
Chapman points out that because the Beatles are still so popular today, you could wear this anywhere. “And since this is only $10, it’s a cheap and easy way to keep up with the trend.”
Bowie — $9.99, Target
Because most shirts in the vintage tee craze are from the ’70s, it can be hard to see how David Bowie fits. The ’80s, however, do seem to be on a comeback, and the combination of purple, pink and blue in this shirt creates a modern, somewhat androgynous look representative of that era, Chapman says.
Guns N Roses — $28, Urban Outfitters
With roots in Mexican or New Orleans pop culture, the shocking imagery of the top hat on the skull and cross bones makes the design attractive, Wilson says. Davis agrees the shirt is appealing even for generations who have not grown up with Guns N Roses. “The graphic is just so eye-catching,” she says.
Rolling Stones — $28, Gap
The tongue is a less blatant form of the middle finger, and with the subtle fashion relationship between the ’70s and today, the design has become a classic, Wilson says. You don’t have to like their music to know what this symbol meant to past generations.
Sex Pistols — $32, Delia’s
The design is striking because of the contrast between the old-fashioned queen picture and the modern cut-out words, Chapman says. The symbolism of a blindfold and gag also evoke an emotional reaction, Wilson says, which is a central idea of pop culture.
Today, stores such as Gap, Delia’s and even Target are cashing in. Ranging from $10 - 30, their shirts are made to look authentic. They’re fitted, faded and have that threadbare feel, but Wilson says it’s still easy to spot the differences. “Baby tees” didn’t exist when most of these bands were touring, she says, so if a T-shirt is extremely fitted but is labeled as an adult size, it’s a reproduction or “repo.” Remakes often lack the detail of the original T-shirts, Wilson adds. You can also tell by the material. “They did not use spandex back in the day,” she says, “so if it is a stretch tee, it is a repo.”
So what’s the appeal of retro rock icons today? Hunter Wenger, a Shiloh bartender who can be seen in his vintage Doors and Grateful Dead shirts, thinks it might have to do with the ’60s and ’70s zeitgeist. “The image is one of a better world, a better time, a better generation,” he says. “People might just want to feel like they are a part of that.”
Inexpensive remakes might be tempting, but not for those who stick to their guns when it comes to that authentic vintage tee. Wenger regularly checks stores such as Blackberry Exchange, Leo’s and Maude Vintage to find the rare worn and stained treasures most people would disregard as rags. So what does he see in them? The genuine vintage shirts have the tour schedule and concert location, whereas today’s remakes only have the band logo.
Vintage fiends are willing to pay for the subtle difference. Real and high demand vintage tees can easily set consumers back $50 - 150. “We’ve put shirts on eBay if they’re really old,” Wilson says. “One of our Clash tees went for about $200.” Be careful when purchasing off the Web, though. Wilson recommends checking out comments about a seller before making a purchase.
Maude Vintage employee Channing Kennedy also knows how valuable these tees can be. “We have buyers come through looking for these shirts, and they’re typically willing to pay top dollar,” he says. “Of course, they turn around and sell them for hundreds.” A real Rolling Stones vintage T-shirt can also hit that $200 range.
For local customers, though, Kennedy tries keeping some T-shirts priced around $18 - 20, depending on the condition. “We find comparable prices on eBay and come up with some average price,” he says. He says hair bands such as Van Halen remain pretty popular, but he acknowledges that the trend seems to be slowing. Whereas people once came in all the time looking for these shirts, he says it’s just a few people and collectors now.
