Teenage Death Cult

If your teenage experience had more in common with Donnie Darko than with High School Musical, you might be able to relate to Blood is The New Black's new collaboration with artist Justin Blyth. Blyth, who is behind the mesmerizing blog Them Thangs, selected six of his friends to create graphic tees for a capsule collection entitled "Teenage Death Cult," surrounding themes of youth, vanity, mortality, and religion. Collaborators include Cast of Vices jewelry designer Christopher Glancy, and Thvm Rag Art Director Hassan Rahim. The entire collection reminds me of one of my favorite photography books, which was also made into an awesome movie, Wisconsin Death Trip, and one of the best tees is Blyth's Smokebath, which features a pagan ritual shot that looks like a still from the film. Anyway, all of the graphics embody the semi-morbid, beautifully grotesque stuff that I secretly love, and anyone with similar inclinations ought to check out the rest of the collection here, and take a stop at Blyth's blog while they're at it.

-Tiffany

Tees (Two Ways)

Flower tee courtesy of Blood is the New Black, Prada skirt, Carin Wester Jacket, Jeffrey x Keds white patent sneakers courtesy of Keds, Triskaidekaphobia tooth necklace.

Blood is the New Black is one of the few companies that consistently produces great graphic tees that I actually like. They've just released their Winter 2010 collection, with a couple of new artists like Jenny Mortsell and Derek Albeck on the roster, and they let me pick out a couple of their new designs. I ended up choosing two very different ones: a glorious floral tee that appeals to my girlier side, and an oversized tee with a bunch of flannel shirts arranged to form a frowning face that reminds me of Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and fits in with my grungier sensibilities. The beauty of getting dressed each morning is that you can totally change how you look and feel depending on what you put on, and both tees are suited for different moods, but are still very "me." Nevermind the fact that I kinda look like two different people in the pictures. Here are some photos of how I styled my shirts, and some other great tees from the Blood is the New Black Winter lookbook.

Terror boyfriend tee courtesy of Blood is the New Black, Kate Moss x Topshop leather jacket, Six Six Sick deconstructed flannel, Earnest Sewn skirt, Opening Ceremony x Keds studded faux-suede sneakers courtesy of Keds, Triskaidekaphobia tooth necklace and earring.

-Tiffany

Jersey Girl

Demon Babies tee courtesy of Blood is the New Black, American Apparel bra, Ostwald Helgason x ASOS leggings, Alexander Wang shoes and sunglasses, Antti Asplund cross necklaces, Miu Miu bracelet, Triskaidekaphobia ring.

I'm sure you're already familiar with Blood is the New Black. If, for some reason, you don't recognize the name, I'm certain that you've at least seen the work. In music videos, at concerts, riding the L train. These are just a few places where I've spotted the t-shirts in the last few days alone. Basically, the ubiquitous t-shirt line is all around you, even if you aren't aware of it. And why not? Everyone loves a tee, and in the height of sticky, humid, New York City summer (it's been topping 90 on a very regular basis this month---whywhywhy), who can be bothered with putting on much more than sweat-absorbing, machine-washable jersey?

What make Blood is the New Black different from your average t-shirt line is that rather than obscuring the artist behind the graphics, the company seeks to showcase emerging talent, with the end goal of promoting their careers and introducing their work to a wider audience. Artists in the current lineup include Brian Lichtenberg, Skye Parrot, Keren Richter and Kime Buzzelli, and you can browse the website by the designer. And since they're tees, everything on the site is super-affordable (around $10-$40).

Last week, they offered to send me over a few tees, and after going through the hundreds of designs and styles available, I chose out a couple of designs from Demonbabies and Sumi Ink Club. I immediately put on the Demonbabies Hex Mex tank that I got, and I can already tell it's going to be a summer staple. I love all the evil eyes and the pair of hands, and the whole design reminds me of Rasputin, who will always fascinate me as one of history's biggest creepos. Anyway, here's a peek at some of the other current designs from the Blood is the New Black Summer 2010 lookbook.



Anybody else love this iconic image from The Night Porter?

-Tiffany

Your Monthly Statement

"The Dentist" designed by Johan Toorell

Throughout my high school years, I essentially lived in graphic tees and corduroy pants. As I grew older, I felt that I had matured beyond my shapeless tom-boy style, and by my twenties, I had shoved my massive collection of tees to the farthest recesses of my closet, swearing that I would only wear more age-appropriate attire. Jersey shirts would be relegated to sleepwear, and I would only wear "real" shirts (you know, of the silk and/or button-down variety, like all the other grown-up/elderly ladies I know). Still, I could never bear to throw my tees away, and over the past year, have been pulling them out of oblivion, one by one. After all, there isn't anything more comfortable to wear, and easier to throw on. In fact, for the first time in years, I've found myself actively looking for new tees to buy, realizing just how versatile they can be.

Enter T-Post. This Swedish company puts a spin on the standard t-shirt subscriptions by selecting lauded designers from around the world to create graphic tees to accompany eccentric news articles. While there are a wide variety of design styles and stories from issue to issue, they share the common thread of being wearable conversation pieces. One of the main goals of the creators is to use design "as a subversive tool to instigate meaningful thought, conversation, and action." Costing around $30 a month, it's a relatively inexpensive way to make a statement. Here are a few of my favorite designs, including a t-shirt by Lovisa Burfitt, which I was lucky enough to receive in the mail, and is already well-loved and in the wash.

"Aggression Is Its Own Award" designed by Von

"Casette Cure" designed by Lovisa Burfitt

"The New Explorer" by DanHasPotential

"Super Drugs" by Ragnar Persson

-Tiffany