The t-shirt can be said to have its origin in the Navy when it issued, in 1913, as standard wear to its sailors a short sleeved, collarless undergarment having an extraordinary resemblance to the alphabet "T". And it remained thus till it was raised to the status of an apparel on its own rights when Hollywood's icons were seen wearing them.



In the span of over a century, the t-shirt has touched everybody and everything in every conceivable way and has kindled every kind of emotion known to the human mind. Thought provoking expressions splashed across it have made people stop and ponder, jokes have had them doubled up with laughter, mild to extreme ridicule of practically any subject, person or walk of life has been the order of the day and some have been downright rude and offensive that just reading them might have made a decent person gargle in disgust.

In the fifty years since it became a popular item of wear, the t-shirt has been used in umpteen number of ways, leaving its mark on just about any subject under the sun. It is a media of expression of practically everything that you can think of and some more. Touching every possible human emotion, it has endeared it self in such a way that it is a national phenomenon. From infants to seniors every one sports them. It has evoked good healthy laughter, raised serious issues, made people smirk, ridiculed just about any topic and has also been blatantly nasty.

T-Shirts were and are extensively used during elections. In support of a candidate or to spread a political ideology. It has also been used to ridicule another candidate and/or his policies. Once that particular election is over, those messages usually pass into oblivion. An example would be the "Dew-IT with Dewey" t-shirt used in NY's then Governor, Thomas E. Dewey 1948 Presidential campaign. Others would have carried a joke that was relevant to that particular era or a message or a quote. Some would have pictured an actor, a musician or some such personality.

This is where the concept of "Retro" comes into play and which refers to anything that was once in fashion but had slowly faded away to give place to more contemporary designs and material but are now making a come back. There are retro dresses, there are retro shoes AND there are retro t-shirts. These shirts, like the "Flash Gordon" t-shirts and those that pictured some of the great rock and roll singer or jazz musician of the yesteryears could create a reminiscence that weaves a magical fabric in one's mind's eye. So might some quotes, jokes, pictures or graphics.

These t-shirts imitate those designs that were once popular. There might just be a saying or message or joke or some picture that might find relevance to the present. For a person with a penchant for oldies songs, a t-shirt with just the lyrics of some long lost favorite printed on it could bring out the "Agony and the Ecstasy" of that era. This is more so for the elderly, for whom a retro t-shirt could make a wonderful gift, a souvenir.

Reprints of music groups and films of a bygone era can make one nostalgic. Every t-shirt that you have probably has a story behind it. It could have been a gift from some loved one, perhaps purchased during a vacation or some such notable event. Related events such as festivals, games etc. increases the demand for these t-shirts.

Retro t-shirts can now be picked up off the shelf or if there is a picture, joke or slogan from those earlier days that pertains to these times or could make a pertinent statement on some current issue, and if one feels that it should be brought into the open, then the Internet is there to get a customized one made. Think about it, perhaps you might have something that will blaze a trial through the skies.