Vintage T-Shirt Collective
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Glowing Feedback from a Defunkd Shopper
June 21, 2012 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
Congrats to Defunkd shop Black Market Pop for this email we received from a user who was super delighted with their shopping experience. Oscar from BMP responds quickly and ships even faster ensuring vintage tees get on torsos in style.
Nice one Oscar and all of our beta sellers for that matter – we know you’re all top notch with your customer service practices! Keep it up!
Vintage T Shirts Book Review
May 26, 2010 by Jimmy J · 3 Comments
I finally managed to get my hands on all the vintage t-shirt books published in the last few years. Truth be told, I would recommend any book that contains photos of vintage tees, even if it was scribed in crayon by a two-year-old child.
Title: Vintage T Shirts
Meet the authors: If vintage tee addiction is hereditary meet the proof in the poly-cotton pudding. Brothers Patrick and Marc Guetta own and operate the decade old World of Vintage T-Shirts store on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.Â
Number of shirts inside: 650+
Rating: 4.8/5
Buy it: Amazon / Taschen
Welcome to the closest thing to a vintage t-shirt bible you’ll ever find. In 2008 we gave that honor to a book by the same name that contained over 500 tees, but then along came this beast which trumps it by 150. Not only that, the pages are actually about 1/4 larger so you’re getting more bang for your buck. And bigger is definitely better especially because it’s showcasing a vast array of vintage tee genres, rather than just a music related ones.
If I judge this book solely by the cover, it’s perfect. Great fold out, die-cut raised detailing on the tee’s ringer and raised printing for the home-made style lettering. No, you sicko, the lettering doesn’t have a fuzzy feel to it, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a consideration. None of the other books put as much creativity in to their appearance.
The write-ups banked in the early part of the book are ok, but after reviewing five books previous to it I’m jaded. At this point there’s nothing new anyone can say about a glorified piece of cloth that Marlon Brando popularized. And since the authors are imports from France there’s also French version of the write-up, which is not foreign to me given I live in a bilingual country. Don’t worry those pages aren’t wasted with duplicate photos, so for everyone who isn’t fluent in French (including me I dropped it after grade 9, oops) you still have something to gawk at.
Relax, there’s not a lot of reading to do. After the final sentence it’s strictly tees for 350 pages. The concert tee section won’t blow your mind if you’re a vintage aficionado. I sold many of them during my days as a dealer which is something I can’t say about the contents of Ripped or Vintage Rock T-Shirts. But the book does a bang up job of touching on all the good things in life: sports, cars, surfing, booze, beer, movies and tv. Hell there’s even a fantasy and video game section PLUS Maiden and Harley receive extra attention. Great torsos think alike.
The downside to its size and special printing is that the book also carries the biggest price tag coming in at double the price as its predecessors. Is it justifiable? I think so especially if you’re going to buy just one. Have a look at the first 100 pages compliments of the publisher and do your own math. Pretty ballsy, but only a book so big could offer such a bonus.
Preview the book>>here. And please let us know your thoughts below.
Additional Vintage T-Shirt Book Reviews.
Ripped Review
March 29, 2010 by Jimmy J · 1 Comment
I finally managed to get my hands on all the vintage t-shirt books published in the last few years. Truth be told, I would recommend any book that contains photos of vintage tees, even if it was scribed in crayon by a two-year-old child.
Title: Ripped: T-Shirts from the Underground
Meet the author: Cesar Padilla survived through a horrific childhood incident – the loss of his entire t-shirt collection at the hands of his mother. Twenty years later and he’s managed to restore a portion of his collection and recapture his Sunset Strip glory days via poly-cotton.  Â
Number of shirts inside: 200+
Rating: 4.75/5
Buy it: Amazon / eBay
Reading this book is like hanging out with a bunch of people that are way cooler than you. The closer you were to the front lines of these musical movements the more you’ll appreciate it. If you’re looking for mainstream vintage t-shirt porn, look elsewhere because this is the most niche of all the vintage t-shirt books. And with a new vintage t-shirt book emerging yearly, this themed piece is one future authors should take note of.
The primary focus of Ripped is counterculture music and vintage t-shirts are the medium best fitted to tell the story. The blurb inside describes it as a visual history, but don’t expect an actual history lesson – do that on your own time. It assumes you’re in the know and it can’t be bothered to explain much. It scores points by speaking directly to its intended audience and remains true to the counterculture attitude it glorifies. Kudos for not sacrificing integrity by trying to appease the masses.
But then I stumbled on some Run DMC t-shirts and assumed I was in for a real treat given the book had so accurately represented other genres. One of my favorite examples of this is an amazing Kraftwerk tee that exudes the history of electronic music. With this in mind I started fantasizing about what might appear next from the hip hop persuasion: a DJ Kool Herc or a DIY New York b-boy t-shirt? Maybe some rare Sugar Hill Gang, Afrika Bambaataa or Grandmaster Flash swag? Nope. Just two token Run DMC tees and they stand out like a sore thumb.
I felt ripped off in the rap category, but Ripped still rivals Vintage Rock T-Shirts in terms of obscure pieces. And unlike the Vintage Rock T-Shirts collection I doubt Ripped’s shirts would ever be put up for auction. The inspiration behind the book and its nifty write-ups make it clear the sentimental value of these tees trumps the almighty dollar. The cynical intro by Lydia Lunch is tops compared to those we have reviewed in the past which have all been way too wordy and Pulitzer poised. The rest of the contributors are welcome additions – one even discusses digging through the drawers of the deceased Sid & Nancy. Oh and if you’ve ever wondered the history behind John Lennon’s New York City tee – it’s in the book.
I highly recommend adding this book to your collection, it’s perfect (as long as you close your eyes on pages 170 and 179).
Additional Vintage T-Shirt Book Reviews.
Vintage Retro Wear Seller Review
February 11, 2010 by Jimmy J · 1 Comment
eBay Seller: vintage retro wear
Years of Service: 9
Transactions: 10100+
Feedback: 99.8%
Policies: If you arent happy I’ll fix it.
Motto: “I like my beer cold, stereo loud and tees Deadstock.”
Very few vintage t-shirt stores on eBay can boast almost 10 years of consistency with over 100k stellar transactions – but Vintage Retro Wear can. Truth be told, this operation was one I spied on quite frequently for Defunkd inspiration. I was amazed at how they always had an uncanny supply of mint, yet true vintage t-shirts. Later I would come to realize it was the result of the illusive dead-stock aka NOS discovery. Matt from VRW has managed to make a few of the biggest deadstock discoveries by a vintage t-shirt prospector, two warehouses jam packed with them.
Matt’s foray in to the world of vintage started with a guilty conscious, “I donated all of my rock tees to Salvation Army in the late 90s before I realized their value” he confesses. A few years later he rescued so many vintage tees that he was actually capable of outfitting an army; so his debt to vintage society was paid in full.
VRW also carries a wicked selection of rock collectibles (wallets, bandanas) as well as vintage clothing from head to toe. The most expensive t-shirt in their store is a vintage Transcelestians tee coming in at paltry $29,000 with plenty of gems in the $15-50 range.
Wyco Vintage Seller Review
January 21, 2010 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
eBay Seller: wyco vintage
Years of Service: 2
Transactions: 1000+
Feedback: 100%
Policies: Honesty is the best policy.
Motto: “Too legit to quit.”
Wyco stormed on the eBay vintage scene a few years ago and has since carved out one badass vintage t-shirt store. Some say (I know I do) they have the largest selection of 100% true vintage rock t-shirts on eBay.
The Wyco outfit is operated by Patrick and Mehgan (left, at Ratt/Poison jam) who take the utmost pride in the authenticity of their inventory. They think of themselves as curators of a poly-cotton museum rather than t-shirt shopkeepers. Their care for each garment begins with a meticulous inspection where even the tiniest of imperfections are clearly highlighted in each listing. And at any time during the transaction customer inquires are encouraged and answered immediately given the team are always tuned in via mobile. Their process has obviously been well received given their perfect feedback score.
The most expensive t-shirt in their store is a vintage Seditionaries Snow White tee coming in at $1500 with plenty of rock gems in the $20-50 range.