T-Bar

T-Bar…Great name, but for me thats all they have going for them. Growing up in Los Angeles and living in San Francisco I think I’ve been around all the greatest streetwear brands and have gone through that whole phase. I still love a lot of designs from that culture, and every high school boy and all their friends are always trying to create a new clothing brand that they think will change the game completely.
Streetwear back in the days was just more fun, more meaningful. Great brands like Stussy, the Hundreds, mishka, huff, etc all had great design and great culture behind them. They also were all less than $ 30. Stussy always tries to stay under $ 24 which is great. T-​Bar however wants to sell you their shirts for at least $ 40 a piece. These designs are nothing to be excited about, at first I thought this was because I am not a local and I dont get the culture behind each design. When asking the employees what each design meant they couldn’t tell me. Why? Because they were all random!
I asked an employee where the designs came from they said their office in some other city that escapes my mind at the moment. A few full time designers and some part time student designers. It basically feels like some random high school kid who barely knows his way around photoshop. THeres no culture or soul in the designs, maybe I am not just talking about T-​Bar maybe I am referring to streetwear apparel in general. So many brands also rip each other off too often how many versions of the RUN DMC shirt will we see?
I could never see myself spending $ 40 on a SHIRT that really means nothing. With that said I leave you with this helpful fact. If you do buy these shirts or any nicely printed shirts, turn them inside out when you wash them, they will last longer and the colors of the print wont fade or crack as quickly =).

Now how about those screen-​printed shirts you see around town. Some cool, some overly ironic, some pathetically «artsy.» Chances are, many of them come from T Bar. This little shop is tucked off George Street near Town Hall (and spitting distance from the Ivy). I walked in today and found the employees to be ridiculously friendly and enthusiastic (in retrospect, maybe just bored?). Have you ever been here before? Girls shirts are over there! They are three for $ 99! Have a look, make a mess; we don’t care!!!
I found many of the designs to be shamelessly American. Yep, flags, MTV logos, cowboy images and all. Some were vaguely Japanese looking with the brushstroke water colored graphics to prove it. Others were more Euro-​minimalist. Either way, if you’re in the market for a nice quality T with a bold design, I think this might be your place. And hell, if you’re just a tad bit lonely, stop in for the conversation alone. It might just sort you out.

Sometimes I think men are lucky, all you guys have to do is change your T-​shirt and you have a whole new outfit. And then I remember how little you have to choose from when it comes to clothing (I’m talking straight-​dressing men here obviously, cross-​dressers have the best of all worlds) and I kind of feel sorry for you. No wonder some guys stoop to wearing rolled up skinny jeans and slides without socks!
Thankfully then, there is no shortage of shops and market stalls selling fun, funky and funny T-​shirt designs as a way for you blokes to express yourselves. T Bar is not one of the cheap ones with Ts costing $ 40 or three for $ 99, but the T’s are quality and nicely cut and if you think about it, you could go there once a month and buy three new T-​shirts and there’s your clothing budget for the whole month!
Men are so lucky. No, wait…