Styling Tip
The Graphic Tee Spectrum
When it's sweltering outside, a light cotton T-shirt is your best friend. And even though you can't go wrong with a solid or pocket tee, there's a whole new crop of graphic T-shirts on the block. The difference between these and the kind you wore in college? No pre-faded nonsense, no obscure indie bands and a touch of restraint. Just like the consideration you'd put into selecting the art you'd hang on your wall, these graphic shirts don't try to play up nostalgia or irony—they're just tasteful images displayed on a great fitting cotton tee. Here are a few that won't conjure up dreaded "hipster" references.
Uniqlo, $20 / $13
They've pored through the National Geographic archives for this collection of iconic photographs on tees.
Saturdays Surf, $40
The guys behind Saturdays take a "negative" approach to the graphic tee with a simple frame on four color ways.
Sandro, $110 / $77
Cult French label Sandro channels a throwback California vibe with this grainy photo on a slug cotton T-shirt.
Gap + Threadless, $30
A collaboration with online community Theadless, this was designed by Steven Toang Wei Shang from Malaysia.
Battenwear, $68
Shinya Hasegawa's surf-inspired Brooklyn brand takes its inspiration from classic football shirts.
Beams Plus, $105
The Japanese retailer gives a cheeky take on an old school surf T-shirt with a "loafer man" on a marled cotton tee.
