No matter how fashion foreword you see yourself or want others to see you, the basic tee shirt is found somewhere in the plethora of bad fashion choices of every ones wardrobe.

Not so long ago tee shirts were viewed as casual comfort wear only. Most available for purchase were one of five leading brands, standard cuts usually unflattering and they were less then aesthetically pleasing. Yet we were all guilty of throwing on our old beat up, tourist trap tee that we bought as a rite of passage; and proceeding to paint the house, mow the lawn or do a sink full of dishes. The tee shirt of the 90’s served these purposes just fine and at the end of the day were thrown into a sad pile on your bathroom floor.

The tee shirt has made a serious come back that is changing how people view their projected image and is driving sales through the roof; which says a lot considering our current economic slump.

Everyone has an idea for a tee shirt, ask your uncle or professor and they will surely tell you that they are holding the secret to the best idea ever, thus the Internet is littered with websites offering “the sickest tee shirts available”. It takes a lot of digging to find the true gems in this industry, and with so many businesses finding success in this market there are twice as many getting lost in the shuffle and the ever changing demand.

When a “trend” is over saturated it’s no longer relevant simply because it is too widely available to the masses thus causing it’s appeal to dampen. Designers that are successful are creating new concepts all the time and riding the wave until it breaks.

Top Five T-Shirt Trends That Are Just Not Cool Anymore

1. Catchy one-liner’s that would make your parents ashamed

   I never understood this stance on marketable fashion. No matter how funny or clever, wearing a tee shirt that says “I’m Easy” is a bad idea for so many reasons. In a time where women are are trying to gain independence and wave their “educated flag”  it sends the wrong idea, and is by no means something that should be sought after. Come on folks!

2. Concert Tee Shirts

   I get it. You see a great show and want something to remember it by. Well my suggestion is to log on to itunes and download the CD because concert tee shirts are just as hideous as they were in 1988.  And believe it or not, people don’t envy you for wearing it, they are simply stifling snorts and fits of laughter debating how much you spent on that terrible garment.

3. Tourist Tees

   Don’t get me wrong I am by no means trying to kill the tourist revenue however there is an option to make a smart choice rather then a generic one. Just because you spent a holiday weekend in Martha’s Vineyard does not make it ok to buy the least expensive generic tee shirt you see. The only time someone will care about a tourist tee shirt is if it makes them want to visit that destination and the word “Virgina Beach” in an athletic font will not feed that need.

4. Tattoo-inspired Tees

   It’s been done and done again. They are flashy and look like a tween spent his weekend bedazzling it for an art project. These shirts used to say “edgy” and “wealthy” and now they just say desperate. If you want a tattoo, get one.

5. Tee Shirts with your kid’s face on them

   Loving your kids is great, wearing their giant face on your chest is creepy.

   A tee shirt has more potential now then it ever has. It can be worn casual or worn underneath a suit coat. A versatile piece of material that has the unique presence to appeal to a wide variety of consumers is now viewed as a staple in one’s wardrobe and therefor should inspire more thought and in some cases more cash toward building your personal brand.

As an individual, no one can dictate your taste so my recommendations are not based on designs but rather how a tee shirt is made. Below is my top 5 of the coolest new concepts in tee shirt design and these concepts are here for the long haul and can only continue to grow.

Top Five Coolest New Concepts in T-Shirt Design

1. Over-all prints

   With recent advancements in screen printing, you can now purchase tee shirts that have prints from hem to hem.

2. Alternative Print location
   

   Most tees have a front chest print or a back print, now you will see more prints on the ribs, sleeves, and lower left or right. This method keeps people on their toes and looking.

3. Garment construction

   Move over big brands and watch out for smaller custom designed garments with unique features IE: wide waist cuffs, alternative pocket placement and longer bodies, just to name a few.

4. Tee Shirt Content

   100% Cotton is no longer the only option. Apparel manufacturers are making a ton of head way with new materials and blends. Poly cotton, burnout, gauze, organic. There are now tee shirts that you could walk the run way in and are more comfortable to sleep in then your boyfriends lacross tee.

5. Custom Application

   Texture is important not only in the design work but also in the garment. Custom applique patches are being sewn onto tee shirts as well as buttons, stitch work and reflective threading. All understated and unique.

   A tee shirt is a two part process, garment construction and graphic design content. Both parts are equally important in consumer buying trends. You are more likely to find a crappy garment with a really cool print or a well constructed garment with a horrible print then you are to find both elements in one tee shirt. New techniques are being developed and tested every day and giant leaps have been made in an effort to re-invent the tee shirt.

The internet can be a fantastic tool in becoming informed of new tee shirt lines that are cutting edge and offer more then your basic standards, it can also be a trend trap.

I advise you to put as much thought into purchasing a tee shirt as you would into a car. Search for value, innovation and start your own trends by keeping an eye out for the above points.