Save this story Save Story Save this story My passion for graphic tees can be traced back to a very specific video: Camille Rowe’s British Vogue closet tour . When the clip first made its way online in 2016, I was still an impressionable teenager, with a malleable sense of style and a limitless supply of time to dedicate to YouTube.
Is it an exaggeration to say that this episode changed my life? Maybe. But even so, it instilled some basic guidelines in me that I still reference today, like the indispensability of a good pair of vintage Levi’s, using a cool jacket to elevate an otherwise simple outfit, and letting a great graphic tee do the talking.
The Band Tee Daydreamer Queen graphic burnout T-shirt Jump to review $88 NORDSTROM
The Slogan Tee Reformation x Alexa Chung slogan tee Jump to review $78 REFORMATION
The Cartoon Tee Re/Done Classic Snoopy tee Jump to review $160 SHOPBOP
The Souvenir Tee Hanes vintage 80s Maui T-shirt Jump to review $35 EBAY
The Sporty Tee Acne Studios printed sweater Jump to review $620 NET-A-PORTER
Inspired by Rowe’s eclectic collection of graphic tees, I wasted no time building my own. My love for classic rock still in its early stages, I spent my weekends as a teen scouring Montreal’s vintage shops for vintage band tees, most of which I still wear today. Now a cornerstone of my personal style, I usually pair them with jeans and ballet flats, but I also love the bold contrast that comes from juxtaposing them with an animal print, or something otherwise highly-textured.
The best designs to me are funny, personal, or a bit of both. There’s nothing like sifting through racks of sun-faded graphic tees and stumbling upon something so impossibly specific to your life that it feels like it was created just for you, despite the fact that mere moments earlier, you had no idea such an item could exist.
TheStewartofNY Photo: XNY/Star Max On and off the runways, vintage-inspired graphic tees are having a moment, too. New York designer and 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner-up Emily Dawn Long’s styles are released in drops that instantly sell out; Long has knack for coming up with clever phrases like “Take Off Your Clothes” or “Spoiled Boys” that have cultivated an ‘IYKYK’ fashion status .
The unbothered cool of a hard-to-come-by graphic tee has transcended off-duty style , as well: Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones recently sported two vintage Chloé tees on her Sense & Sensibility press tour. And Zoë Kravitz, another style icon whose graphic tee looks I’ve been emulating since she starred in the tragically short-lived Hulu series High Fidelity (where the costume department actually incorporated items from her own closet), is regularly photographed in something enviably cool.
Nowadays, I do most of my graphic tee shopping online, with eBay as my go-to source for all things quirky and personal. (When the Montreal Canadiens were in the NHL playoffs last year, I became fixated on finding unique team merch, homing on specific keywords to narrow down the search.) Depop is another favorite, where my feed is currently filled with my latest obsession—Denim Dungarees, a Japanese children’s brand founded in the ’90s that creates Americana and military-inspired tees.
While I maintain that the best graphic tees are vintage, there are still some really cool vintage-inspired ones to be found online. Re/Done, for example, is a great resource for cheeky texts, as is LA-based Mother. A few of my favorites—some vintage, some not—below.
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Reformation
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Emily Dawn Long
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Daydreamer
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Junk Food Clothing
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Re/Done
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Acne Studios
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Amelia Designs
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Salomon
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Denim Dungarees
Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Denim Dungarees
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Source: Lifestyle
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