Return to 1997 SUMMER Index
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White, tight, crew necked and with short sleeves, the first T-shirts were worn by the U. S. Navy
from around 1913. They were originally an undergarment, an alternative to the vest (singlet) or
one-piece combinations (union suit). Marlon Brando gave them sex appeal in A Streetcar Named
Desire (1951) and The Wild One (1954) which heralded their transition from underwear to outer
wear.
Fashion has come full circle and tight, short sleeved T-shirts have replaced the ubiquitous baggy shirts of the 1980's. Think Lolita rather than Stanley Kowalski. Tiny, cropped tops look as if they've absconded from the children wear department. Choose from cheeky slogans (such as 'Brit Babe'), cult icons or better still, customize your own.
Plain T-shirts in the new tight and tiny styles are available from high street shops such as Top Shop and Miss Selfridge for under £10. These can cheaply and easily be customized using ink jet printer transfer paper. It's readily available from computer supply shops and works out at about £1.50 per A4 sheet. Simply print out your design onto the paper and use an iron to transfer the print onto your T-shirt. Download an image from the Internet to create your own 'Cybershirt'.