Twenty years ago, the American author Fran Lebowitz wrote an article about the phenomenon of T-shirts and sweatshirts covered in writing. If people don't want to talk to you, she asked, what makes you think they need to hear from your clothes? Over the intervening period, the script-strewn T-shirt has become even more widely worn. By now, finding casual clothing entirely free of information usually of the most banal character - is something of a challenge.
A stroll around Dublin city centre last week revealed just how commonplace chattering clothes have become. These usually fall into one of three categories. The first, and probably most popular of all, is the shirt with tenuous sporting associations. A handful of brands - Nike, Adidas and Reebok - share the market here, with intense competition between them for dominance.
Sports fans loyally wear the name of their favourite brand and act as three-dimensional walking billboards, evidently untroubled by the idea of paying, often considerable, sums of money to advertise a particular make of clothing. "But they're good clothes," explained one man of his logo-bearing sweatshirt. "It's trendy." A second, but related, group of garments carry the insignia of a famous designer: Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein CK, DKNY and Versace are all popular examples of this group.
While these often have their names writ large, others - such as Ralph Lauren or Lacoste - adopt what is believed to be a subtler approach by having a modestsized symbol stitched on to the item. The intention, however, remains the same: the wearer wants everyone else to know the make of the clothes in question, as though only public acknowledgement can validate the choice.
Fake examples are widespread, but that scarcely seems to trouble most buyers. What matters is the name, preferably written as large as possible. There are, of course, occasional exceptions. "Yes it's real," snapped one man asked about the origins of his T-shirt. "I don't wear fakes." Finally, there are the joke T-shirts; those would-be funny numbers which leave everyone else desperately scanning an oncoming chest in an effort to read its text. Do you want total strangers to appreciate your otherwise little-known wacky sense of humour? Then just such a T-shirt is an essential purchase. A sub-group in this category would include clothes carrying the name (and usually tour dates) of a rock band, which lets the rest of us know your cool taste in music.
Of course, not all items of clothing bearing someone else's prose are designed simply to sell other associated products. Some charities and causes produce a line of casual wear to raise consciousness rather than profits. Shown here is a good example of this category; a T-shirt designed by student Stephen O'Neill for Amnesty International. Good intentions married to good design set this apart from other similar goods.
As rule, however, the wearing of clothes with writing suggests a distinct want of individuality. If you want to be one of the crowd, then they will be your first choice. Otherwise, it would be best to leave the talking T-shirt at home and let your personality speak for itself.
