Concept: Butter Tee Shirts

At some point after my uncle moved out of my grandma’s house, she gave my family a bunch of Uncle Steve’s old tee shirts. They were all from the 1970s, and they all had a particular quality in common (besides being running themed).

They had been made of a type of cotton or cotton/poly blend that ended up becoming very soft and very thin as they aged. My siblings and I became enamored with the soft clingy shirts with “Azuza Pacific Track” and “Raymond’s Run” written on them. (Side note – Loran still has the Raymond’s Run shirt, and I consider it a long-term loan. He flaunted it!)

Anyway, this love of a teeshirt material not found in 1980s or 1990s style shirts led me to begin shopping at thrift stores. Tee shirts were how is started, but soon I was buying all my clothes (and books, and tchochkeys) at Goodwill, Salvation Army, or the DAV.

I have to admit, I never grew out of this. I still buy most of my clothes at thrift stores. My needs have changed – instead of finding sweet butter tees and long sleeved shirts with designs down the sleeve to wear, I’m scoring Banana Republic pants and Express skirts. (As I think about it, I bet I’m wearing some of my co-workers’ old clothes.)

The point is this: vintage butter tee shirts cling well, are soft, are practically see-through, have great kitschy designs on them, and DO NOT COME FROM URBAN OUTFITTERS! I can tell the difference, and so should you.