T Shirts. Yes. That’s the title of this post.

Hey All,

I was bumbling around the internet earlier-on today and found a sight that sells some wicked T Shirts, which I’m gonna get to in just a sec…

First though, if you’ll permit me, I’d like to have a little whinge for a paragraph or two. Summer’s all pretty much amazing, right? Apart from extortionate festival ticket prices, yeah? That and the Irishman’s take on summer fashion; Those 3/4 shorts; the sandals / hairy toes combo; shades  on top of your bald head. No, no, no. And then there’s the slogan T Shirt. Lads, please don’t; if you see a T Shirt with a slogan that refers in any way at all to:

A. Being on the John;

B. Getting drunk;

C. The fact that you love your mother; or

D. Doing the “no-pants dance”; (unless it actually says that and you are Brian Fontana)

…do not think wearing it will make you seem cool, witty or in any way interesting. It will, in fact, make you look like a bit of a tw*t. I’ve been lucky enough to have read such “Witticisms” as :

The ubiquitously charming; “I twitter on the Sh***er” – Nice image, thanks for that Dude. How about you walk by the window wearing that, as I tuck into this delicious Jo Burger. Oh good, you did… Seriously, that is purely because it rhymes right? I could make T Shirt slogans if you just need Rhyming; like, I Bebo as I Lawn Mow. I mean, it’s not hard is it.

How about, “If found, please return to the bar” – Should read; “If found, you’re drinking in the wrong kind of bar and you should leave immediately for a place where cool, witty and interesting people drink”.

There was, “Mummy’s Little Soldier” – If why this is wrong, needs explaining, please shut down your internet connection and never darken my blog again.

Lastly, “Ladies, I like to Cuddle” – I’m sorry, but this just makes us ‘ladies’ think that you have some kind of issue downstairs or you’re basically a weirdo. Or both.

Girls, this goes for us too: Any reference to the fact that you might be a bit of a slapper, usually doesn’t need advertising. Men have the uncanny knack of being able to know this from a mile away, so the only people you’d be informing are other women. And you know how other women warm instantly to slappers…

**********

So anyway, T Shirt’s. I’d rather make like Patti Smith (above) and wear some axe-wielding hero across my chest, thanks. I am also quite tempted to slogan it up, but buy wearing an, As Worn By T Shirt instead. If it’s good enough for Kurt Cobain, Ian Brown and Keith Richards, it’s sure as hell good enough for me. And unless you spend time mingling with the counterfeit money police, a die-hard grunger or Sir Mick himself, the chance of you being socially outcast because of your attire is definitely slimmer with these, than any of the aforementioned.

They are men’s T Shirts by the way, so I would suggest buying XS/S if you’re a size 8, S if you’re a size 10 etc. Speaking of Men’s T Shirts (why are they so much better that women’s ones) I bought this in the Topman sale, Henry St. yesterday for €12. Yes, real Mods.

Have an amazing weekend and if you’re bored / have an spare hour, it might be worth having a look at Kings of Concrete in Temple Bar Sat / Sun afternoons.

EDIT: If you sign up to the As Worn By newsletter, you get 10% off your first purchase.

Xx

All images via google / As Worn By.

Slogan T Shirts. Lads, please don’t. If you see a T Shirt with a slogan that refers in anyway to:1. Doing the “no-pants dance”;2. Getting drunk;

3. The fact that you love your mother; or

4. Any reference to being on the John

- wearing it will not make you seem cool, witty or in anyway interesting. I will make you, well like a bit of a twat really.

I’ve seen Tees with such “Witticisms” as :

“Ladies I like to Cuddle” – I’m sorry, but this just makes us think that you have some kind of issue downstairs or you’re basically just a weirdo.

“If found, please return to the bar” – Should read; “If found, you’re drinking in the wrong kind of bar and you should leave immediately for a place where cool, witty and interesting people drink”.

“Mummy’s Little Soldier” – If why this is wrong needs explaining please shut down your internet connection and never darken my blog again.

and ” I twitter on the Sh…..”

T-Shirt Weather.

Hey Readers,

It was holiday-hot today. Amazing. Definite T-Shirt weather. In fact T-Shirts might’ve even been to warm today. The one I pulled out of the drawer definitely was.

Okay, let me just go on a little tangent very briefly for a sec…

Band T-Shirts right? The cool ones all used to be men’s sizes, usually black and used the kind of dodgy print technique that would fade after a couple of washes. (Which kinda gave them that – oh yeah, these dudes, “casual nod towards own  chest*, Oh I’ve been into them from the beginning – look about them).

Then, the T-Shirt people realised that some girls like cool bands too. So they decided to make smaller ones. Unfortunately, the next thing that happened was that the aforementioned T-Shirt people, decided that not only should they make smaller ones for “chicks” (that’s what I’m imagining they said, it was prob worse). But how about we make them pink… and I know, put little glittery diamantés all over them and make them really girly, cause that’s what all girls want…

You understand that pink and girly is something that I get; summer dresses and tea parties esp; will wear to an extent and would never ridicule in the most part. BUT if I choose to wear Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The S€x Pistols, The Jam or some other band that I happen to be crushing on at the time, across my chest; I don’t want to do it in diamanté pink thanks.

So man tees it is. I’ll favour the faded print, faded black, too big to look cute type instead. Especially if I’m in close proximity to a pair of scissors…. Like I was today…

I cut the sleeves off, just past the seam and cut the neck wider; (leaving about 3.5 inches (9cm’s) on each shoulder).

It was still a bit roomy so I got some sleeve holders and clipped them to the back to pull in the sides, et voila. Bring on the cut-off denim shorts and more sunshine please.

Sleeve holders in more detail. I got them in Oxfam Vintage on Georges St for €1.

Customised Tee in action.

Xx

Subculture: Fashion and Music

Chères Readers

I’m off out dancing this evening, it’s a long time coming and I cannot wait! So excited! In the meantime I’ve been thinking about subcultures, especially after posting about the pyjama girls the other day. I’m just posting these to represent a couple of the most well-known music-based subcultures of the last 60 years.

Teddy Boys, Mods, Punks and Skins.

Xx

Alternative to Dresses this Summer

If you are still debating whether or not to invest in a playsuit for summer and you have a bit of cash to spare, just look at this gorgeous number from Marc by Marc Jacobs… that should help you decide.

It’s silk and two-tone blue, it doesn’t scream playsuit and you can easily dress it up or down depending on what you are up to that day.It would be a perfect alternative occasion outfit if you’re bored of the same old dresses you have in your wardrobe. For going to the Galway races, a wedding or a night in the town accessorise with glam heels and an oversize clutch. For city chic, team with glads, a cropped leather jacket and a statement necklace á la Beyoncé. Available from Asos at a pretty nifty (it is Marc Jacobs silk after all) £210.

Perfect Summer Dress

I very rarely get to go to New Look as there isn’ t one in the city centre but when I do there is always something there that I adore. Today, as I wandered through their huge store at Liffey Valley, it was this incredible hankerchief-hem floral summer dress. The silhouette and cute floral print are bang on-trend for this summer and you can bring it into the cooler months by adding black opaques and a leather jacket, I Love pay-day shopping!Hanky-Hem dress €45 (!) New Look

Only Girls Aloud

It’s usually Cheryl Cole that gets the style gossips going, but A|Wear fans are on the ball right now when it comes to Kimberly Walsh’s dress sense.

Embracing all that summer fashion has to offer Ms Walsh has grabbed this retro floral dress from Ireland’s favorite high street fashion store. I love the way she has teamed it with the black leggings to match the belt but it would work wonders with bare legs, glads and Bo-ho accessories. At €40 it’s a perfect summer addition to the wardrobe that will see you well into the Autumn with it’s rich orange tones.

A|wear are not only dressing famous pop stars but they are also enticing shoppers with another Bank Holiday discount. This time the generous peeps are offering up to 50 percent off on-line sales all this week!

Festival Fashion Do’s and Don’t's

And so it began, yesterday the festival season got underway in Dublin at the Iveagh Gardens and Merrion Square no less. Revellers at the Dublin City Soul Festival basked in the glorious and much-anticipated sunshine to listen to some serious underground funk tunes. While at Africa Day, the Iveagh Garden wall was proving more than penetrable as there was some definite wall scrambling going on as peeps were keen to see Paddy Casey and Republic of Loose rock the stage.

Cue hung over Mondays and the obligatory slew of scorched foreheads and peeling legs…yum. Please remember sunburn is an ugly, ugly look, wear sunscreen! Read on for more dos and don’ts to ensure you rock festival fashion perfectly this summer…

Do:

• Layer it up; two or three lightweight layers are essential, think bikini top, vest top and hoddie or waterproof jacket. Add or remove as necessary
• Wear Flats; heels and fields? Ne’er the twain should meet, wellies, flip flops or glads, your choice NB: Buy Hunter Wellies in-store from Office and Schuh and online in Ireland from www.welly4u.ie
• Wear Shorts under a short dress; no lady should be seen flashing as she chills on the grass
• Wear a large scarf / lightweight Pashmina; they double as rugs to lie on in the daytime and perfect for keeping warm in the evening
• Carry a small bag; one of those little lightweight draw-string backpacks are great for holding sunscreen, emergency tissues and removed clothing.
• Top it off; avoid hideous sunstroke by wearing a hat, from sun visors to cowboy hats, there are hundreds of styles of headgear to choose from

Don’t:

• Wear a jumpsuit; Porta-loos are not the best places to be juggling excess material and struggling with buttons, you want to be in and out as quickly as poss!
• Wear wash-off fake tan; especially if you are there for the weekend, you will go streaky and that’s all you’ll be able to think about
• Use a brolly; no one will thank you for standing in a crowd with your umbrella over your head, water-proof clothing is the only way to combat the rain, macs come in loads of colours and you can even get fold away ones
• Wear too-long jeans they will get destroyed in the mud and you’ll end up dragging God-knows-what into your tent
• Wear designer shades, if they get knocked off in the mosh pit it will ruin your weekend, Penny’s do awesome white and neon rimmed ones for €1.50!
• Stress; every-one in the camp-site will be in the exact same situation as you. No-one has an iron or access to showering facilities so relax, enjoy and worry about your scruffy hair and grubby clothes when you get home… whenever that might be!

See the gallery for the essential festival must-haves

Perfect Summer BodyCon Dresses

You can’t beat a bit of Bodycon and in brilliant turquoise, makes a perfect summer dress that you can accessorise with on-trend nude or classic black.

BOOM  Herve Leger Turquoise Bandeau Dress approx. €2,000 Herve Leger is available from Brown Thomas in Dublin and Net-a-Porter online.

BUST Bandeau Dress approx. €65 Jane Norman

Kate New Collection Needs No Introduction

OOOOOH, these are delicious! Kate Moss has outdone herself with these amazing high summer dresses for her Topshop collection. These amazingly delicious dresses along with some other pieces arrive on topshop.com this Thursday.

There is definitely a taste of Biba, Halston and Cavalli about the new collection but they and Ms Moss look so fabulous, I don’t see this lot lasting long in store!

The Aussies Know Swimwear

This week saw Australia’s Gold Coast Fashion Show 2009 and it was all about the swimwear. Coming from a country whose population live for the beach, this swimwear catwalk really matters and it seems one-piece swim suits in all shades of blue, from indigo to aqua marine, are all the rage in Oz.

They may all be blue but they each have embellishments that give them something different. Top left, the embroidery detailing makes this one piece look high end; top right, I love the silver trim on this suit, it’s so feminine. middle left has gorgeous rouching and I love the way the neck strap is passed through the neck line, bottom right is for the body confident and the gathered detailing makes this a gorgeous and revealing one piece.

The Irish high street offers something similar in this gorgeous one-piece from Tommy Hilfiger, (Grafton Street)