T-shirts may never go out of style, but as with any fashion item they have gone through their fair share of trends. Click to see view their progression from underwear to couture.

T-shirt’s were first worn by American soldiers in World War I as undershirts because they were cool and comfortable. Everyone has some basic Hanes in their closet, even Marlon Brando. In the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire Brando’s controversial fitted t-shirt had to be sewn in the back as one could not yet buy fitted t-shirts. James Dean was also a pioneer of this underwear as outerwear look; with such sexy iconic men wearing them no wonder the t-shirt is such a long lasting piece of trendy clothing.

In the late 50′s screen printing began on shirts in Miami, Florida. Used to publicize resorts and fictional characters, Mickey Mouse was one of the first screen printed t-shirts to become popular! Still popular today, Mickey Mouse has quite the history in fashion! (Who knew!)

The 60′s t-shirts worn by hippies can be defined by one awful word: tie-die. Thankfully, we have replaced this phenomenon with the much nicer looking and involving less clashing color color fading known as ombre. Ringer shirts also became popular with wanna-be rock stars in the late 60′s.

The 80′s brought the invention of thermochromism dyes into the t-shirt world, which cause the fabric to change color in the heat. American Apparel has attempted to bring back these t-shirts which are sure to be a nightmare if you forget to put on your deodorant. The 80′s also mark the time when t-shirts began to be used for personal expression, such as anti-war statements.

A lot of advertising for designers in the 90′s was done for free by consumers courtesy of t-shirts. Designer logo t-shirts were a huge trend that rivaled Britney Spears’ ever-present crop top. Apparently, the crop top is coming back. Wear with high wasted skirts to cover your belly button, please and thank you.

The new millennium’s celebrity infatuation ushered in the trend of humorous/ironic t-shirts. The Team Aniston/Jolie trend has been replicated with many other celebrities since then. Websites now make personalized screen-printing widely available, so you can make your own “feed the models” t-shirts: we all know they need some more meat on those bones. American Apparel t-shirts (left) are the most popular for screen-printing because of their availability and softness.

Recently, t-shirts have become more expensive then ever. Know as “it t-shirts”, this fad includes the Olsen Twins line The Row where t-shirts are made with couture details and cost around $250. Raquel Allegra’s t-shirts, which retail for $490, are hand shredded and have been a big hit with the DIY culture. 

One things for sure, t-shirts will always be around. What do you think will be the next t-shirt trend?