i was Once Willing to Give My Life for What I Believed This Country Stood for Shirt

A t-shirt is a man’s best friend. Versatile, comfy and always in fashion, the t-shirt is a fundamental piece of kit. Clearly a no-brainer when it comes to styling, but have you ever stopped to think about where it came from? From undergarment to wardrobe must-have, read on for the history of the t-shirt…T-shirt guideSHOP T-SHIRTHistory of the T-ShirtThe t-shirt as we know it became only popular during WW2. However its origins began nearly 100 years earlier in the late 19th century. The ‘union suit’ (think modern-day long johns) was a welcome alternative to the restrictive nature of Victorian undergarments. Although over time the suit was adapted and the trousers were cut off. Now worn as a separate slip-on item on the top half of the body, the first version of the t-shirt was born.T-Shirts in the MilitaryAs common with most menswear, the origin of the modern-day t-shirt stems from the military. Worn first in the Spanish-American war, it became a standard undergarment for all US troops in 1913. After the Second World War, veterans continued to wear their uniform once home and for those who returned to their studies, the t-shirt made a big impression on campus. Not just a hit with college students, it became an integral part of 1930s American football kit. The extra cotton layer was worn underneath jerseys to prevent uniforms from chafing. Practical and lightweight, the t-shirt was also adopted by blue-collar workers who needed to keep comfortable during long shifts of hard labour.

i was Once Willing to Give My Life for What I Believed This Country Stood for Shirt

T-Shirts in the 1950sThe t-shirt gained further popularity with Marlon Brando’s look in 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire. With his tee’s stylish ribbed texture and ultra-tight fit showing off his impressive physique, Brando was the man all men wanted to be and women wanted to be with…While the t-shirt started to gain momentum amongst younger people, when it came to public opinion, this former undergarment was seen as rebellious as it went against the rigid style conventions of the time.Speaking of rebels, nobody looked more like one than James Dean in the appropriately-named 1956’s Rebel Without a Cause. Dressed in a red Harrington jacket (with that tartan lining), Dean worn his white t-shirt tucked into a pair of blue Levi jeans. A testament to the iconic appeal of the t-shirt, this look is still as fashionable over 60 years later.Crew neck and print t-shirtT-Shirts in the 1960sInnovative and rule-breaking, the 1960s was an exciting time for fashion. While invented in the decade before, the process of screen-printing only became commonplacein the 60s. The cotton t-shirt was the perfect canvas for this new process and so the graphic tee was born. With the boom in retail across the globe, t-shirts were reaching a wider audience than ever before. Sensing a money-making opportunity, this led to the introduction of advertising on t-shirts.