How Many T-Shirts Should I Have in My Wardrobe?

July 31, 2008 · Filed Under T-Shirt Advice · Comment 

How Many T-Shirts Should I Have in My Wardrobe and How Often Can I Wear the Same T-Shirt Without People Noticing?

This is a question that many people ask when they are stocking a wardrobe that is comfortable, causal and fashionable. The answer, however, is that there is no one right answer for everyone. Some people may want a lot more t-shirts in order to wear the same shirt less often and appear to have a much larger wardrobe. This is often the case for women who are concerned about the way their wardrobe will be perceived.

For people who work in casual environments or are still in school, they will need more t-shirts than someone who wears both casual and more formal clothing regularly. The number of t-shirt for someone who wears t-shirts every day should be at least 20 shirts. This will allow some to be in the laundry while others are ready to wear. It will also ensure that the same t-shirt will not have to be worn in the same two-week period.

If you are very concerned with not having people notice how often you wear a t-shirt, having at least 30 will make it possible to wear a different t-shirt every day of the month. If you work in a casual environment, this number will also make it possible to do laundry whenever it’s convenient instead of having to do it more often to keep your supply of t-shirts fresh.

For people who wear business clothing, uniforms and wear t-shirts less often, they will likely not need as many t-shirts in their wardrobe. Having about 10 to 15 t-shirts should be enough. This will supply enough t-shirts to wear to casual events, to wear on weekends and for casual days at the office.

To keep from wearing the same item too soon, many people try to keep track of when they last wore an item. People who are very concerned about this take a cue from celebrities and write down when they wore each item or put an index card on it with the last date it was worn. But that shouldn’t be necessary with t-shirts unless the t-shirt is going to a red-carpet event sometime soon. A better way to keep track is simply to plan a laundry day just for t-shirts every two or three weeks. That way, the clothing in it the laundry won’t be worn again for awhile.

If you have the space, create two piles and organize them for two different laundry days- One for items that were worn during the first two weeks of the month and another pile for t-shirts worn during the last two weeks of the month. This is an easy way to keep the supply of t-shirts organized so that they the same ones aren’t worn too often.

T-shirts should periodically be replaced, however, as they become worn or stained. A good t-shirt should last a long time with the proper care, but eventually it may need to be taken out of the rotation and replaced with a new one. This will keep the number of t-shirts steady and ensure that you always have something presentable to wear.

Why Do People Wear Che Guevara T-Shirts?

July 30, 2008 · Filed Under T-Shirts in the News · 1 Comment 

There are a lot of Che Guevara t-shirts out there, but there are perhaps even more reasons why people wear them. There are those who have seen the image and simply like it and want to wear it. There are also people who wear them because people they admire, such as professors, bosses, or parents wear them. Some wear Che Guevara t-shirts to express part of their own political ideas. Others wear them specifically because they admired some of the things that Che Guevara did during his own political and military career.

There is undoubtedly an international following for Che Guevara t-shirts. They are popular for their style as well as their statement. The t-shirts have become to many people a symbol of their own rebellious nature. To some people, a Che Guevara t-shirt is a symbol of rebellion against the constraints of the government, of society or of whatever it is they feel is too constraining

Some people feel that being passionate about politics or military actions is an important part of life, and that attracts them to the symbol of Che Guevara. He is seen by many to be a symbol of an overriding passion for change that can change the way whole governments and armies operate.

For some, the look of military style is what is appealing. Camouflage and Che Guevara t-shirts appeals to them for the image it conveys. The classic Che Guevara image is one in which he is wearing a military hat and coat. Someone wearing a similar outfit may enjoy a Che Guevara t-shirt because it fits into that image with its military style.

Other people are opposed to specific types of political parties or types of government. These may include conservative politics or communism in general. Some use it as a symbol of fighting against the ruling classes that they perceive as oppressing the poorer classes. The struggle of one class against another is one that interests many people in learning more about Che Guevara and wearing t-shirts that feature him.

In most cases, it is used as a symbol of revolution, rebellion and being true to your own vision. While not everyone who wears these t-shirts agrees with everything that Che Guevara stood for, for many it’s not about anything that he did specifically. For them, it’s more about symbolizing living life on their own terms rather than simply doing what they are told to do feeling true passion for a cause.

A Che Guevara t-shirt doesn’t have to be worn to symbolize anything that other people wear it to symbolize. If it appeals to someone, it can be worn for whatever reason has drawn them to it. It can be about politics, the military, fashion, passion or rebellion. It can be worn for a combination or some or all of these reasons. Whatever the reason, a Che Guevara t-shirt does stir up passions in those who are for or against him and what he stood for. And for many, that’s exactly what they want to accomplish.

Ten Worst Places to Wear a T-Shirt

July 29, 2008 · Filed Under About T-Shirts · Comment 

Have you ever put on a t-shirt and wondered if it was appropriate for the function or place you were wearing it to? We are a country of casual dressers and many times anything goes. But there are situations and locations to which wearing a t-shirt may be frowned upon. Whether a t-shirt is okay to wear is largely dictated by social norms and the need to make a positive impression.
In general, the top worst places to wear a t-shirt are:

1.    A funeral
2.    A wedding
3.    A black tie charity event
4.    An exclusive golf course
5.    A Broadway play
6.    A five star restaurant
7.    A job interview
8.    A presentation before the company CEO
9.    A formal work function, such as the company Christmas party
10.    A new client business presentation

As with many things in life, there are no definite hard and fast rules on where it is okay to wear a t-shirt. While the above cover the places where social norms would typically dictate that someone should not wear a t-shirt, there are always exceptions. To determine for yourself if a t-shirt is an acceptable clothing item to wear think about the following: what does the t-shirt look like, do the social norms apply in your particular situation, and do you care about the social norms?

Not all t-shirts are the same. T-shirts can range in style from fancy ones made of silk to ripped worn colored cotton ones. A fancy t-shirt, such as a silk one, can be paired with other more formal items to create a sophisticated look. Think a 2008 version of Miami Vice. Even a less fancy t-shirt can be dressed up and made more acceptable for an occasion by adding a sports coat.

Not all situations are the same either. Take, for instance, a presentation before the company CEO, if you work for t-shirt manufacturing company or t-shirt screen printer, your t-shirt may be part of your presentation. Additionally, a wedding on a beach in Hawaii may call for a nice Hawaiian t-shirt instead of a suit. Without considering the context of the situation, traditional social norms would frown on the above. However, by taking into account the particulars of the event you are attending, you can feel confident your t-shirt is not a faux pas, but in fact, a sound clothing choice.

One final item to consider when determining whether a t-shirt is acceptable for a particular function or situation is whether or not you want to follow social norms. You may want to set yourself apart and get noticed for your clothing choice. Or, you may want to make a statement or a point about an outdated tradition. If this is the case, a t-shirt may be the appropriate although not necessarily accepted choice.

Therefore, next time you pull a t-shirt out of the closet and ask yourself if it is appropriate to wear, consider the above factors. Often you’ll find that with a little thought and creativity there are few places that are truly the worst to wear a t-shirt to.

How to Prevent My Cotton T-Shirts from Shrinking

July 28, 2008 · Filed Under T-Shirt Advice · Comment 

The best known characteristics of cotton are that it is natural, breathable, comfortable, and that it shrinks. A new t-shirt made from 100 percent cotton or close to 100 percent, can be expected to shrink a little after the first wash. However, there are ways to get the t-shirt to remain at its original size and to keep shrinkage at bay. It takes a little special care, but a cotton t-shirt can be kept from shrinking for as long as you own it.

The way that the t-shirt is washed will largely determine whether it shrinks and how much it shrinks. One of the main causes of shrinking in t-shirts is heat. It’s important to try to avoid applying heat to your t-shirts if you want to keep them at their original size. There are a few ways to avoid heat and keep the cotton from shrinking.

The first thing to consider when avoiding heat is how the t-shirt will be washed. Most people wash t-shirts in warm or hot water to rid it of odors and to get rid of the tougher stains. The problem with this is that the entire t-shirt will suffer for the small portion that really needs the attention. If there is a tough stain on a part of the shirt, use a little soap and cold water in the sink. Simply rub the soap across the area and rub the t-shirt repeatedly under the running water. This will get most things out of the fabric as long as they have not had a long period to set.

When you wash the entire shirt, use only cold water. Once you’ve used warm water on it even once, it will be too late to save it from shrinkage. The cold water will wash the t-shirt and will not cause it to shrink. Use a slow agitation as well when washing the shirt. If there is a slow or delicate cycle on the washer, it will provide the slow agitation that the t-shirt needs.

Drying the t-shirt is where many people accidently shrink their shirts. A hot dryer will shrink cotton that has not already been pre-shrunk. The dryer must be avoided in order to prevent shrinking. The t-shirt can be dried in a number of other ways. If it is hung out in the sun, there is a chance that the heat will shrink the t-shirt. Drying it inside is a much safer way.

The t-shirt can be laid flat on a clean surface and allowed to dry on its own. You may have to flip it over to dry the other side after a few hours. For a t-shirt that dries faster, hang it up on a hanger and allow it to drip dry. Be sure to place something under the t-shirt in order to catch the water. For an even faster drying time, place a fan next to a hanging t-shirt and let the cool air of the fan blow it dry. A t-shirt that doesn’t shrink will maintain its size and shape through many, many cold washes.

How Many Washes Will My T-Shirt Last?

July 27, 2008 · Filed Under T-Shirt Advice · Comment 

A favorite t-shirt is one of the cornerstones of any wardrobe. And, as such an important garment, it is important that it lasts a long time. The more often a t-shirt is worn and washed, the more wear it will have. A shirt that is worn rarely will always last longer than a t-shirt that is worn more often.

The guideline given for many t-shirts is that they will remain in good condition through about 50 washes as long as they are taken care of. However, a t-shirt can go through many more than 50 washes if the t-shirt is washed gently and not put into a dryer. The heat of the dryer is often what causes much of the wear to t-shirts and other garments.

The problem that usually occurs as clothing ages is that the fabric gets thinner and eventually holes develop. The dryer can make this happen sooner by making some of the threads come loose. If you’ve ever looked at your drier lint, you’ve seen how much of your clothes the dryer really pulls out of the garments. All of that lint was once a part of the garments, and each one dried will be slightly thinner because of it. No matter how a t-shirt is washed, it will last for more of those washings if it is not dried in a drier.

Another option to get more washes out of a t-shirt is to tumble dry your clothes instead of using the heat setting. This will let some air circulation dry out the clothes but will not blast them with the hot air that can cause them to age sooner than they need to.

To get still more life out of a t-shirt, it is possible to go without washing it after every wear. If the shirt has been worn for a short event, it might be able to be put away without washing it. Another trick it to not wash the t-shirt for a complete cycle, but rather to rinse it out in the sink. Rubbing the shirt with a little soap and then rinsing it off will cause less wear to it than washing it through a full wash cycle. After hand rinsing the shirt, lay it flat to dry.

There is no reason that a t-shirt that is well taken care of can’t last 100 washes or even more. A shirt will last through more washes if it is not washed on a fast washing cycle and the harshest detergents are avoided. Using bleach is certain to shorten the life of a t-shirt. A shirt that is consistently washed in bleach may last less than 10 washings. Using a gentler detergent, however, will dramatically increase that number.

To put it simply, there is no expiration date on a t-shirt. The number of washes it lasts is partly dependent on how the t-shirt is cared for and how it is washed. Caring for a t-shirt and spending a little extra time in the washing and drying process can make it last a lot longer.

Custom T-Shirt Ideas for The Price is Right

July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Custom T-Shirt Ideas · Comment 

As long as the Price as Right has been on TV, most people have dreamed at one time or another of going on the show. They might have a specific game in mind that they want to play, or they may want the chance to win a brand new car. Some people just want a chance to meet the host. If you’ve decided to go ahead and try to get to contestant’s row, you’ll need the perfect t-shirt to get there.

Choosing a t-shirt design to wear on The Price is Right is something that has become a tradition among contestant hopefuls. Will the right t-shirt get a person on the show? Who knows. It might not be the only reason that someone gets on, but it may end up being one deciding factor. What most people want to do is to get noticed and to be remembered by the staff of the show. This may make it more likely that the person is chosen to go on down and become the latest contestant.

The show does not allow people to wear business names across their shirt. They don’t want any copyright infringements or commercial names to be on the show for legal reasons. This leaves it up to the imagination of each person as to what will get attention and look great on a t-shirt. Some people choose to draw caricatures of the host, the models or all of them. This is a cute way to get attention from the show’s staff. It gives the host an opportunity to comment on the shirt if you are chosen.

Some people pick their favorite Price is Right game and illustrate that on their t-shirt. Or, they may simply name the game in big, bold letters to get a little attention. The t-shirt can also feature a drawing of a car to show everyone what it is they hope to win. A design that shows cash or another coveted prize may also do the trick.

A catchphrase from the show can also make a very memorable t-shirt. If you can’t think of one besides “come on down,” and you don’t want to use that one, watch the show a few times and notice the phrases that the host uses over and over. You may discover something that will make every bit as good a t-shirt as the more familiar catchphrase, but it will stand out more from the t-shirts that do use that saying.

The key to any Price is Right t-shirt is to make it brightly-colored and noticeable. The shirt’s design should be large so that it can be seen by the cameras. The host should be able to see it and read it from the stage. Use bright colors as well as large letters to make the design clear. Using a colored background with darker letters or lines may also make it more noticeable. With a bright, noticeable shirt that makes people smile, how can the staff resist putting you right up there in the game?

The Top 10 Best Places to Wear A T-Shirt

July 25, 2008 · Filed Under About T-Shirts · Comment 

T-shirts are a common clothing staple. They are comfortable, often stylish, relatively cheap, and easy to care for. They’re so great, you may wonder why you can’t wear a t-shirt for every occasion. While wearing a t-shirt to many events or locations may get you strange looks or even stares, below are the ten best places to wear a t-shirt and be perfectly dressed.

1.    A concert
2.    A theme park
3.    A college or professional sporting event
4.    A workout
5.    A protest rally
6.    A casual date
7.    A home improvement store
8.    A pre-school art class
9.    A do-it yourself car wash
10.    A lazy day around the house

What about these places makes them perfect for wearing a t-shirt? The first five best places to wear a t-shirt provide you the chance to make a statement about yourself and your interests. T-shirts in these situations serve to show that you part of a larger group. Without a 10 year old concert t-shirt, how does anyone know how far back your love of the singer goes? Or, at a sporting event, how to do you who is your enemy to razz if they don’t display their team colors? At a theme park, your family may want a convenient way to account of your group traveling in masse. T-shirts are a lot less embarrassing way of keeping track of your family than making everyone hold a rope as they travel from ride to ride!

Graphics are common on t-shirts. We choose these shirts because of their message. They state our view to others everywhere we go. A rally is a perfect use for this. Whether you want to save a beach, raise money for a children’s hospital, or show you’re pissed off at your employer, where better to show it than on your body!

If you’ve ever participated in a competitive sporting event or were even part of a school sports team, you have them. T-shirts to show you were part of that group or event. These shirts are perfect to wear for workouts. Without saying a word, you can show you’ve got athletic ability. They also are perfect conversation starters for those who use the gym to find their next dates.

The sixth and seventh best places to wear a t-shirt are for those situations in which you want to fit in with your surroundings. You’re on a casual date, maybe even a first date. You have plenty to be nervous about. Stick with your tired and true perfect fitting t-shirt. Or, if you’re a woman and have ever gone to a home improvement store alone, you know that you stick out like a sore thumb if you’re not in boots, jeans, and a t-shirt. Join the men on this one and wear the standard issue gear which includes a t-shirt during your next trip. It’s a when in Rome do like the Romans do thing. You won’t be self-conscious as wander the aisle looking for a tool you’ve never heard of and whose name you can’t pronounce.

A t-shirt is just practical for the remaining three best places to wear a t-shirt. Comfort and not style are what matter. This is especially true in the case of the old t-shirt turned painting smock in your child’s art class. These t-shirt opportunities allow you to show your green side by reusing that favorite old t-shirt instead of throwing it out.

Whether showing your dedication to your sports team, fitting in, or just being comfortable, a t-shirt always makes the right statement!

Customized T-Shirts Make a Great Gift

July 24, 2008 · Filed Under Custom T-Shirt Ideas · Comment 

Give someone a real personalized gift! Their own customized t-shirt. It’s easy to craft a shirt unique to your friends and family.

You can put a name on any kind of t-shirt. Use shirts you’ve bought on your own and have names added or custom design shirts from scratch. Of course, having a personalized shirt is just fashionable, but it’s also useful. Named shirts are great if your kids are heading off to summer camp, private school or for gym class. When it comes time for their laundry to be sorted, there’s no question which t-shirt belongs to which kid.

We typically think of having names put over the left breast pocket area, but that’s not the only space for a monogram. Put it at the shoulder cuff on a short-sleeved T or at the wrist. At the top of the back collar is another good spot. Using a sports-jersey style name across the back shoulders is popular, too.

With an increase in casual wear at work, putting names and your business logo on shirts is a great way to be walking promotions for your business. Putting employee names on the shirts makes it easy for customers to know who they’re working with.

T-shirts customized with names make great personalized gifts. You can use them for groups or families. Every Christmas, Rose Baker makes matching pajamas for her family. Now that her children are grown and the number of grandchildren is growing, it’s become a real chore to make everyone pjs during the busy holiday season. So, she simply orders matching holiday t-shirts for everyone. She embroiders each family member’s nickname on the shirts. Rose gives them out on Christmas Eve and everyone wears their shirt when they arrive on Christmas morning for a family photo. One of her daughters has kept years worth of shirts. The family has a good time watching nicknames change as the grandchildren come up with new things to call everyone.

Want something special for a family photo? Try matching t-shirts with family members’ names or nicknames. These shirts are also great for special picnics and parties. Choose a theme like “Maddie’s 50th” or “The Siberian Club Annual Picnic” or “The Smith Family Reunion.” Design a special logo or choose one from an online library. Pick a shirt color and then add names for each participant.

Don’t limit yourself to having your own name on a t-shirt. It’s quite trendy wear “gas station attendant style” t-shirts with another guy’s name on it like “Larry’s Sunoco” or “Moe.” For women, try a Mel’s diner shirt that says “Flo” in the upper left pocket and “Kiss My Grits” on the back.

It’s easy to personalize t-shirts with names so what are you waiting for?

Why Not Make Your Own Vintage T-Shirts?

July 23, 2008 · Filed Under Do it Yourself · Comment 

These days, t-shirts are not confined anymore to uniforms for sports teams or workout clothes. T-shirts have become more and more fashionable in recent years, with people wearing them as the centerpiece—the most important part—of their outfits. One of the most popular types of t-shirts these days is the vintage style. T-shirts with a vintage style are usually thin and very soft, with faded but interesting colors, and great, unique designs. Many of them have old logos or slogans for products.

The problem with actual vintage t-shirts is that they are, in fact, used. They may be falling apart, may be stained. If they are in good shape, they are probably very expensive. People pay lots of money for clothes labeled “vintage.” They pay a lot more than they’d be willing to pay for a regular, new t-shirt.

So how can you get the funky, stylish, comfortable quality of a vintage t-shirt without sacrificing fabric quality and cost effectiveness?

The answer to this question is simple. Make your own “vintage” t-shirt! While it might be silly to take a perfectly good t-shirt and distress and abuse it to make it look like someone else has been wearing it for years, it would be silly at all to start paying attention to what exactly you like about vintage shirts, and start brainstorming from there. Vintage shirts tend to be more interesting than new shirts because they are more carefully designed. The slogans and images are more colorful, literally and figuratively. Very often the slogans are humorous and sometimes they rhyme. If the t-shirts are advertising a product, they often have an image of the product included. So maybe you could design your own product and a slogan for it. If you want to spend less time on it, you could look for ideas in old fabric swatches or wall paper patterns. These things won’t be worrisome in terms of copyrighting, but they will help you get a feel for the aesthetic of the time period that most vintage t-shirts might come from.

Once you decide what to put on your t-shirt, you can also decide on a background color. Most t-shirt printing companies offer a surprisingly large amount of colors to choose from. Vintage t-shirts often have colors that are more complex than primary colors, so try for those. They’ll give your t-shirt a much more unique look. Of course, you’ll want your t-shirt’s color to coordinate well with your design, so consider that as well. Also, some colors look newer than others. Bright primary colors, for example, will be very obviously new when your new t-shirt arrives. Darker colors or faded, heather-based colors will look older, especially with your vintage-style design on top of them.

Try these tips, and get creative, and you’ll be able to create some one of a kind, new vintage-style t-shirts. Once you have your t-shirt, you can match it with real vintage jeans or with a dressier outfit for going out at night. T-shirts these days a very versatile - especially if they look vintage. So get creative, and bring the past into the present!

Using the Color Wheel to Pick and Tweak Your Perfect T-Shirt

July 22, 2008 · Filed Under About T-Shirts · Comment 

The color wheel is a wheel made up of all the possible colors and starts with the three primary colors: red, yellow and blue, and the colors created by mixing together any 2 of these. Such secondary colors include green, orange and purple. There are also tertiary or intermediate colors like yellow-orange, red-orange and yellow-green, which are those colors that would exist between each tertiary color and primary color. You can create a beautiful colorful T-shirt for yourself with a color wheel design on a custom-made T-shirt.

The color wheel is a very informative tool that teaches about the colors themselves and how they are formed, the use of color, what certain common color terms mean and matching colors together. The color wheel is the basis for any kind of design.

Tints are the result of mixing white with any color; for example pink is the result of red and white. Shades are the result of mixing black with any color; for example navy is a shade of blue. There are many beautiful shades and tints you can use in designing a custom-made T-shirt. In fact, a very attractive image often results when shades and tints of one color only are used in design.

Complementary colors are colors that are opposites on the color wheel, not ones that are side by side; therefore they stand out more vividly when placed together. Printing pink lettering on a green shirt is a great use of complementary colors. Such letters will definitely be noticed with such use of color.

Analogous colors are colors that are side-by-side on the color wheel. Because they share a common primary color they blend well together and make very sophisticated designs. Using analogous colors in custom-made T-shirts gives an understated, classical look to the tee.

Neutral colors are those naturally occurring earth colors that are not a part of the color wheel. They include white, black, gray, brown and beige. Such tones are wonderful background colors and match practically all colors. They can be used easily in custom-made T-shirts for the shirt color without having to worry about clashes with the colors of the design. Some of the best T-shirt designs are simple ones that use only neutrals, like white images on black.

Then there are the warm and cool colors. Warm colors contain reds, yellows and oranges, and are sunny. Cool colors include blue, violet and green and bring to mind colder things in nature like the sky, water and winter. Using a grouping of warm colors in your custom-made T-shirt will evoke a summery feeling of warmth. Using cool colors will do the opposite.

Now that you are armed with more knowledge about color and its uses, you will be better able to match designs with the right color T-shirt. You will also know which color letting to choose for your favorite color T-shirt when you are looking for a custom-made T-shirt with a message. Take advantage of the color wheel today and show off a beautifully put together custom-made T-shirt of your own design.

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