In June I did a post on independently designed t-shirts. I showed this particular shirt I found on Rumplo and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. You know how you see something and can instantly imagine a half-dozen outfits with it?
Rumplo is like a clearinghouse for great tees all over the web. They will redirect you to the site it’s originally on for purchase. I had no idea where this tee came from. So, I dug and dug and finally found it again. It’s from an etsy shop called nonfiction tees and honestly, I want every single one. They’re brilliant! $15 a piece as well! I wish they did some v-necks but I’ll butcher with scissors again. Check out their listings carefully because they offer men and women’s shirts separately. They don’t print the tee until you order so, you tell them your size when you checkout.
Here’s the one I’m getting for myself:
My bf loves strange t-shirts as well so, I showed him their designs and being a nerd at heart, he got this one:
Check out these other great designs!
There are tons more! Check ‘em out!
My graphic t-shirt criteria:
- v-neck or deep scoop neck – hard to find with a graphic tee (If it’s something that I simply must have, the neck can always be cut out. I like to trim the arm holes and bottom hem below the stitching as well, to keep the frayed-edge look more cohesive.)
- fitted for a woman, longer
- arty and clever, not cheesy licensed motifs or slogans
- will this look good under a blazer with some skinnies and heels?
Threadless is a good source for tees w/ indie designs but it’s usually hit or miss.
^ My bf’s most fave tee in the whole world ^
Rumplo has tees by artists from all over the world. They curate from all sorts of great tee sites (even etsy), separating the gems from (a lot of) the junk and simply redirect you to purchase from the original site.
I just discovered Little Paper Planes. They have great art prints and tees!
There’s also DesignByHumans. Most of their designs are huge and have back detail as well.
The antlers go down the back.
The back of the tee is full of wires.
My favorite tee of all time came from my mom. She wore the hell out of it in the 70s and I sent it to its grave in the 90s. It was covered with a fine detailed jungle motif and jungle animals. It was fabulous. I usually have one favorite graphic tee at a time that I wear to death. The last one was a white v-neck from Urban Outfitters that had a thin black scribble all along the neckline. It’s on its last leg. The bf just bought me the keyboard cat tee I’ve been dying over for almost a year but it is soooo ridiculous that I can only see myself wearing it casually.
What’s your favorite graphic tee?
- bras. I needs em.
- black motocross jeans.
- sweet graphic tees.
- skirts with interesting tucks and gathers.
- killer ankle boots. killer.
If you follow any design blogs, you surely saw Emily Fischer’s “Soft-Maps”, which are maps that have been embroidered into quilts. I can’t imagine the labor involved in her commission-only designs but the prices certainly reflect an enormous amount of work. Her stitches remind me of Sashiko which is simple but does take some getting used to so that it speeds along nicely. You have to be a special type of person to do this kind of work. Quilting is one craft I never got into since the traditional designs and old-fashioned fabric choices really don’t do it for me. It’s so nice to see an old art get a modern twist. Maybe it will inspire younger people to try their hand at it. Cold weather is creeping upon us and it’s the right time to think about starting a quiet evening/weekend project. This could easily be done in the form of a throw pillow or embellishment on a t-shirt, or something bold like your neighborhood slanted and incomplete at the hem of a blazer. Some embroidery needles and thread and a white or blue washable chalk pencil (to draw your outline) would cost less than $5.
I have been subscribing to the Hand Drawn Map Association for a while. They remind me of my childhood, when I would make up imaginary lands and draw detailed maps. Here is an interview with artist Shane Watt who also creates imaginary maps.
There are also companies that sell old aeriel photographs in various sizes to frame and hang in your home. You can find your hometown or a place you’ve always wanted to go.
This is one of many dresses by artist Elisabeth Lecourt. I don’t believe these are sold for wear though.
Totally wearable, I was turned onto Christian Francis Roth’s fun line of clothing Francis by gorgeous jewelry designer Wendy B. (her jewelry and her hilarious blog). She also writes for the Francis blog. Wendy helps the lost find their way in her map dress! This dress is too cute! (on sale right now!)
An etsy search for “map” revealed thousands of items.
Isotope makes awesome tees. I really like the graphic nature of maps on clothing. It’s a random geometric pattern that could be paired with just about anything and look chic peeking out from under a blazer or cardi.
Have you heard of Dream Heels? What an awesome concept! They are a take on Threadless where instead of tees, people submit and vote on which pattern of pumps they will make. This Parisian map concept is currently a contender!
This handmade decoupage plate can easily be recreated with some diy help.
Maps are also finding their way into jewelry. This pendant by XOHandworks is special to me since my dad is from Serbia.
<!--