Forward To The Past - Retro T-shirts

The t-shirt can be said to have its origin in the Navy when it issued, in 1913, as standard wear to its sailors a short sleeved, collarless undergarment having an extraordinary resemblance to the alphabet "T". And it remained thus till it was raised to the status of an apparel on its own rights when Hollywood's icons were seen wearing them.

Over the years, of more that half a century, the t-shirt has placed its hands, benevolently and malevolently, on practically everybody and everything in every imaginable way. Benevolently when it made people laugh in good healthy humor and when it supported some just cause. Malevolently when it ridiculed for the sake of ridiculing and when it was downright rude and offensive. It has made people stop and think, made them forget their worries by making them laugh and turn away in disgust.

In the fifty years since it became a popular item of wear, the t-shirt has been used in umpteen number of ways, leaving its mark on just about any subject under the sun. It is a media of expression of practically everything that you can think of and some more. Touching every possible human emotion, it has endeared it self in such a way that it is a national phenomenon. From infants to seniors every one sports them. It has evoked good healthy laughter, raised serious issues, made people smirk, ridiculed just about any topic and has also been blatantly nasty.

T-Shirts were and are extensively used during elections. In support of a candidate or to spread a political ideology. It has also been used to ridicule another candidate and/or his policies. Once that particular election is over, those messages usually pass into oblivion. An example would be the "Dew-IT with Dewey" t-shirt used in NY's then Governor, Thomas E. Dewey 1948 Presidential campaign. Others would have carried a joke that was relevant to that particular era or a message or a quote. Some would have pictured an actor, a musician or some such personality.

This is where "Retro T-Shirts" come in. These refer to older and exclusive designs that may or may not be still in use. Just like retro shoes and retro dresses of the 50s and 60s are making a come back, so are retro t-shirts that hark back to those former times and reproduce those unique messages, graphics or designs. These t-shirts recreate the magic of those days. The t-shirts of the era of the rock and roll symbol, Elvis Presley are just an example.

These t-shirts imitate those designs that were once popular. There might just be a saying or message or joke or some picture that might find relevance to the present. For a person with a penchant for oldies songs, a t-shirt with just the lyrics of some long lost favorite printed on it could bring out the "Agony and the Ecstasy" of that era. This is more so for the elderly, for whom a retro t-shirt could make a wonderful gift, a souvenir.

In as much as there is no discrimination of age in the wearing of t-shirts, one with a picture of Louis Armstrong could cloud the eyes of some senior citizen and there lies the potential for great gifts. The demand for these t-shirts shoots up during carnivals and sports events.

Retro t-shirts are now flooding the shelves of t-shirt stores. But if the ones on sale are not attractive, and if it just happens that one stumbles across a quote, a joke, a picture from some bygone era that one thinks might make a statement relevant to the present then all that has to be done is to get on the Net, use the mouse and the keyboard, ask for a customization and get just one unique retro t-shirt made or make a corporate gift. The rich heritage of the printed t-shirt makes anything possible. Are you going to get one?

Article Source: http://www.search4allinfo.com

Kathy Austin is a writer for an online gallery. Red Bubble enables you to retro t-shirts, and graphic tees and more.

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