T-Shirt Overview
T-Shirt Background
A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a shirt that is typically buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves, that is put on by pulling it over the head and covers most of a person's torso. Even though the short sleeve version is the most prevalent, t-shirts also come in long sleeve and sleeveless T-shirt versions.
T-shirts are manufactured by the textile industry, usually by companies that also manufacture other forms of knitted cloth underwear. They are typically made of cotton or polyester fibers (or a mix of the two), knitted together in a jersey stitch that gives a T-shirt its distinctive soft texture. T-shirts are often decorated with text, pictures, company logos, band graphics, celebrity photos, and other various forms of graphic expression.
T-shirts come in styles for males and females, for ages from newborn to 100 years old, and come in sizes that will fit everyone from the tiniest baby to a man or woman who requires a size 6X shirt.
T-Shirt History
The idea of the T-shirt came to the USA during World War I when US soldiers noticed the light cotton undershirts European soldiers were using while the US soldiers sweat in their wool uniforms. Since they were so much more comfortable they quickly became popular among the Americans, and because of their design they got the name T-shirt. Other experts credit the U.S. Navy's "light undershirt" from 1913, described with "elastic collarette on the neck opening".
The orgins of the modern T-shirt can be traced to 1932 when officials from the University of Southern California Trojans football team made a request to Jockey International, Inc. to develop a inexpensive knit shirt absorb sweat and prevent a football player's shoulder pads from causing chafing. What came out of Jockey was the first crewneck (or crew-neck) T-shirt. These t- shirts were so popular that students started to "borrow them permanently" from the athletes.
By the time the United States was engaged in WWII the T-shirt had become standard issue underwear in both the U.S. Army and Navy. Although the T-shirt was formally underwear, soldiers often used it without a shirt covering it while doing heavy labor or while stationed in locations with a hot climate. As a result of this practice, the public was frequently treated to pictures of members of the military wearing pants and a T-shirt.
After WWII the T-shirt started appearing as a fashion statement in civilian life. The popularity of the T-shirt was driven by the entertainment industry where the film legends John Wayne, Marlon Brando and James Dean all wore them on national TV. At first the public was a little uneasy, but by 1955 it had become acceptable. The T-shirt became the consumate symbol of being cool when James Dean wore it in the film Rebel Without a Cause.
The record for "Most T-shirts Worn" was recently broken on October 12, 2006 by Matt McAllister a radio DJ of 99.9 KTYD in Santa Barbara, California. He found a way to wear 121 t-shirts, sized small to 10XL, on The Late Show with David Letterman. This feat broke his previous record of 120.
by The T-Shirt Lady
Author Information
The T-Shirt Lady provides a comprehensive view of tshirts covering everything from fashion to function. You can find t-shirt information at her website www.theofficialwebsitefortshirts.com. She also writes a regular newsletter called the T-Shirt Bargain Newsletter.
