8 Ways to Style a Vintage T-Shirt | GQ Recommends

[jazzy music]

What's up, everyone?

This is GQ Recommends.

Today, we're gonna be talking about vintage tees.

And we're gonna show you how we wear them to the office.

So vintage tees as a category is really broad,

but there are subcategories within that.

Like vintage music tees, vintage novelty t-shirts.

Also vintage sportswear, like old ringer tees,

or old football t-shirts.

And then there are just vintage blanks, plain, no graphics.

They want something that has some character

and some fading, and distressing to it.

I think the benefit of vintage tees generally

is that there's a story behind it.

And whether that's one you make with it,

or that already came along with it when you bought it,

there's going to be a narrative there.

Honestly, it's a really good conversation starter.

It's something that someone can come up to you

and have something to say about.

It's a bumper sticker that you can wear.

[upbeat music]

This is a vintage Pat Sajak t-shirt.

He had his own talk show in the late '80s.

I found it at this vintage store.

And I saw the back of it, which is sort of

the hidden secret, and the best part of it,

that sort of completes the joke.

It's got one of those old-school

sort of '80s ringer tee fits, right,

where it's not like too billowy and big, like a '90s tee.

And not too skin tight, like a tee from like the '60s.

And it's really funny.

This is just an outfit full of fun things

that I love to wear all the time.

These white pants are from Jjjjound.

Got my cowboy boots on.

This striped blazer that's kind of preppy,

and kind of old school, and kind of fun,

from a brand called Onsloe.

The t-shirt sort of just ties it all together.

There's a world in which wearing slacks

and a blazer could come off really formal,

or dressy, or stuffy.

The t-shirt kind of helps to break things up,

and keep things fresh and fun.

[dynamic music]

I got this shirt in 2015

at Search and Destroy on St. Mark's.

I was having a really deep fascination

with the Insane Clown Posse.

And it's really nice 'cause whenever I wear it now

I'll kind of get a stranger giving me a gentle whoop whoop

when I walk down the sidewalk.

If I ever had the chance to go to a gathering

I would love to go.

It has become kind of one of my favorite shirts.

It's printed on a XL Stedman by Hanes shirt,

really comfortable.

I'm convinced that vintage stores

must wash all their shirts

with like rocks and fabric softener,

and that's why it's so perfect and slouchy.

I think, in order to make an Insane Clown Posse shirt

appropriate for an office,

I tried to dress it up a little bit.

I put on just a white button down underneath.

These Sherwin Williams branded Dickies,

just recently found them

at a vintage store in Rockaway Beach.

And a little Rachel Comey flat to make it business casual.

As far as it can be.

[funky music]

This is a vintage Guy Harvey shirt

that I bought on eBay.

Guy Harvey is a fishing brand

that I associate with Southern frat guys.

I just found myself wanting one for myself.

It's fun to take it out of context.

When you think about vintage shirts, or even just like tees,

I would say start with what you're into.

I don't skate, so I don't really want Supreme,

or Palace, or whatever.

I don't like the Grateful Dead really,

so the whole tie dye thing is sort of off limits.

But I do fish, so it's like, okay,

I'm gonna get some fishing gear.

The association with these sorts of shirts is usually

it's like fish that you're gonna go out and kill.

It's like marlins or something.

And I like that it was turtles because it's not that,

it's just appreciating a nice looking animal.

My office style is pretty low-key these days,

after the pandemic.

I used to get dressed up for the office,

but not so much anymore.

I'm wearing vintage Levi 501s and Birkenstocks.

These are a Jil Sander collaboration with Birkenstocks.

Like I said, this is sort of like a frat guy brand.

So it's probably more natural

with like some pleated khaki shorts and Top-Siders.

So some beat up old jeans and Birkenstocks

is like a way to take it out of its context,

and freak it a little bit.

[bright music]

So this is my vintage t-shirt.

It says merv is the word.

It's from a department store

based on the West Coast that went bankrupt.

It's like 1990s.

I actually got this from my mom.

Whenever I visit them at home

I'll just go through their closet.

My mom and my dad, they both immigrated to California,

so they don't really get rid of stuff.

So there's just cool things lying around.

And it's pretty cool 'cause I feel like

I'm carrying my mom with me around in the city.

So I'm wearing this shirt

with a pair of sporty pants

that I got at a vintage store in LA.

Jean jackets, always solid go-to for the office

'cause it's so chilly.

Pairing with some Dunks.

The reason why I love wearing t-shirts a lot

is because I feel like the most confident.

And I think that's the best thing

about finding your personal style.

I play sports too.

So, Nike shoes, vintage track pants, it's me.

I don't like to buy a lot of things unless I feel

really good that I'm gonna wear it a lot of times.

I know Big Sean has a really big vintage tee collection.

I like his collection because he also

looks for shirts that speak to his history, or interests.

And I think that's what makes a good vintage tee.

I recommend people look for vintage t-shirts

in their parents' closets, honestly, where I got mine.

There's so much gold to be found

just like inside your own home.

And there's a cool story that you could tell.

Parents' closets, the best vintage stores.

[funky music]

This is my favorite vintage tee.

I bought it about a year ago

and I wear it probably once a week.

It's from early '90s, late '80s.

It's kind of got this ironic motif going on here

where it lists all the popular ad campaigns

from that era, and then says God is like

the product that's ostensibly being advertised.

On the back it says, God is great.

It's made out of cotton.

Fits super well, which I'm really picky about.

So the collar comes up pretty high

and it won't wilt on you halfway through the day.

It's pretty long and boxy too,

which is typical of how tees would fit during that time.

I think I've worn this t-shirt

with like everything that I have in my closet.

I've worn it with striped long shorts, flared dress pants,

high-wasted trousers.

I probably wear like some variation

of this outfit once or twice a week.

This is just Adidas sneakers,

vintage Levi's 505s, and tuxedo jacket,

because I have to do something later tonight

and I wanted to look somewhat put together.

My hat is also vintage.

I've never been to Santa Fe, have no plans of going.

I would recommend looking at a store

called Chickee's Vintage in Williamsburg.

That's where I bought this tee.

They specialize in art house, slightly off kilter t-shirts.

If that's your vibe, it's a good place to start.

[groovy music]

The t-shirt I'm wearing today

is just a plain white t-shirt,

which maybe isn't so exciting, but I've had it for,

geez, I wanna say since middle school.

This brand is still around,

but it's not one we often talk about.

Just a brand that you'd find a Kmart or something.

RIP.

It's called Allen Solly.

But I think this tee is maybe from like, maybe 2000, 2001.

This is definitely something I wear pretty often.

For me, it's all about the silhouette really.

I just have vintage Brooks Brothers pants.

I just like how they drape a lot.

And then mules from Our Legacy.

These trousers are pressed, and they have pleats

and a crease, they're properly tailored.

And then this is just like...

Fucked up, I guess.

I mean, I wouldn't necessarily say

a moth hole-ridden shirt is appropriate for the office

unless you work at GQ or something.

But maybe your boss is cool like that.

I don't know.

There are plenty of shops that I go to online,

or in person, pretty regularly.

Wyco Vintage, they have so many vintage t-shirts,

and they break it down by era, by musician.

Intramural is a really great shop.

The tees that he carries

aren't gonna be like, oh, an old ACDC shirt.

It's gonna be like a t-shirt from an old furniture designer.

Or I think he recently

had a vintage Philip Glass t-shirt,

so that's a really good one too.

[dynamic music]

I'm wearing a 1994 Benetton Formula One tee.

I got it because I had gotten into F1,

and gotten into Michael Schumacher,

and found out that he used to race for Benetton.

And then found out that they made really awesome shirts.

I was scouring eBay and Etsy

for any sort of like old Benetton shirt.

I found out that it was from the year

that Schumacher won his first driver's championship.

And I was like, I gotta grab it.

It's nice.

I like the theme too.

I like that it's a racing shirt, and I pair it with

vintage German army trainers

that kind of look like driving shoes.

So it kind of all fits together.

It's a little small, but I pair it with big pants.

I do the big pants, tiny shirt look meme

because you can't always choose your size

with a vintage tee.

SGA, he's got a crazy collection.

He goes more with like the old rap tees than I do.

Some people look really good

in an old '90s Beefy Tee, or a boxy cut.

I think it looks weird for my body.

But what makes a good vintage tee is that you like it.

[chill music]

This is a shirt that was my mom's when she was in college,

like late '80s, early '90s.

I love it because it's one of those huge

easy shirts that just get softer

and softer every time you wear it.

It's even getting really stretched out in the neck.

Little holes in the shoulder.

It's super worn-in, super comfy.

This is a Vuarnet shirt, Vuarnet France.

I hope I'm saying that right. [laughs]

It's one of those brands

that you don't really hear of anymore, I feel.

But it was kind of like the brand to have in the late '90s.

And I was like doing a Google,

and you can find really cool ones on Grailed and stuff now.

I'm wearing it with a Rowing Blazers tennis skirt.

And then I just wore my New Balance because comfort,

and I love the way it looks

with a little American trench sock.

Sometimes I might even like throw over

a sweater over my shoulders, do a preppy look.

Or even a blazer and make it a little bit more dressy.

I would say that I'm still growing

my vintage tee collection.

And vintage collection overall.

In New York, I love Stock Vintage and Raggedy Threads.

Front Street General in Brooklyn is really good.

But I have a lot of great pieces

that I tend to steal from my parents' closet

because they don't care about their old stuff

from the '90s and '80s, but I think it's so cool.

I'm like, where has this been hiding?

Bring it back out.

Let me wear it.

[chill music]