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 80s Nike Baby Air Jordan shoes sold for $355.00 by allsports411
2. vintage 80s Adidas Karim Abdul Jabbar shoes sold for $242.50 by blackcloudkid
3. vintage 84 The Clash Out Of Control tee sold for $172.49 by wyco_vintage
4. vintage 77 The Sex Pistols Bollocks t-shirt sold for $177.50 by wyco_vintage
5. vintage 70s Nike Tennis shoes sold for $170.00 by theverybestevershoes
6. vintage 90s Guns N Roses SpaghettiIncident tshirt sold for $164.90 by stormcrow

View previous mens vintage clothing auctions.

Meet costume designer Susan Matheson, Tinseltown’s go-to gal when a flick calls for a vintage t-shirt wardrobe. Her recent work on Step Brothers caused a frenzy of fans searching for the vintage Converse t-shirt John C. Reilly wore throughout the movie. Wondering where you can get one? Read on. I first met Susan while she was browsing through our store a few years ago. Yes, we’re happy a shirt we provided made a 15 second cameo in the film. Oh, and Susan has many times seen Will Ferrell in his undies, but then again, who hasn’t?

What’s your all-time favorite t-shirt and the rarest one you own?

Right now I have a fantastic Ice Cube “Wanted by FBI” t-shirt that I can’t get enough of. I tried to use it in the film “Friday Night Lights” but Ice Cube wouldn’t give me permission, so instead it has become my favourite sleep shirt. The most valuable t-shirt I own was made by “World’s End”, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s label from the early 1980s. I dragged my mother to the World’s End store and bought one of the t-shirts from the Pirates collection in London in 1981 when I was a teenager. My older brother had bought “Never Mind The Bollock’s Here’s The Sex Pistols” on the street in London in 1977 and even though I was a kid at the time, from that moment on the Punk Rock movement and Malcolm McLaren sparked my imagination. A couple of years ago I saw my beloved t-shirt on the market for about $1200.

Tell us a little bit about the process of dressing actors for a film.

It is impossible for me to find enough originals of these shirts in their sizes to be able to use in the movie as I often need as many as 12 of them. I have photo doubles, stunt doubles and the actor wearing the same item at the same time when we are shooting. This is why I have to manufacture enough multiples of the t-shirt in the correct sizes to be able to use them.

When I recreate a vintage t-shirt I have to copy it exactly, as otherwise I will never get the legal clearances that I need to be able to use it in a film. For example, the Yoda t-shirt that John C. Reilly wears in Step Brothers. This was a terribly expensive shirt to copy, it required about 15 screens eventually to get the print right.

All of the t-shirts that I have used on Will Ferrell have had to be recreated by me for him. A lot of my favourite t-shirts were originally meant for kids or women, so the sizes were always terribly wrong for him, as he is 6′4″. I’ll never forget the baby pink Crystal Gayle t-shirt that I used on him in Talladega Nights. I had purchased it at a thrift store in North Carolina and I loved it immediately as it was both so right and so wrong. Not only was the t-shirt pink, but her hair and lips were glitterized. Will loved it so much that he wore the Crystal Gayle t-shirt to the world premiere of Talladega Nights.

There’s a lot of red tape involved in getting permission to use a t-shirt in a film, can you break down the process? I was surprised to see so much Star Wars stuff.

I still can’t believe that Lucas film gave legal approval to Sony studios for the use of the Yoda t-shirt as well as the pajama pants that I made for Will from old Star Wars sheets. I was absolutely sure that they would never ever say yes as the Star Wars films were produced by 20th Century Fox. I started off with about 30 different Star Wars t-shirts and then narrowed it down to my favourite, the Yoda t-shirt.

On Step Brothers, I submitted legal clearance forms for well over 100 t-shirts and in the end only got clearance on about 20. It’s always the t-shirts that you think are going to be a sure thing that don’t get approved.

I have received fascinating letters from bands who have refused my t-shirt requests. One of the best refusal letters was from the remaining members of Nirvana. They wrote a very heartfelt personal letter about why they didn’t want to let me use the Nirvana smile t-shirt. On the other hand there are bands like AC/DC who always always approve requests for t-shirts and those are the very bands that I will never use in one of my films. If I see another film with a teenager wearing an AC/DC t-shirt I will have to gag. It’s become so cliche and it always tells me that people didn’t want to have to struggle to get something cool and different into the film. I always want to use something that people are surprised by and that they kind of have forgotten, but when they see it they have a warm and fuzzy feeling about it. I loved the Pablo Cruise t-shirt in Step Brothers for this very reason. Everyone who saw it paused for a moment and then said, wow, I remember them. I have since started up a correspondence with the lead singer of Pablo Cruise who was thrilled when his son saw it on Will.

What can you tell us about the Converse t-shirt John C. Reilly wore in Step Brothers?

It was quite difficult getting the crazy Converse Sneaker t-shirt into Step Brothers, but this is the one that everyone asks me about. It was a child’s t-shirt that I became obsessed with. The minute I found it I knew that I had to put it in a movie.  Unfortunately no one agreed with me and in fact they probably thought I was having a bad bad taste day, as opposed to a good bad taste day. Eventually everyone surrendered because I had driven them crazy about it and had exhausted them into submission. If I love a t-shirt then I become like a snappy snarling dog with a bone, so I am thrilled to know that other people thought it was cool as well. Of course when the film comes out it’s usually the t-shirt that had the most bitter battles that is the one that everyone remembers and loves.

I still have the original artwork for it and have been thinking about creating some additional ones for a Defunkd charity auction.

(If you want to find out when this charity auction takes place sign up for our email newsletter. OR if you’re really desperate there are some replicas available on eBay.)

How far will you go to get a shirt?

Anytime I leave town on a road trip I will stop and hunt at local thrift stores. Some of my best Americana t-shirts I have actually found in foreign countries like New Zealand, believe it or not. I have to admit that I am ruthless when it comes to vintage t-shirts. My friends will never let me forget the time that I paid an old lady for the t-shirt that she was wearing. I went into a store with her and bought her a new shirt in exchange. It’s not that I’m ruthless because I personally want to own every fantastic t-shirt in the world, it’s more like I want to spread the t-shirt gospel and show people what amazing stuff is still out there.

Want to buy a tee? Check out The 20 Best Spots to Buy Vintage T-Shirts on eBay.

Check out our last interview with The Godfather of vintage heavy metal t-shirts or for more information on vintage t-shirts visit our homepage.

After we posted our interview with Jochen, the godfather of vintage metal t-shirts, a bunch of you were curious about accessing his site to see what goods were for sale. Getting this list was no easy task. Let’s just say we had to fly to Germany and torture him. And by torture we mean forcing him to wear his most valuable white vintage tee and then treating him to a sloppy spaghetti dinner. He screamed uncle before the appetizers arrived. Works every time.

Access the members only PDF here.

You tried rubbing liquid detergent directly on the stain and you washed the shirt in a hot cycle. Are you ready to get serious now? Good. To create this guide I polled the majority of the sellers from our list of 20 Best Spots to Buy Vintage T-Shirts asking for their top-secret techniques. These experts definitely know a thing or two about removing tough stains since most of their enemies are decades old. Their techniques have successfully eliminated many vintage stains and will have a dual effect on your collection: restorative and preventative. These vendors are listed at the bottom of this page – so show them a little love and take a whirl through their inventory.

Some of the products listed below are difficult to track down locally. These brand names are underlined and can be clicked to display their availability on eBay.

1. Lemons and limes are the best impromptu weapons you can use – especially when you’re chewing with your mouth open at a fancy restaurant and a piece of meatball drops on your vintage tuxedo… shirt. Go ahead and dip your fingers in your date’s water and rescue that drowned lemon wedge. (Don’t stick your fingers in your own drink, who knows where those fingers have been.) Rub the wedge directly on the stain while running to the loo so you can rinse it with warm water. The PH levels in the citrus will help prevent the stain from setting. At this point your date has left the restaurant, so get home quick-time and apply some of the techniques below.

2. If it’s fast-food joints you frequent, white vinegar can also be used to prevent a new stain from setting –  ie. fry grease. It can also work wonders on old faint blemishes, nasty pit stains and ring-around-the-collar. It’s super cheap, does no harm to the environment and, more importantly, will not damage the fabric on your precious t-shirt. Problem is, it requires extended soak time, re-soak time and extra rinse to remove the odor. 

3. Bleach can be a very effective and inexpensive method of battling stains, but it’s not without its downside. For obvious reasons, it can only be used to battle stains on white t-shirts. It also requires special care and handling so you don’t ruin some innocent fabric or your shag carpet. Fear not, bleach will not have any effect on the screen-print on your white t-shirt. It may, however, dull the the tag, so if you have a pristine ”Screen Stars” tag, expect it to fade slightly after a bleach wash.

For best results apply bleach directly to the stain using a cotton swab. Then let it sit for a few minutes. Sometimes you’ll actually see the stain start to fade right before your eyes. You can re-apply a few times, but always make sure to get it in the wash immediately afterwards. Bleach destroys stains but can be corrosive to fabric and can put a hole in it. The goal is to remove the stain only. If you put a hole in the fabric in the process, do not pass go, do not collect $200.  

Make sure to add in the suggested portion of bleach to the washing machine, and set the washer to hot, with an extra rinse to expunge the fabric of all the bleach.

4. An old toothbrush and a little elbow grease can go a long way in assisting whatever product you decide to use. Scrub clockwise and counter-clockwise, then do the same to the reverse side of the fabric. It doesn’t hurt to chant “unga bunga” repeatedly to show respect to the gods of stain. 

5. Oxy Clean is a little more expensive, but you’ll know where that extra money went when you witness the amazing results the snap-crackle-and-pop powder provides. It’s almost as powerful as bleach is on whites, but it’s safe to use on all colors and won’t damage the fabric like bleach can. You can target specific spots by dipping only portions of the blemished fabric in a tiny bowl full of water and the concentrate, or you can do an extended soak in a larger container and tackle the entire t-shirt. It safely works wonders on pit stains, grease, grass, dirt, and other mystery stains. If you only buy one product on this list, buy this one.  

6. Rit and Carbona are fabric rust removers. Why would rust be on a shirt? This usually occurs when a t-shirt is on a metal hanger for an extended period of time. Humidity causes the hanger to corrode and it leaves rust stains along the shoulder line of the tee. Rit does a spectacular job of specifically removing rust, but it’s worth giving these two products a chance to fight other stains as well. If you’ve got a stubborn stain on your hands you might as well use everything in your arsenal.

7. Spray N Wash and Shout both make regular and extra strength versions of their product. Why? For those days you just feel like fading a stain rather than getting rid of it? Skip right to the hardcore version and get to work. Shout in particular has a gel concentrate that’s been known to reap some positive results – mainly because of the great scrub brush that’s attached. Most detergent companies also manufacture handy pens that are great for on-the-spot relief for protecting your investments. They’ll fit conveniently in a purse or the pocket of your jeans. And when she asks what’s in your pocket, just say you’re happy to see her. 

8. Every serious stain fighter should have a “blow-out gun,” a.k.a. “knockout-gun” in their holster. These bad-boys were designed for use by screen-printing professionals to remove ink mishaps. They don’t come cheap, but in the screen-printing business, they can pay for themselves many times over by fixing mistakes that otherwise make the shirt a write-off. The gun contains a special chemical which is shot at the garment under high pressure to literally blow the ink away. It can have the same effect on paint, and a handful of other blemishes. Lock and load, then say, “hasta la vista” just before you annihilate your enemy.  

If all the previous methods fail you, we highly suggest learning to cope with your stain. Try putting some effort into your relationship. Eventually you’ll find your stain is a great listener and you just might warm up to it. But if you’ve got a shirt that’s blemished beyond wear, you might as well have a go at the following kamakazi methods. They’re rumored to be effective, but we can’t vouch for them – so make sure to thoroughly research the procedures on the net before you begin. 

9. Nail polish remover can be used directly on paint or other hard substances on your t-shirt.

10. Oven cleaner can be applied to white t-shirts in the same manner you would use bleach. If you’re feeling risque you can also apply it to colors, but make it quick and rinse it off, or it can fade the color quickly. 

11. Hairspray can be used on marker and ink.

Bonus tip: there are lots of success stories floating around the internet about people who used their stain fighting products in conjunction with boiling water. Just enter “stain removal boiling” in to the Google machine. 

Good luck. And please feel free to add your two cents about these (or any other) techniques you may have up your stain-free sleeves.

Special thanks to: wycovintage, zimmermantwin, shirtswithballs, 4all2envy, stormcrow-vintage, vintagevantage, brokenheartvintage, doublesixvintage, silverruins, jollyrogersauctions, hattrick, defunkd_vintage.

For more information on vintage t-shirts visit our homepage.

Our pals over at stormcrow-vintage have slashed prices on over 200 items in their store. The 15% sale began on the 13th and lasts for 13 days. Scary.

If you’re looking for a little horror imagery in your vintage t-shirt arsenal then look no further. Stormcrow has a killer selection from the usual suspects: Slayer, Megadeth, The Cramps, Misfits, Overkill, Destruction, etc. And of course no slashing is complete until Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers make a cameo.

Stormcrow’s neighbors all claim he’s just “a quiet man”…

Valentine’s day is the perfect time to announce our plans to expand. The scene for women’s vintage fashion on eBay has evolved in to such an amazing little niche that it has long deserved a blog. So we’re hard at work behind the scenes putting the final touches on The Vintage Aphrodite.

Please don’t go calling it The Vintage Aficionado’s sister blog, because they aren’t relatives. They are boyfriend and girlfriend, linked up and totally doing it. No children blogs are expected anytime soon, we already have our hands full, thanks.

In the mean time if you’re interesting in becoming a contributor, please get in contact with me.