Tee Party

Among the hundreds of reasons Florida rocks is the fact that buying awesome, slighlty expensive tee shirts in the middle of January is not at all unreasonable. They will not be hidden under layers of LLBean Microfiber, NASA-tested polyurethane "outdoor" gear - they will be flaunted on balmy nights at outdoor cafes; during bright days at dog parks and amusement parks (yeah, so what, we really do like amusement parks - it's not urban legend); in our convertibles - with the tops down, in January!!!

But, as much as I'm a fan of tee-shirts, I am OVER the message shirt. Who cares what your ass said to what's-her-nuts at the zoo or whatever the oh-too-clever joke is on your shirt. A: Chances are you didn't write this witty line and B. Do you really want people reading your chest/belly? (Think about it.)

Here are a few tees I found that are easily wearable for the next few seasons, low-brow conversation pieces that don't have the boxy cut of 3rd-grade gym shirts. (So half of the shirts I liked actually do have words on them - but not arranged cleverly, they're either titles or just for art's sake.) Viva la tee!


I'm not sure if that's Yoko on this tee, but I totally adore this design by Literature Noir. The colors are so bright and eye-catching, the cut is boobalicious, yet casual and - even though it's a little pricey - this could be THE tee. You know the one everyone asks you about, you wear when you want to look like you tried but don't feel like trying, your boyfriend secretly puts on when you're not around.
www.shopkitson.com, $68


What's sexier than a dude wearing this "Great Gatsby" tee?
A girl wearing it!!! But for real, I must own this! Besides the fact that this is a classic book about fashion as much as it is about unrequited love, loss and stupid women, this original cover design by Francis Cugat is brilliant.
Urban Outfitters, $28


Definitely deal of the week! This saucy $8 tee from American Apparel harkens back to that ubiquitous slanted style font treatment from the 70s. The cut is great - awesome for petite ladies who don't want to look like a 10-year old boy in a huge tee. I'll admit, I even like it all tucked in with the skinny belt.
American Apparel, $8



Fashion muse to many hardcore/rock bands, Sacer Clothing started in Gainesville! Why does this shirt seem particularly un-ironic to me? I love it!
Praying Hands tee, Sacerclothing.com, $20


Shepard Fairey set the pace for art-meets-message political iconography - and it looks like the guys at 57thirtythree are following suit. SWEET DESIGN!!!
www.57thirtythree.etsy.com, $25


Funny, cheeky design. Love the purple and black against the white.
Plus - it's on SALE now! (It's also made from organic cotton, so maybe it'll make you look wiser, too.)
Edun Organic, Nordstrom, $23.99


Holy Grail of tee-shirts.
The Olsen twin's label, Elizabeth & James, reinventing the tee.
(And it looks mighty comfy.)
Shopbop.com, $90