celebrities in t-shirts

Telling the world what you think: the T-shirt as message

PARIS Celebrities and citizens alike have stopped wearing their hearts on their sleeves and decided to take a more direct route to communicate to the world. Call it the mini me version of Internet blogging, the "message" T-shirt is now the hippest way to make a statement, express an emotion, or share a political view with the masses.

The writing was on the wall, or rather the T-shirt, three years ago when Winona Ryder kick-started the trend by wearing an underground "Free Winona" tee on the cover of W magazine. She was poking fun at herself and the very real possibility that she might serve time in prison for shoplifting designer goods from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store. (In the end, she was placed on probation and fined.)

The overwhelming response to that T-shirt (which is now considered "vintage") has spawned similar ones, like "Free Martha" and "Free Katie." Even this message has been turned on its head with the arrival of the "Feed Lindsay" tee - a reference to the dramatic weight loss of the Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan. It even carries an accompanying Web site (www.feedlindsay.com) where a petition urging the star to stop losing weight can be signed.

"I think the whole T-shirt craze is a way of communicating in our society that no one ever expected," says David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group, a New York-based fashion trend consulting firm. "These T-shirts turn people into statements - be it a product, lifestyle, or celebrity."

To be sure, today's T-shirts are speaking volumes. They announce everything from religious affiliation ("Jesus is My Homeboy") to favorite kids cereals ("Monstrously Delicious") or even make a public announcement ("Vote or Die").

For Chris Bick, co-owner of the hip clothing Web site fredflare.com, the "message" tees are popular "because they're so funny and can really evoke your mood at any given time. They are also really popular with celebrities. And if Jessica Simpson wears anything, it's sure to be super popular!"

There is no denying that the celebrity culture has helped the message T-shirt gain popularity. And with its cost hovering around $30, it is easier for those who want to emulate their favorite star to buy the same "My Dog Can Beat Up Paris Hilton's Dog" T-shirt that they saw Tori Spelling wearing than it would be to buy her designer handbag.

But beware these new disposable fashion statements. In hindsight something that seemed benign one week can take on a whole new interpretation the next. Case in point: Eva Longoria, one of the stars of "Desperate Housewives," has reportedly sent a personal note to Jennifer Aniston apologizing for wearing an "I'll Have Your Baby Brad" T-shirt just days after the Hollywood golden couple announced their separation. And after the latest revelations made by Aniston in a Vanity Fair cover story, maybe the T-shirt Brad Pitt wore with the word "Trash" written across the front on the couple's much photographed last vacation together becomes a more significant message than it seemed at the time.

Fraser Ross, owner of Kitson (www. Shopkitson.com), the Hollywood clothing store favored by many celebrities, came up with his own way to let the public express their opinion on the breakup of the Aniston/Pitt marriage: he made a T-shirt out of it. "Right now the 'Team Aniston' and 'Team Jolie' baseball T-shirts are very popular. 'Team Aniston' is selling 25 to 5 against 'Team Jolie'," says Ross.

Kitson is also finding it hard to keep the "Scientology School Drop Out" tee in stock, which is a direct comment on the "TomKat" romance between Tom Cruise and his soon to be third wife Katie Holmes.

But the message T-shirt has also gone corporate, with movie companies creating tees linked to their latest releases. And who better to blur the lines of personal expression and corporate commerce than Britney Spears.

The pop princess proudly wore a "I have the golden ticket" T-shirt with an arrow pointing to her pregnant belly to the Hollywood premiere of the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie. A more subversive person perhaps thought up the "House of Wax" promotional T-shirt. Its limited edition "See Paris Die" T-shirt sold out almost immediately after it hit the market to promote Paris Hilton's first Hollywood film.

Even celebrity designers are getting into the act. Sean Combs's fledgling women's line includes a T-shirt that is used prominently in its advertising campaign. The "Daddy's Rich" T-shirt, with words written in a golden scroll across the chest of spokes model Penelope Cruz, has already sold out at the Kitson store.

For Wolfe the usurping of the message T-shirt by companies hoping to cash in on the craze doesn't mean the demise of the underground T-shirt movement. "Both can coexist. The key to success is that the T-shirt be funny," says Wolfe.

Ross agrees. "For us it is important that the T-shirt be positive and funny." It was with this in mind that Ross decided to carry the "Team Selena" tee but to pass on the "I'll Be Your Nanny" one, because he thought it was in bad taste.

There is nothing worse than a T-shirt that isn't funny, especially if the butt of the joke isn't laughing. Only last year the "Save Mary Kate" tee was pulled from the market by the designer Randy & Moss when the Olsen twins threatened to sue. An offer to donate 20 percent of the profits to the National Eating Disorder Association by the company didn't dissuade the twins.

But maybe the best offense is a good defense when it comes to a celebrity's public trauma. Naomi Campbell took her cue from Ryder and, after recent reports that she had gotten into a fight with another model, took to the streets wearing a T-shirt that read "Naomi hit me" on the front while on the back were the words "and I loved it."

- International Herald Tribune, 13 Sep 2005.