Hipsters. Scenesters. Slackers. Whatever you want to call them, they’re terrible … mostly. They may buy up all the cheap beer, take all the fun out of new indie bands, and generally ruin everything from Converse All-Stars to the word “indie,” but there’s one thing they’re acceptably non-terrible at: Picking out killer and flawlessly self-descriptive T-shirts.
Equal parts ironic-mastery and legitimate design prowess, a great slacker tee is the perfect mix of beauty, minimalism, and eye-rolling laughter needed to say exactly what the wearer wants to communicate about his or herself. And since we’re all more or less in the business of perfect expression via T-shirt, I thought it might be cool and helpful and informative to look at some of the best slacker-esque designs out there floating around on the internet today.
5. Nike’s “Lazy but Talented” Tee
A little simple, but good font choices and the addition of the Nike logo make this shirt a great way to say “I’d be awesome if I cared,” which, is obviously goal #1 of all slackers.
4. Taylor Swift’s “Not a Lot Going on at the Moment” Tee
Props to resident Taylor Swift expert Colleen McKenna for pointing this one out to me. Though I love the text, I’m not crazy about the design overall. (A little too hard to read maybe?) But, big prints on baggy tees are definitely in, and T-Swift fans are going nuts for the shirt, paying as much as $895 dollars for authentic replicas.
How do you say you don’t care about anything without spelling it out? By sharing your pride about a taco night that ended 15 years ago, obviously. Besides the clever idea, note the strong color and design choices, especially the faux-distressed printing effect around the artwork.
2. The Greatest Spectacle Ever!
Maybe a little too “carpe diem” to be a true slacker design, but I thought the artwork was too amazing to pass up. Besides, there’s enough potential for “sarcastically wearing the shirt” I think to warrant inclusion here. (Wear it in your Mom’s basement while pretending to work on your band’s bluegrass-themed sideproject LP, but actually watching reruns of “Say Yes to the Dress,” and voila! Instant irony!)
The huge print. The color choices. The cursive writing. The total expression of disgust at the rest of the world. No slacker tee-design will ever be as good as this one. Period with a capital UGH.
That’s it for this week guys! Thanks for reading, and see you all next week.
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MONDAY MIKE FACT: I like to take shots at hipsters, but if I ever had to be bound-and-tagged by some kind of category-obsessed space aliens, I’d definitely be classified as one myself. Corroborative evidence: I’m a big fan of the tee-and-hoodie look, and finding out about this cover song will unquestionably be the highlight of my day.
