New Year’s money saving resolutions? Worried about finances during the recession? We totally feel ya! To show appreciation for our readers and customers everything in our store is now on sale at 50% off.

And just to clarify, this is not a drill, there’s no sneaky * and it’s NOT “up to 50%”, it’s actually 50% off. 

We don’t mind making a little room on our shelves, since we’ve also just unearthed a large quantity of 1980s deadstock concert tees.

If you’re a fan of Guns N Roses, Metallica, actually, if you’re a fan of any 80s music, keep your eyes peeled to our listings beginning February 2nd.

More on that later, but until such time all of our current tees are half price. 

I purchased both of these t-shirts on eBay from different sellers who had an array of vintage t-shirts up for auction. Based on how they were listed, described and photographed, I bought them under the assumption they were true vintage articles.

Ooooops! Yes, even me, the guy who authored three guides on how to shop for a genuine vintage t-shirt on eBay, got duped! How could this happen? Well, truth be told, the most important factor on determining if a shirt is genuine can only be done while it’s in your possession. Pictures, descriptions, and other methods can deceive even the most seasoned vintage veteran.

We’re currently hard at play in the Defunkd Laboratories creating a few tests you can perform at home to ensure that shirts you’ve purchased are actually real. “Of course they are!” you say? Don’t be so sure. Hell, I got burned. When the voting closes in one week, we’ll reveal the correct answer and the exact methods we used on these t-shirts to test them. 

Now let’s see if you can succeed where I failed. Can you spot the fake? Before you log your vote, feel free to study up on our vintage t-shirt guides - there’s plenty of useful information there that can be applied directly to these shirts.

To level the playing field, both t-shirts were photographed under the exact same lighting conditions, neither have been retouched, brightened or altered in any way.

Shirt #1 is in near mint condition. The print is bright and the tag is missing.  

Shirt #2 has yellow stains. The print is faded and it’s tagged, “Screen Stars Best.” 

Find out the chilling conclusion to the poll and the correct answer here.

Every two weeks we scour through eBay’s past auctions and report which relics are fetching the big bucks. Even more reasons to raid your granny’s closet.

Click the links below to view the full eBay listing or the seller’s current inventory.

1. vintage 50s Harley Champion jersey sold for $1500.00 sold by higradetrash
2. vintage 70s Nike Pinwheel Geisha t-shirt sold for $430.00 sold by classictoyspaper
3. vintage 50s British rugby shirt sold for $325.00 sold by alles_beston
4. vintage 50s gabardine rayon gaucho shirt sold for $302.00 sold by mattfink
5. vintage 70s The Who tee sold for $175.00 sold by blackrebelvintage
6. vintage 50s men’s nylon socks sold for $152.50 sold by chrisg40

View previous mens vintage clothing auctions.

Say Aloha to Alfred Shaheen who passed away on December 22nd, 2008. His desire for fashion wasn’t faux pas since it was stitched in to his DNA. In the late 1930s his parents settled in Oahu, Hawaii and operated a garment manufacturing business while Alfred attended school studying math, physics, and aeronautical engineering. When WWII began Alfred enlisted in the Army Air Corps and flew 85 missions during his tenure. Once the war ended he returned to Hawaii where his parents enlisted him in the family business. 

Alfred decided to expand the family business to include Hawaiian shirts and other Hawaiian inspired women’s fashions. He took it upon himself to engineer his own machinery to create the fabric and designs in-house rather than importing them. He scoured local junkyards for parts and was able to MacGyver his first machine. Eventually he spearheaded construction of an 8 million dollar factory/showroom which housed 400 employees. 

Contrary to other reports, Shaheen didn’t invent the Hawaiian shirt, they existed well before he did. Better yet, think of him as the Henry Ford of Hawaiian fashions. He revolutionized the mass production of it, introduced new manufacturing methods and techniques that changed the garment industry forever.

He’s not the only vintage clothing icon we lost in ‘08. We’re pretty sure him and recently diseased vintage western shirt pioneer Papa Jack are up there somewhere shooting the breeze over a fruity cocktail.

If you’re thinking of snapping up a vintage hawaiian shirt, pay homage to a legend and make it a vintage Shaheen. Click here to view the one’s currently up for grabs on eBay.

It’s that annoying time of year that every form of media chimes in to put their spin on New Year’s resolutions. So we’re jumping on the bandwagon and putting vintage t-shirts to the test. We wanted to see if they could help accomplish the most popular 2009 resolutions and we’re very pleased to report the results.

Resolution #1: Save Money & Invest

January and February are historically the slowest months for eBay; but factor in the current state of the economy as an added savings bonus. Less traffic means less bids, which means this is the best time in the history of eBay to buy low. After a few years you’ll have a nice little investment on your torso that you could flip for some extra loot, that is, if the sentimental value isn’t higher by then.

Resolution #2: Get Fit & Eat Well

A true vintage t-shirt will be vintage sized. A vintage XL is pretty much a medium by today’s standards, so the better in shape you are, the broader your options will be re: squeezing in to one. The classic “I’ll start my diet tomorrow” vintage tee loses its funny when you can no longer fit in to it. Buy an array of differently sized vintage t-shirts as motivation for the stages of your regimen. 

Resolution #3: Be Green

Vintage Ts represent all three of the environment Rs. They were produced decades ago they don’t leave any new environmental footprints. Once you’ve worn it well beyond recognition, have a professional seamstress repair it. Repeat this process until your t-shirt is reduced to a few threads, then use those threads to repair another vintage tshirt.

Resolution #4: Stop Smoking

How dare you even consider smoking while wearing a vintage t-shirt. You know what smoking does to your hair, skin and lungs…now imagine what it does to cotton. Non-existent studies have shown that second-hand smoke absorbed by fabric contributes to accelerated wear. We suggest using a vintage t-shirt like the patch: when you have one on, don’t smoke.  

Resolution #5: Spend More Time With Family & Friends

If you’ve tackled all the previous resolutions, this one will take care of itself. Your friends and family will flock to the thinner, wealthier, greener, and odorless you. Wear a vintage t-shirt at the next social gathering you attend and you’ll be the party. And if you’re sick of traveling to the sticks to see your relatives, worry not, they’ll all come from miles just to catch a glimpse of you.

You should get started right now using our handy new directory of vintage t-shirt sellers, then you won’t have to worry about Resolution #6: No More Procrastinating.

Each week we feature an interesting vintage tee that’s currently on the eBay auction block. Please feel free to link us if you create or discover an auction we might like.

Descriptions: Rolling Stones, Yes, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, Doobie Brothers, etc.

Sold by: kayo

What I Say: I’m ringing in 2009 with a bang by featuring a bundle of 13 auctions for rare 1970s rock t-shirts. They’re all in excellent shape, but sizing is an issue here since they’re all small, and 1970s small at that. Don’t plan on wearing them unless you’re extremely petite, but consider adding them as a framable showpiece to your vintage tee collection. 

To view the full auctions click here.