Cotton Blog » printed t-shirts

Karl v Karl

FizzyT — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:32:02 +0000

Karl Lagerfeld is popping up all over the shop (the best ones, naturally) at the moment. First there was a line in New York for Macy’s, and now his eponymous Karl label has been released in Europe. Net-a-Porter has an amazing interview of him, being interviewed by himself, which almost makes me wonder if he has a sense of humour. But surely not, I must be mistaken. It’s been a tough day.

The pieces that make up the collection are pretty racy. Lots of faux leather and biker chic, together with little Karl-like touches, such as some big collars and fingerless leather gloves. And of course the t-shirts, bags and other whatnots with little Karls printed on them.

I rather like this t-shirt with the silhouette of the designer. It’s very Karl. And very, um Very. I expect we’ll all be wearing them before ling, like the minions of Karl that we surely all are.

Lavishly Alice!

FizzyT — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:18:49 +0000

Completely nailing the pastel and print trend, at mega affordable prices is Lavish Alice, with a brilliant selection of prints and patterns. The fruit print vest is a direct descendant of Dolce and Gabanna’s summer range, whilst the little bird print vest is perfectly Prada.

Wonderfully, the prices are almost teeny, with £20 for each of these little beauties. Just enough to pop on with jeans to embrace this season’s trend without feeling as though your bank manager is personally going to come round and squeeze every last drop out of you.

Zoe’s Tease!

FizzyT — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:53:40 +0000

French t-shirt design company Zoe Tees was founded in 2004 in Paris by creative director Laure Pariente as a sartorial reaction to the t-shirts she saw around her. She wanted to create flattering basics, with elegant lines and a quality feel to the garments.

The range is now sold globally, and is fast becomming a cult label with online shops including Net-a-Porter, mywardrobe.com and ASOS.

I rather like this ‘Love’ t-shirt. With a huge print, and an unfinished neckline, a lovely drapey feel, and a really comfortable look, it’s sure to be a sell out.

ZoeTees has a feel to it that is a bit like Wildfox Couture but more understated. Hugely popular nonetheless and well worth keeping an eye out for them in the sales. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, there is a little bit of a downside. They don’t come cheap, with the little number opposite retailing for £92. Far too much, in my opinion, for a t-shirt, but the prices do go right down in the sales, so you can snap them up a lot cheaper if you shop around. ASOS have some brilliant bargains, but it’s so easy to get distracted by all the other stuff on there, you start to lose track of time. Anyway, there you have it. ZoeTees….great in sales!

The Kaiser!

FizzyT — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:07:40 +0000

Karl Lagerfeld is possibly one of the few people in the world who can flog dodgy drawings of himself on t-shirts, but then if anyone can, Karl can. His new collection for Impulse at Macy’s is a capsule range (mostly black) with the odd shot of pink, lots of grey tweeds and some nude dresses. This has Lagerfeld written all over it, from the impeccable tailoring of the monochrome designs, to the various t-shirts printed with images of the designer. In which Karl literally is written all over it.

There’s something about these tees that I really like, although I’m not sure why. Still, unless he makes some for the UK market, then I’ll just have to look from afar, and never learn what is so strangely compelling about a dodgy looking pony tailed chap all over a t-shirt. Hmm.

What a (P) Lava!

FizzyT — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:30:26 +0000

Hairy Scary or Lava Palava?

I’m quite intrigued by this Lava t-shirt from Marc by Marc Jacobs, available from Selfridges. If I hadn’t read that the print on the chest was supposed to be lava, spewing forth from an enormous erupting volcano, I might possibly have thought it was an explosion of chest hair, or a profusion of pubicness. Very Sean Connery in his Dr No years, I’m sure. And yet, maybe a little too hirsute in appearance for me.

Marc Jacobs has been tipped to take over from John Galliano following his abrupt exit from Dior. If this t-shirt is anything to go by, then he will definitely create some fireworks (or some other kind of pyroclastic mess).

Paw Imitation!

FizzyT — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:34:38 +0000

Animal prints are still going strong this season, and Topshop has taken the trend a few steps further with a paw print t-shirt available from it’s Boutique section. 100% silk and a lovely printed pattern over the whole tee, it’s a glam day to evening number, that will see you through 2012. A must have to wear on that all too far in the future summer holiday, and great just with jeans for a night down the pub. Topshop have an incredible knack of getting it right, and this is a case in point. Go animal crackers this year!

Handy!

FizzyT — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:58:32 +0000

I love this Paul Smith t-shirt with a hand print on it which looks as though it came straight off a photocopier. Better than the office Christmas party bum print I imagine, and much more palatable to wear in public. This is a great t-shirt as an everyday staple with jeans, and is available from Mr Porter for a not very handy £83. I’m sort of wondering if you could do it yourself a bit cheaper. I wouldn’t really advise it though; I tried to photocopy my head for artistic effect once, and it felt funny all day. Nothing to do with the extended lunch, I’m sure. So, my great advice is let Paul Smith do it for you and go into the new year with a helping hand!

Animal Cross-ing!

FizzyT — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:28:18 +0000

Animal print of every variety is definitely here to stay for a long while yet, so if you haven’t already embraced your inner Bet Lynch, then it might just be time to start now. This is the most gorgeous animal-y t-shirt by cult label Truly Madly Deeply, available from Urban Outfitters. It only costs a perfectly reasonable £28, so there’s really no excuse for not getting one pronto. The leopard print on black background is striking, and the cross shape looks interesting, maybe even meaningful., although it’s too early in the year to tell.

This is the tee to start the new year with, so let your inner animal out for 2012, you might just need it!

Urban Aztec!

FizzyT — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:45:26 +0000

I have to say, all over prints can sometimes leave me a bit cold, but this Aztec t-shirt by Worland is just right. A warm and cosy print on a soft cotton tee with a good non garish mixture of colours. It also fits rather nicely into that whole pattern-y thing that has been going on for ages.

But if that’s too much for you, you can also go the half hog and just have the printed pocket, also by (Worland). A natty effect, and one that I am very into at the moment. Both are available from Urban Outfitters and well worth a peek.

Scissorship!

FizzyT — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:43:02 +0000

This is a lovely t-shirt, nothing to do with my slightly unhinged post Christmas mentality. At all. Honest. Although I am suffering badly from post Christmas come down and am beset by lovely sales on all sides, and no money anywhere. It is doing my little head in, and I almost can’t wait for things to get back to normal.

Anyway, this is a lovely t-shirt, as I was saying. It is by Denham and down to half price at Mywardrobe.com. A really stark and highly interesting monochrome print on a lovely 100% cotton tee with a slightly longer back. Unless your bank manager is as tight as mine (huff), then you really can’t say no to this at a mere £19. A total snip!